MORE TO THIS LIFE: Intentionality, evangelism, and you 9-17-23
INTRODUCTION
God is doing
a new thing!
There has
got to be more to this life!
Identity -
who are we
Integrity -
internal and external
Intentionality
Intentionality
and evangelism
Intentionality,
evangelism, and you
I. WHO ARE YOU?
A. A child of
the King
“See what
great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of
God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it
did not know him.”
1 John 3:1 NIV
“As
Christians, our identity in Christ far transcends our identity in our work. We
are children of the living God, fearfully and wonderfully made and deeply loved
by the Father.”
Boa,
Kenneth, and Gail Burnett. Wisdom at Work. Colorado Springs: Navpress, 1997,
51.
B. A product of
our history
“Brothers
and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were
wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble
birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God
chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly
things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to
nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because
of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that
is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”
1
Corinthians 1:26-30 NIV
C. A servant of
all
“You, my
brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to
indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
Galatians 5:13 NIV
An engineer
had this note taped inside his desk drawer at his office: "This is not my
life. This is my job. Christ is my
life." Upon his
tragic death in a car accident, his family found the note in his desk.
From Dr.
Fred W. Penney
II. WHAT ARE YOU
GIFTED TO DO?
A. What makes
you different?
“The Lord
said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute?
Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will
help you speak and will teach you what to say.””
Exodus 4:11-12 NIV
B. What has God
given you to use for others?
“Each of you
should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful
stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do
so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so
with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised
through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.
Amen.”
1 Peter 4:10-11 NIV
On Christmas
morning, the children in a family do not usually all receive the same gifts.
One gets a
football, one a puzzle, another receives a doll house, and another a table
game.
Yet,
although each child does not receive the same gifts as the others, the parents
intend the gifts to be enjoyed by all the children as they use them together.
The same is
true of the gifts God gives His children.
We do not
all have the same gift, but we are all to use our gift for the good of all in
God’s family.
A. Todd
Coget
“Now to each
one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there
is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of
knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to
another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to
another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another
speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation
of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he
distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”
1
Corinthians 12:7-11 NIV
C. How open are
you to discovering the gifts God has for you?
Imagine how
a parent would feel if on Christmas day when the gifts for their children were
handed out, the children just took them, said “Thank you,” and laid them aside
with no attempt to open the gifts not even to find out what they were!
Imagine how
the Lord must feel when he has given gifts to us that He intends for us to use,
and yet we never take the trouble to find out what they are, never put them to
work, and then excuse
ourselves
from serving the church by saying that we can’t do anything!
A. Todd
Coget
We have no
idea what God has in store for us!
When Gabriel
Hurles turned six in January 2009, he was so focused on eating his birthday
cake that he hardly noticed the giant package in the corner of the room. When
another child pointed out the large gift, Gabriel ran over and began to tear
off the wrapping. It wasn’t a bicycle or any of the other items a six-year-old
would want. It was his dad, Army Specialist Casey Hurles, home on leave from
the war in Iraq. Gabriel and his father had been apart for seven months, so
when Casey learned his leave would coincide with his son’s birthday, he hatched
a plan to offer one whale of a surprise.
(Boys
wrapped birthday gift is dad back from Iraq, Associated Press and
YahooNews.com, 1-30-09)
III. WHAT
OPPORTUNITIES ARE BEFORE YOU?
In the past,
there was a well-known bronze statue of Kairos by a Greek sculptor named
Lysippos. On this famous statue was an epigram about the meaning of the statue.
The epigram
was a series of questions and answers. After inquiring about the author and his
origins, it continued:
"And
who are you? Time--Kairos--who subdues all things.
Why do you
stand on tip-toe? I am ever running.
And why you
have a pair of wings on your feet?
I fly with
the wind.
And why do
you hold a razor in your right hand?
As a sign to
men that I am sharper than any sharp edge.
And why does
your hair hang over your face?
For him who
meets me to take me by the forelock.
And why, in
Heaven’s name, is the back of your head bald? Because none whom I have once
raced
by on my
winged feet will now, though he wishes it sore, take hold of me from
behind."
This gave
rise to an expression that "Opportunity is bald from behind." Once
it’s past, you can’t get it back!
(From a
sermon by Mark Adams, "Opportunity is Bald From Behind" 2/25/2009)
A. Where can
you serve?
“Therefore,
as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who
belong to the family of believers.”
Galatians 6:10 NIV
Remember
that if the opportunities for great deeds should never come, the opportunities
for good deeds are renewed day by day. The thing for us too long for is the
goodness, not the glory.
F. W. Faber
B. Where can
you be the voice of God?
C. Where can
you show the love of God?
D. When will
you take the initiative?
Opportunities
Missed
There was a
very cautious man
Who never
laughed or played.
He never
risked, he never tried
He never
sang or prayed.
And when one
day, he passed away
His
insurance was denied
For since he
never really lived
They claimed
he never died.
Source unknown
CONCLUSION
"The
gates of opportunity and advancement swing on these four hinges: initiative,
industry, insight, and integrity."
William Ward
Thomas
Edison said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in
overalls and looks like work.”
Are you
ready to work? Who are you? What are you
gifted to do? What
opportunities are before you?
INVITATION
It is our
custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word. You may want
to follow Jesus. You may want
to proclaim your faith. You may want
to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things). Perhaps you
want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit. Possibly, if
you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to
become a member of Kenwood Church. If you have
been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come
forward now. If you would
like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God
is doing in your life.
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