Creating A Counterculture

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on Aug 29th by Navaz D via zoom. For the audio & video please click here.  To listen to the worship please click here.

CREATING A COUNTERCULTURE- The Sermon on the Mount

INTRODUCTION

The last time I preached I introduced you to the topic of the Kingdom of God. We know Jesus came to usher in a Kingdom that was an upside-down kingdom.

My topic for today is Creating a counterculture.

Jesus described Kingdom culture and Christian character in this one passage of scripture popularly known as the Sermon on the Mount.

My text is Matt 5:1-3. But we will read from verse 1 to 11

BACKGROUND

A little about the author of this text. Matthew who was also called Levi is the author of this book. He was a tax collector by profession. Matthew is largely writing for a Jewish audience

In his writing Matthew makes several references to the OT to show the link between the Messiah they longed for and Jesus who was God incarnate

THE THEME

 In the gospel of Matthew, the Kingdom of heaven as he calls it was a main running motif.

 

God always wanted a unique people to be set apart for him. Israel were his chosen people. They were supposed to be a light to the Gentiles.” will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

These were familiar texts to the Jews.

Jesus was showing them how to really live it out.

 Matt 5 to 7 explains the kingdom culture making lots of reference to the Old Testament, saying you know this in your scriptures, but this is the real heart of the matter: the sermon on the mount is a treatise replete with phrases like “you have heard it said, but I say to you”… , or you believed and lived like this, but know I am telling you how it really should be done.

E.g.) 5:21 – You have heard about do not commit murder – but I say even if you are angry, it is murder

5:27- You have heard it say do not commit adultery – but I say even if you look with lust

This sermon ends in chapter 7. What Jesus is drawing their attention to is the heart of the matter. It is all about relationships and not rules. Love and forgiveness are the currency of this kingdom.

He emphasizes fruit Ch7:16 -20 By their fruit you will recognize them.

He ends with the parable of the wise and foolish builders once emphasising obedience.

 

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Introducing a counterculture.

As I said earlier, Jesus came to usher in an upside-down kingdom.

As Christians, we are supposed to be the salt and light of this world.

Also, we do not belong to this world. We are in but not of it.

The Jews too forgot their “otherness” and consorted with the nations around them and took on the culture, practices and even worship of other gods.

We are supposed to create a counterculture too.

 

This is important to understand if we must understand the Sermon on the Mount. He was ushering this new kingdom that John the Baptist had told them about when he said “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand”.

The sermon on the mount is about returning to roots by turning away from all the adulteration of the law and returning to true righteous living.

The whole sermon on the mount can also be seen as a compare and contrast in style. The pagans live like this, or you have heard it said, but I say live like this. eg) the pagans pray like this, but you pray like this. The pagans run after riches, but you seek the kingdom.

Moses gave them the law on a mountain. Jesus gave them a life imparting counterculture on a mountain. It was not a set of laws like the 10 commandments. Rather it describes a culture or the character of a person who lives to please God.

 

Note the OT ended with Cruses, the NT first sermon opens with blessings. It was the dawn of a new era.

The Pharisees and scribes had put their own twist to the understanding and application of the law. Jesus was about to set it right.

 

WHO IS THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT FOR?

This talk on the mount is a discipling moment that Jesus is having with those who followed Him. He is telling them that if they want to be a part of my Kingdom then this is how they need to be and live.

This sermon is not to be used as a code of social ethics. It cannot be applied by all of society. The Sermon on the mount was not for general consumption. This was Jesus’ teaching to his disciples or followers. This is kingdom culture.

Is living by the sermon on the Mount doable or is it idealism? It is doable only if we are born again.

Some may say this is the hardest set of teachings to live by. Who said anything about it being easy? In fact, Jesus said how hard it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. He was raising the bar!!

Is it any wonder that Jesus opens it with “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs, is the kingdom of heaven”?

 

IS THIS SERMON RELEVANT FOR TODAY?

The first obvious answer is yes, simply because all scripture is God-breathed ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed  (1Tim 3:16-17)

 

WHY PRACTICE THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT?

It is the foundation for Christian living. It is by adopting a poverty of spirit that says, “apart from you I can do nothing”.

 It is the best evangelistic tool you will ever find. It is also by demonstrating Christ like love to one another and by this shall all men know that you are my disciples.

 

The Beatitudes

So, let’s look at Matthew 5:1 -3 today.

The Beatitudes

1Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them.

He said:

3“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

He goes to the mountain top to be with his disciples and away from the crowds. This teaching was for those who wanted to follow Him.

 

He sits down to teach – It was common in those days for the Rabbi to sit and teach while the rest stood and listened.

 

First, the Beatitudes are how every Christian should live. This is not just for some pious people, but for every Christ-follower because it is a description of Christian character. We are meant to display all 8 characteristics in our life!

 

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 I am not surprised that this is the first for I think all else hinges on this first one.

 

Blessed or happy is how one can interpret this word. “Makarios is the Greek word which means happy, content.

The first thing that strikes me is that Jesus wants us to be happy. He is not a killjoy!!

What is true happiness?  Can happiness be the end goal of all things? Is that what Jesus is saying when He says you are “Blessed”? Or could it be more?

 Happiness is a part of it but not the whole thing. It also implies favour with God.  

Blessedness is also a characteristic of God. And we can only share that through our union with Christ.

 

“Poor in Spirit”

What is it?

The Greek word for “poor” is “Ptochos” i.e., to crouch, to cower like a beggar.

Jesus is not talking about material poverty, but spiritual poverty.

Jesus is basically saying that you cannot rely on your own goodness to enter into God’s kingdom. It is not an appeal to deny our worth as human beings, but to recognize our sin and desperate need for salvation.

Matthew Henry comments that “to be poor in spirit, is to have humble thoughts of ourselves, of what we are, and have, and do

It means I am spiritually destitute, and I need a saviour.

 It means that in and of myself I am morally bankrupt and there is nothing good in me without Christ. This is not an excuse or licence for self-loathing or hate as some streams of Christianity indulge in. It is unbiblical and cannot find any basis in scripture.

 

The Beatitudes acts as a mirror to show me how full of me I am and how much I need to have more of Christ in me.

How do I become “poor in spirit”?

It is a recognition that I do not have anything worthy to bring to God.

When we come to God emptying ourselves of pride, independence, self-achievements.

I need to recognize that I cannot do it on my own. I need Him to fill me.

The poor in spirit like Zacchaeus received the kingdom.

Following from being poor in spirit you can mourn, be meek, thirst after righteousness or be merciful to others.

 

Why do I need to be “poor in spirit?”

 

Unless I recognize my poverty I will not recognize the need for a Saviour.

Because apart from Jesus I can do nothing.

.

Pride will lead me to anger, independence, folly, unforgiveness, unrighteous living, seeking satisfaction elsewhere which will lead to all kinds of sin.

 

How do I become “poor in spirit”?

Be humble: Humility will keep me dependent and trusting God to meet my every need – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and material.

 

We need to come to Jesus’ poor in spirit and not in a poverty spirit.

 

There is a big difference. The former comes in a posture of humility saying that I need one that is greater than me and acknowledges the “all-sufficiency of the Saviour”. The latter says I am living in lack of what I have is not enough and denies the “all-sufficiency of the Saviour”.

 

Dependence grates against everything that is part of the cultures in which we live today that promote, applaud self-reliance, self-confidence, self-effort, self-promotion.

 

Paul says I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal 2:20.

Paul considered all his achievements as dung compared to knowing Jesus. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ Phil 3:8

 

THE RESULT:

The kingdom of heaven is mine.

I will live in awe of the finished work of the Cross

I will be thankful for His grace in my life.

I will live in dependence on the Holy spirit

My Prayer life will grow

I will not think highly of myself

I will serve with humility because no task is too small for me.

I will love like Christ.

 

CONCLUSION

This Kingdom culture can only be lived out when Jesus is the King of our hearts. We need Him every moment of the day. To be mindful of Him. For this, we need to acknowledge our need of Him by being poor or humble of spirit.

When we live in this way we are blessed, happy, content and enjoy all favour as citizens of the Kingdom of God. Amen!

   Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

 

Where is your treasure? | Austine K

This message was preached by  Austine K at Word of Grace Church on November 17th , 2019. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and propheticcontributions please click here

Matthew 6:25 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 

“THEREFORE” This word always takes us back to the previous thoughts.

The thought here is laying up treasures on earth where moth and rust can destroy it or in heaven where it is indestructible. The context of this passage is on giving. Jesus also talks about the two masters - God and money and man cannot love both masters, he must despise one and be devoted to the other.

Do you think Jesus is telling us not to save money? Or not to invest? Or that we have to be poor? Absolutely not! We know from the parable of the talents and other places in the Bible that we are expected to be wise with our money and God has given us the ability to produce wealth. What this passage is really talking about is putting money before God. When we don’t give into the kingdom of God we allow our money to be the first priority before God and money becomes our idol. But sometimes when we give, it causes us to be anxious because of our circumstances. 

Q) Who doesn’t get anxious?

I’m sure everyone does in different phase of life. They may get anxious about exams, jobs, marriages, children, house rent, taxes and other bills.

Jo and I were anxious few months ago about job, finance, children, buying a home, car. She was getting an opportunity to work with the UN in the UK and Dubai and they were willing to offer me a job. It was an easy way out to go there, earn money and get all these things that we want.

Now God is not against all these things for us because He likes to bless but we felt God asked us to put our roots down here, serve the church and we know that in time to come God will bless. When You devote yourself to love and serve God, anxious thoughts will also come. That’s why Jesus emphasizes “Do not be anxious” 5 times. But there is a peace that comes with obedience and with obedience comes the security of God’s blessing. This is a security we don’t have to work or strive for, it comes from knowing that when God asks you to do something he will also Provide. 

Last Sunday Colin spoke about the wise and foolish builder. The wise man listens to the word of God and puts it into practice and by doing so he builds his house on the rock, the foolish man listens to the word of God and doesn’t do anything about it and he builds his house on the sand. They both face the same problems in life and during these trials the house that was built on the rock stands and the house built on the sand crashes down. Similarly we’ve got to build our life like the wise builder by being obedient to the word of God so we can build a house on the rock by giving into God’s kingdom without worry or anxiety or we can keep our treasure for ourselves and build a house on the sand.

Q) How can you overcome anxiety?

1) Look to the creation

2) Ponder upon God’s faithfulness

3) Seek first the Kingdom of God

1) Look to the creation

Matthew 6:26-30 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?[a] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

The birds don’t plant gardens or fields, nor do they harvest crops, they don’t store food in the barns, yet our Heavenly Father feeds them.

They are not his children, nor is He their Father. He is their creator.

If He feeds the birds which are not His children, how much more will He feed His child? You are more valuable than they. They only have a creator – that is creation relationship, you have a father – that is a son or daughter relationship.

What good does anxiety do? Secondly, which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life. Anxiety leads to health problems like Depression, Panic attacks, cardiovascular disease, High BP, breathlessness; and so much more. Instead of adding, anxiety can reduce our lifespan.

Jesus asked, why are you worried about clothing when the cure is look to the lilies of the field, how they grow. They do not toil, they do not raise a cotton crop, they do not spin. The ladies used to have to make their own material before they could even make their clothes. They used to have what was known as spinning wheels, where they would spin the wool or cotton into yarn or thread then weave the yarn in the loom to make the garment they were proposing to make. Lillies are beautiful red and white and so many beautiful colors. Consider this: Solomon in all his glory and wealth was not beautifully clothed as the lilies in the field.

So when anxiety starts to overcome you, look to the creation and ponder on how God cares for everything he has created.

This brings me to my next point and that is

2) Ponder upon God’s faithfulness

Last year, before our wedding Jo and I were anxious about a lot of things. We were concerned about finances and finding a flat, visa and families coming together and furniture and everything that we had to manage. This year we have a new bunch of things that we are concerned about, but we know that God was more than faithful to us last year. He blessed us abundantly and we know that he is the same God and he will take us through once again. Anxiety is a never ending cycle but when you look back on your life, you will be able to see God’s faithfulness.

 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

So our Father knows what we need and has known it through all the generations. He is a good Father and has always provided. So when Satan tries to make you anxious, remind him of how he’s been defeated in the past and what his future is!

1. Seek first the kingdom

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

This means above everything else - seeking the Kingdom should be our highest priority. 

What is the Kingdom of god - it is the will of God being expressed. It is Gods government, his rule and his authority and seeking the Kingdom of God is simply being obedient to the will of the Father. It often means dying to yourself and being obedient. 

So what does this mean?

It means putting God’s will above your own.

Let’s look at the example of Moses. He constantly sought the will of the Lord. God told Moses to take the Israelites out of Egypt. Now this was an insecure path looking at the physical realm. They are walking away from security into an unknown land but Moses understood that His security came from obedience to God and not life in the palace and so for every need big or small he would run back to God and say God, what would you have me do? So when there was no way and enemies were behind them God parted the seas. When there was no water, God gave it from a rock. When there was no food God sent quail and manna in the desert. When there was no compass God himself went before them in a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. 

“In modern day Moses would say i can’t find parking, please show me a parking spot. One day he will say my gps is not working then God will say look to the clouds”

Moses was seeking the will of the Father in every decision he had to make.

We need to ask ourselves this question What is the will of the Father in my life?

*I want to get married to this person, what is the will of the Father?

*I want to relocate to another city, what is the will of the Father?

*I’m struggling with my colleagues and I want to change my job, what is the will of the Father?

*I believe in Jesus but I don’t want to get water baptized? what is the will of the Father?

*I’ll come to church but I won’t connect with people, 

what is the will of the Father?

*I’m struggling this month so I won’t tithe, what is the will of the Father?

So we’ve got to a people who love God and obey his commands.

What do you mean by seeking His righteousness?

When you seek the will of the Father, you chase righteousness. Seeking the kingdom of God and righteousness goes hand in hand. 

Proverbs 15:9 “The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but He loves him who pursues righteousness.” 

So we’ve got to be people who pursue righteousness in everything we do.

We see this example in Jesus life. 

John 6:38

38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Jesus went about doing the will of the Father and proclaiming the Kingdom of God with signs and wonders. Jesus knew that he was going to die a painful and horrific death and yet he prayed to the Father let not my will but your will be done. He was obedient to the will of the Father to the point of death even death on the cross. 

Jesus daily spent time conversing with the Father and that’s how he was able to imitate Him. God calls us sons and daughters and Jesus is our role model, just like Jesus we need to spend time conversing with the Father so that we can know in our lives what his will is for us. 

So for example when Jesus says give and do not be anxious, irrespective of the circumstance, give in faith that He will provide for all your needs. There’s no need to be anxious about your provisions when you’ve been obedient to the will of the Father. 

Anxiety is faith in the wrong Kingdom. When you are anxious it is difficult to seek the kingdom of God. It stems from a lack of faith in God and from A wrong focus on the things of this world instead of on the things God. We need to set our mind not on the things of the world but on the things of God. 

Colossians 3:1-2 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek first the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 

As you feed on God’s word, you will be freed. Faith will eliminate anxiety. Faith comes from hearing and meditating on the Word of God. Are you feeding on anxious thoughts or Gods word?

So to summarize, you can either seek the kingdom of God and store up treasures in heaven or serve the master of money and store up treasures on earth. So when you feel anxious, look to the creation and his providence - how he has provided for them from the beginning till now. Ponder on his faithfulness and how he has been good to you all these years and most importantly prioritize seeking first the Kingdom of God. 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

The Future Will Write Your History | Navaz D Cruz

This message was preached by  Navaz D'Cruz at Word of Grace Church on  January 6th 2019. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here.

THE FUTURE WILL WRITE YOUR HISTORY

INTRODUCTION

I have a message, the burden of which has been increasingly growing in my heart as each year goes by. This year I have felt that God has laid this as a prophetic message for Word of Grace and maybe even beyond.

I believe there is something in this message for everyone – a new believer, a not so young Christ follower and a seasoned Christian like myself.

This is also in line with the series that Colin is taking us through but coming from a different angle.

TEXT

Proverbs 29:18  Where there is no revelation/vision, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom's instruction.

 2 Tim 4: 7-8 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Phil3:12 -
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me

The title of my message today is this : The Future will write your history.

What will it say about you?

 Last Sunday we heard about Jim Elliot. The whole of Christendom knows about him. His famous quote is “ He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot loose!”

Such amazing passion, dedication and fixed focus. We may never become a Jim Elliot and that does not disqualify us or excuse us from living with purpose, passion and a perspective that ends in eternity.

What legacy will you leave behind? You will leave one behind either unintentionally or by design.

To answer that question we first need to recognize that:

1.    We were created on purpose for a purpose.

 A creator who has a design in mind created you.  You are not here by chance or by an accident. You are not a mistake.

Psalm 139:14-15 13For You formed my inmost being;

You knit me together in my mother’s womb.14I will praise You,for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Eph 1:11 -In him we were also chosen,^[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

Eph 2:10 ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

This is critical to your purpose. Unless you are reconciled to your creator, you will never be free from a useless existence and be able to begin to live this purposeful life and fulfill your God given destiny here on the earth.

As Christians, we too can live like this – carelessly, without vision/purpose and a revelation of why we are here on the Earth.

Being saved is only just getting off the starting block of this eternal relay we are all running in. How then do we run this race? Many Christians sadly have lost their first love; their hearts have grown cold, distracted with the cares of this world. One day we will have to give an account for how we have lived.

 1 Cor 3:12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames.

Proverbs 23:4 warns us not to wear ourselves out in trying to get rich.

2.    The second issue is sustainability.

Finishing strong is vital. Can we keep the fire burning after 2 years, 5 years, 10 years twenty 40?

If I do not stay connected and rooted in Jesus my spiritual fervour, can wither off and die.

3.    Building a legacy is in God’s DNA.

 Apart from the fact that God created you for a purpose, we need to understand the character and nature of God. He has put the same DNA in us as we are “His image bearers”.

We have been created to create, care for and contribute to the earth.

The command that God gave Adam to steward and multiply still holds good today.

We are still commanded to create and care and contribute. This has to do with every area of our life: personal, at work, in the home, our marriage, children, neighbourhood, our material possessions, our spiritual life, church community.

Jesus spoke a lot about stewardship and multiplication. Just look at the parable of the talents, the wise manager etc etc. God is always looking for ROI( return on investment)

It is there in Genesis and is there is Revelation 22:12"Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. 

Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ, you are serving.

More than 40 verses talk about rewards. Look it up. This must be important.

Before we get it twisted. We know that we have been saved by grace.

We have not been saved by works bur for works

We function from acceptance not for acceptance

We lives from the identity of sons and not to get identity

We have been blessed so that we can bless

We live from victory and not for victory

When we know our identity, we will know our destiny.

SO NOW WHAT?

 What version of Christianity will your children or grandchildren enjoy because of what you invested into the kingdom?

Will it be a diluted version or even better than what you have known and experienced.

Our ceiling should be the floor that the next generation stands on. Legacy builders think about the quality of their life not so that they can enjoy a good life on earth but so that generations after them can reap the fruit of it too. Are you a legacy builder?

Mature sons and daughters in the house of God will learn to broaden their shoulders and be burden bearers rather than be a burden.

When we know that, we are children of God bought at a high price we will realize that our lives are about stewardship and not entitlement.

This is a difference between stewardship and Entitlement. Which column do you have more ticks?

STEWARDSHIP – A child of God with good identity	ENTITLEMENT- A child of God with poor identity.
Surrendered life	Self-centered life
Seeks to serve	Wants to be served
Contributors	Consumers
Gratitude	Feels entitled
Wants to please God	Wants God to please them
Blesses others	Seeks to be blessed
Generous	Stingy
Multiplies resources	Depletes resources
Giving	Demanding
Involved	Disconnected
Submitted	Independent
Handles resources in a kingdom way	Handles resources in a self-indulgent way
Others oriented	Self-focused
Satisfied	Always needy
Dependable	inconsistent

Word of Grace can be like a greenhouse- as long as you are in this church you thrive spiritually or may appear to thrive.

This is because the external environment is influencing you and acting upon you. But if you move away from WOG will you continue to burn hot for Jesus?

How much you internalize of the values you enjoy at WOG depends on your capacity to absorb and put into practice and make it your DNA.

You have to forge your own history with God.

Everyone’s character will be put to the test in the crucible of crises. Will you come out as pure gold?

This, will be tested when the storms of life hit us and they will. Will we be like the wise builder or the foolish one?

My prayer is that we like Paul will be able to say I have fought the good fight, I have run the race and now there waits a crown for me.

HERE ARE SOME KEYS THAT WILL HELP IN YOUR LEGACY BUILDING.

1.    PRESENCE – I cannot emphasize this more. That is why the first phrase in our tag line is Enjoying God. Apart From Him, we can do nothing. We need to stick close to Jesus every day. Practice his presence as a lifestyle.

"Relying on God has to start all over everyday, as if nothing has yet been done."  –C. S. Lewis

2.    PROVIDENCE – Know that God’s favour rests upon you. He is your provider and will give you more than you can ask or imagine. “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supplies.” –Hudson Taylor

3.    PERSPECTIVE – Do not live just for today or for the next 5 years. Where do you see yourself when you are 70? Where do you see yourself in eternity? "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose." –Jim Elliot

4.    PURPOSE – Do not be a drifter. Before you know it, 5 years have done by ad you will have little to show for it. Have goals. IF you fail to plan, you will plan to fail. Have goals personal, professional, family, spiritual. God is interested in all of our lives “Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” –Francis Chan

5.    PASSION – Put your might behind everything you do. Do it as unto God. “If you can’t fly, then run, If you can’t run, then walk, If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” –Martin Luther King Jr.

This passion can only be sustained and fueled, in the presence of God.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” Col3:23

1Cor 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them— yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

So let us life this life worthy of our calling in Jesus. Let us fight the good fight of faith and not give up or get tired of doing good, because what we build will be a legacy that will last forever and one day the future will bear witness to it. LET’S PRAY

DISCUSSION POINTS FOR GYM MEETINGS

. Do you recognize that you have been created by design? What unique gifts and talents has God blessed you with?

. HAve the core values we talk about at Word of Grace become yours? Or is it an extranl influence?

What are some of the goals you have for life?
. Are you a legacy builder? 
What will you change to become more focused and live purposefully? Do you have a year plan and a 5-year plan?
. What will you do differently in your Christian calling to leave a legacy behind?

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.