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The Message for Nov 29, 2015
Romans 12:1-2, 9-13
Intentional Faith Development
Rob Miller, Pastor
For 50 years the Peanuts Comic Strip gave us insights about living life according to Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, Sally, Pig-Pen, Peppermint Patty, a little black and white Beagle who thought he was a fighter pilot at times, and ‘good ol’ Charlie Brown – that confused little boy who would often pondered the meaning of life.
We can learn a lot about life from thePeanuts Comic Strip. In one scene, Charlie Brown is sitting up in bed and says:‘Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, "Where have I gone wrong?” Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night.”’
In another cartoon Lucy says:‘Charlie Brown, life is like a deck chair on a cruise ship. Passengers open up these canvas deck chairs so they can sit in the sun. Some people place their chairs facing the rear of the ship – so they can see where they've been. Other people face their chairs forward – they want to see where they're going. On the cruise ship of life, which way is your deck chair facing?’
Charlie Brown replies,‘I've never been able to get my deck chair unfolded.’
In another scene, Sally is playing in the backyard when all of a sudden she bursts into tears.Linus asks,‘Why are you crying, Sally?’
‘I don’t know,’she says.‘I was jumping rope… everything was all right when… I don’t know… suddenly it all seemed so futile!’
Ever had similarexperiences?
For many of us – there comes a time comes when, like Sally, we’re skipping through life and then we find ourselves wondering-- What it’s all about?What’s the use?
Perhaps it comes to us like it did for Charlie Brown: lying in bed thinking,so what? What islife all about… Isthisall there is?
When we start asking those kind of questions,we tend to move into the realm of religion. Charlie Brown knew how touchythattopic can be. Lucy is playing, when her younger brother Linus asks her,Do you ever pray?
‘That’s kind of a personal question, isn’t it?’Lucy snaps back.‘Are you trying to start an argument? I suppose you think you’re somebody pretty smart, don’t you?’
Linus turns to Charlie Brown and says.‘You’re right, religion is a very touchy subject.’
I wonder –why? Why is that? Is it because we’ve had bad experiences in church, or bad experiences in life, orbad experiences with other Christians, or bad experiences with God…
Sally and Linus are walking to school one day. She says to Linus,‘I would have made a good evangelist,’ ‘You know that kid who sits behind me at school? I convinced him that my religion is better than his religion.’
‘How'd you do that?’Linus asks.
‘I hit him with my lunch box.’ She says.
When it comes to spiritual matters…
When it come to facing the challenges of life…
When it comes to living the faith… sometimes… we may want to ‘do a Linus.” He said:‘No problem is so big or so complicated that it can't be run away from!’
Charlie Brown says,‘What if everyone was like you? What if we all ran away from our problems? Huh? What then? What if everyone in the whole world suddenly decided to run away from their problems?’
‘Well,’Linus replies,‘at least we'd all be running in the same direction.’
Charlie Brown won’t let us run away from the problems of life or the big questions of life -- especially the question: What is the meaning of life?
What if… the meaning of life is tolive by faith? What if…as we go about live by faith we grow in spiritual maturity andas we grow we discover that the meaning of life is to simply live by faith? What if… the meaning of life was that simple and that difficult – to live by faith every day…
Today is the third week, in our 5 Week-Series on the 5 practices of healthy, growing, fruitful congregations. We began two weeks ago with the topic Radical Hospitality (inviting and welcoming others in Jesus’ name). Last week was considered Passionate Worship (giving thanks and praise for God’s grace at work in our lives). Check them out on our webpage… Today we consider the topicIntentional Faith Development.
Prayer
When it comes to living the faith, I think ofthe quote from Henry Ford. He said, whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. That applies to our faith development as well. Whether you think you can have faith or you think you can’t,you’re right.
Listen to how St. Paul puts it in our reading this morning. These are words for us to live by.
Romans 12:1-2, 9-13
St. Paul calls us to live by faith every day, presenting ourselves to God every day. Paul says, that’s what true worship is all about. We are not to conform our lives to the ways of the world. We are to be transformed – living every day by the will and ways of God as shown to us in Christ Jesus.
So the question is, do our lives reflect the ways of the world or the ways of Jesus?
Listen again to what Paul says is the will and ways of God in the second part of our reading for today…
Love is to be sincere.Hate anything evil. Cling to the good.Be devoted to one another in love.Honor one another above yourself.Never be lacking in a passion to do the right thing, but keep your spiritual passion alive byserving the Lord.Be joyful, be hopeful,be patient when difficulties come, befaithful in prayer.Share with people who are in need – especially people in the faith community.Practice hospitality.
These things don’t just happen… Our faith development doesn’t just happen… That’s why wecall it, intentional faith development. Each one of us is responsible for our own faith development…
In the bookFive Practices of Fruitful Congregations,Robert Schnase writes,
“Vibrant, fruitful, growing congregations practice Intentional Faith Development. From the first generations of Christians to the generations of faithful members today, followers of Jesus Christ mature by learning together in community. Churches that practice Intentional Faith Development offer high quality learning experiences that help people understand Scripture, faith, and life in the supportive nurture of caring relationships.”
That’s what our LIFE Groups are all about. I wish everyone who called themselves a member of this congregation was involved in a LIFE Group. That’s where we grow inthe faith. The aim of our LIFE Groups is to help us live the faith in our everyday world.
We tend to think that our faith development is a steady development. We take a step then another then another. But in reality we take a step and then something happens that challenges our faith. Something happens at work or in a relationship or in church and we stumble backwards a few steps. In our LIFE Groups we help each other take that next step and deal with the challenges and problems of living life. Our faith takes a more sporadic development.
Let’s define these three words --Intentional, faith, development…
We begin with faith…
Faith has to do with our relationship with God. Faith is the trust-level we have in God. It means letting God be in control and in charge of everything in our lives.We do our part and God does God’s part.
St. Paul says we are not to be conformed to the ways of the world but to be transformed – to become more like Jesus every day. He came not to be served but to serve and to give his life in service to others.
You are not the same person today that you were yesterday. And you are not going to be the same person tomorrow that you are today. You will have grown in some way, I hope.
When we stop growing we stop living. The question is,howare you growing? Are you growing closed to God or further away? Are you becoming more like Jesus or less?
Next is development.
Development means a process of conforming to the image of Christ – maturing in the faith. The Greek word is telos. Telos means “mature” or functioning in the manner for which you were created.
A surgeon goes to school to become telos in surgery. The goal is to become proficient in the practice of healing. It takes practiceto become a good surgeon. We are to become telos in the faith – proficient in the faith by practicing the faith.
This practice calls for us to be intentional…
Intentional may be the most challenging part. It calls for us topractice the faith regularly, daily, continuously. You’ve heard the old saying,“practice makes perfect…” Right?
Weare to practice the faith through…
Daily PRAYER,
Weekly WORSHIP,
Regular Bible READING,
SERVING at and beyond the church,
RELATING with others to encourage spiritual growth, and
GIVING generously to the mission and ministry we share.
We could say these are the means for us to grow in the faith.
There is a difference between the meansof our faith development and the movement of our faith development. The means is what carriesus to a desired result. The movement is the process of participating in the means.
Let me put it this way -- my car brought me here this morning. It was the means. My car brought me up E Broussard, over Kaliste Saloom, up Farrel Road and into the driveway and parking lot. The car got me here. The goal was to be here. The goal was not to ride in the car!
PRAYER,
WORSHIP,
Bible READING,
SERVING,
RELATING with others,
and GIVING - are like my car. They are the means for spiritual growth.They are not the goal of being a disciple.
Thegoalis to grow in the faith and become the kind of people God is seeking to produce in this place...
The Question is–What kind of people is God seeking to produce in this place?
The Answer is– faith filled & and faithful people. People who make a difference in the lives of others by the way we live our lives every day.
Here is what that looks like… Check out this video of the Hoyt Family Story…
I leave you with this final thought… Intentional Faith Development will take you places you never dreamed you could go. When it comes to living by faith, remember this,whether you think you can or you think you can’t – you’re right. Amen.