A Message of Hope

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”  Matthew 16:18
The Church of Christ has been meeting in Albany since the 1920’s.  A group of believers met in private homes, the courthouse, a city tabernacle, and then multiple, bigger buildings here on this lot. Our church has survived drought and floods.  Ice storms and high winds.  We the people are the church and not the place we build with human hands. 
God’s church is like the history of our building here in Albany.  He began His church in the first century with a small group of people.  The message of salvation was so great that the church grew and the Lord added on to it as needed (Acts 2: 47), first in Jerusalem and then throughout the world.  He is still adding onto His church those that are being saved.
Often we think of the church here in Albany as our church.  It’s where we attend.  It’s where we were baptized.  It’s our building on the main thoroughfare in town.  It’s our church.  Fortunately, the Bible teaches something different.
First, the church is not a building.  It never was and never will be.  Somehow we have taken the idea of a called out assembly of believers and made it into a brick and mortar building.  The Greek word ekklesia is a called out or elected assembly that meets for political or religious reasons.  The church is people who are called out of the world to follow God. 
Second, the church belongs, lock, stock, and barrel to Christ.  He founded it (Matthew 16:18), He died for it (Ephesians 5:25), and He is still our chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).  There is only one chief and we are not Him. 
As we consider today, our role in Christ’s church, let’s put our desires in context with who we serve.  As the called out assembly of Christ, we must seek His guidance in helping us decide how to serve Him in the most effective way possible.  Let us all pray for that guidance and a spirit of love that transcends our petty humanity and leads to eternal glory as we enter His Kingdom.
Scripture:  Ephesians 2: 19-22

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.      
Matthew 6:21
We are beginning to discuss setting goals for 2012 here for the church.  Sometimes goals are often like New Year’s Resolutions.  They are things we want to do, but are just not sure we are willing to do them.  We set goals in life and try to meet them.  Those that do not set goals are doomed to never accomplish anything.  Today perhaps we can think about how and why we set goals by talking about what is important to us.
We live in a capitalist society.  In our secular lives we often focus on getting and obtaining wealth.  We look for the best deals.  We conserve our money to buy things or we just take out a loan.  Materialism is a sin that we must continuously be aware of.  We cannot continually focus on earthly things and leave God out of our goal setting process.
Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount tells us that we pursue what is important to us.  Our treasure is collocated with our hearts.  This is a critical thought that we must process.  If a new car, house, or retirement consumes our lives, then our efforts will be to obtain those things.  My perception is that path leads to long work hours, many financial disagreements, and a lengthy list of creditors.  To what end? 
Jesus tells us to focus on spiritual treasure.  He says store up treasure in heaven.  (Matthew 6: 19, 20)  This is the kind of treasure we should be focused on; eternal treasure, eternal rewards.  He begins the discussion with a reminder that earthly stuff is easily destroyed.  It can be in a wreck.  It can burn down.  Thieves can break in and take it.   The bank can foreclose on our loan.  Earthly treasure should not be our focus because it is not really that important.
As we consider setting both individual and community goals for the upcoming year, let’s consider where our hearts are.  Are we focused on God and the Kingdom or are we still stuck in the world?  Are we in control of our lives or is God?  Remember:  our hearts and treasures are collocated.  Let’s put them both squarely in God’s hand.  He can sort out our broken lives better than we can ever dream of doing.
Scripture:  Matthew 19: 16-22
 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
                                                                                                                                                Psalms 100: 4

David in the above song, encourages us to come to God with thanksgiving in our hearts.  We enter this ‘Thanksgiving’ season and think of turkey, football, and shopping.  That’s the world we live in.  But as Christians, we need to look deeper into the word thanksgiving to see what David is really talking about.

In Greek the word translated thanksgiving is eucharistia from which other faiths get the word ‘eucharist.’  The Eucharist is equivalent to our communion.  Isn’t it interesting that the word thanksgiving is used to represent this coming together in the remembrance of humanity’s greatest gift? 

David encourages us to be thankful and joyful as we enter his gates.  When was the last time you were truly thankful and joyful about the many gifts of God?  How did you express that thankfulness and joy? 

Paul in writing to Timothy tells us to be thankful for everyone.  That is a tall order.  Some people are not nice.  Even before writing this in 1 Tim 2:1, Paul tells Timothy he’s turned over two people to Satan to “be taught not to blaspheme.” (1 Tim 1: 20)  So can we give thanks for all people and still not like them?  Paul tells us that the goal of his teaching is “love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Tim 1:5)  We are told here that the love we need is generated from within and according to Paul is applicable to everyone.

Giving thanks is a state of mind.  We must overcome the world with love while continuing to focus on God and his great grace to us sinners.  If we love like God loves, then we won’t have to be reminded to give thanks for everyone.  We will do it because God does.

Scripture:  1 Timothy 2: 1-6

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28: 19, 20
Why do we support missionaries?  Where do we find in Scripture the authorization to send money to Christians working around the world?  How do we justify using God’s resources in this way?
These questions continue to be asked among conscientious Christians.  Jesus in the Great Commission says go.  He doesn’t say find someone else to go out into the world to spread the gospel.  Paul conducted several mission trips himself.  He didn’t sit back and send others out to fulfill this command.  So why is it okay to support others in the mission fields and not go ourselves?
The first century pattern seems to be that churches were formed where there were people.  Paul established churches and in his letters to Timothy and Titus instructed them to ensure local leadership was in place wherever there were churches (Titus 1:5).  The churches were established where people were and they did not move (Revelation 2,3).  People like Paul and Barnabas were actually sent to places like Antioch to teach the good news there by the elders in Jerusalem (Acts 11).  So the gospel was spread in the first century by people sent by local churches out into the world to make disciples of the lost and dying in the world.  In fact, our perfect example Jesus tells us that he was sent into the world “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
Therefore isn’t Jesus God’s missionary to the world?  Didn’t he send a part of Himself to save us?  To bring us the good news?  To make disciples of each one of us?  It seems we have a divine duty to follow this example by sending a part of ourselves across the world to help teach others about Jesus our Savior.  In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul tells us we are all “Christ’s ambassadors” with a message of reconciliation for the world (2 Corinthians 5: 20,21). 
The messengers God sends out into the world represent Him.  We represent Christ here in Albany.  Andrew and his family represent Jesus in the Ukraine to the most vulnerable of populations.  The unwanted children in the Ukraine flock to the message of love and salvation.  They eagerly desire the Word of the gospel.  How do we justify spending God’s resources on missionaries?  Just look at the faces of the souls that the Kelly’s touch.  How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news? (Romans 10: 15)
Scripture:  Romans 10: 14, 15