Jan 21st Stewardship of Submission

A Galveston housewife had a prized singing pet parakeet named Chippie. She made some terrible mistakes with Chippie. While vacuuming the carpet she decided to clean the bottom of Chippie’s cage with her vacuum. BIG MISTAKE!!! The phone rang she turned to answer the phone without turning off her vacuum. Sssssp!!! Chippie got sucked through the tube and into the canister. BIGGER MISTAKE!!! She dropped the phone, shut off the vacuum and opened the canister. There was Chippie feathers ruffled dirt all over. He was stunned but alive. She rushed into the bathroom, BIRD IN HAND and held Chippie under the faucet and turned it on full blast. Then she grabbed the hair dryer. BIGGER MISTAKE!!! She turned it to hot and high. The blast of hot air dried him, but nearly finished him. After hearing about the incident a reporter called. “How’s your prized parakeet?” he asked. She said, “Well, Chippie doesn’t sing any more. HE JUST SORT OF SITS THERE AND STARES.”
Ephesians 5:15-21
Be filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
Why does he say speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs? More than the non-poetical books, they tell of God’s greatness and His attributes His love for us and His provision and His desire for our fellowship. They tell of His saving power and His delight in those who delight in Him. They are words of JOY! They remind us of God’s presence, power, purpose and passion. They are real they hit right where we live. They remind us God’s real.
Take psalm one an admonition to righteous living, psalm 7 a story of how it appears evil is winning and concludes with “I’m thanking God, who makes things right. I’m singing the fame of heaven-high God.”
Psalm 85 “I can’t wait to hear what he’ll say. God’s about to pronounce his people well, The holy people he loves so much, so they’ll never again live like fools. See how close his salvation is to those who fear him? Our country is home base for Glory! Love and Truth meet in the street, Right Living and Whole Living embrace and kiss! Truth sprouts green from the ground, Right Living pours down from the skies! Oh yes! God gives goodness and Beauty; our land responds with Bounty and Blessing. Right living strides out before him, and clears a path for his passage.”
They’re words of Joy! God has done something amazing. He has seen our need for rescue He has responded with help, were different because of who He is and what He has done.
The tension is the world attempts to steal this away. This joy this sense of everything is going to be all right even when everything says it won’t; comes from the deep confidence of the heart fully submitted to God. Thus Be filled with the Holy Spirit. It reads, be filled and keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit. Don’t think in terms of water pouring into a pitcher. The Holy Spirit is a person not a force. As such it indicates our submission to God. In other words, submit completely to God and keep on submitting to God. Make the decision to be submitted to God and keep on being submitted to God. Make the decision today, but make it again on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday… Be submitted live in submission to the Holy Spirit and keep on living in submission. The world attempts to do you like Chippie sucking you up soaking you down and blasting you with hot air to get you to sit stunned and dumbfounded. So you won’t make the conscious decision to be submitted and remain submitted.
Since this is how it works God knows on your own you are unable to live the Holy Spirit submitted life He gives you us. Be filled and keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Notice He didn’t say we are to sing these to one another, but speak them to one another.
So how do you talk to others? Are your conversations laced with the goodness of God? Do your words convey the fact that you are different because of who God is and what He’s done? Are your words of encouragement from a life of radical faithful submission to God? Do they hear the joy of living in submission to God? I am not saying that you gloss over the facts. If you are facing a hard time have suffered great pain it scars and hurts. But the submitted life knows the incredible healing of the Holy Spirit. Do you share God’s incredible healing from experience or are they words? The experience of healing happens at the moment and moments of submission. We struggle with this since it means we aren’t in control, we don’t choose how and when we face the hurt, pain, anger, fear, and other emotions attached. God is so He can heal.
So how do you talk? Are they words from a page or words from the experience of submission? The difference is words from a page often ring hollow words of experience hold power. What do people hear when you talk? What do you hear when you talk? Are you a song stealer or a song giver? Do you provide joy or???
Paul writes sing and make melody with your heart to the Lord. We’d probably say it means sing with great emotion. Not the point. The heart is the center of the will the decision center of life. Sing and make melody with your heart, intentionally place your self in submission to God and as a result there is a song in your heart. Remember song=joy. Joy’s gained when we make an intentional decision to live in submission which overflows in worship. Worship is both song and life. The center of your decision making placed in submission to God that’s worship expressed through song that’s worship.
Singing and making melody with your heart reminds you to remain in consistent submission to God. It does something else as well. The song speaks to others instructions of the joy of living in submission to God. It reminds us and teaches others. Love God. It is also love people. It is also Believing Great things happen when God and people meet together as we tell them through speech, song, and lifestyle submission to God is the way to live.
The practics of living joyful consistent submission happens with others. I become like Jesus. What was He like?
Philippians 2:5-8
Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Jesus lived in submission to God and humanities cruel punishment not because He had to, but because of His incredible love for you. He willing chose to be subject to you and for you because He values you so highly that you are worth His suffering that you might be changed and enjoy His freedom and grace!In return when we come to Him He asks us think of yourself the way I thought of myself. Be subject to one another. Express through the real actions of aligning yourself under each other for the benefit and blessing of the others because their worth it. If were submitted and living submitted He eventually leads us to this challenging moment of submission to one another for their benefit even at a cost to ourselves. Do you live submitted to the Holy Spirit? Does it reveal itself in submission to others? Even other Christians you may not like? Are you doing your best to speak, think and act for their best? Do you protect their character? Do you do your best to help them become like Jesus?
Is there a song in your life? Do you know the Joy of God? Do you provide that joy to others through your words, song, and actions? Do you live in gracious submission for the blessing of others? If not there is a submission problem. Be filled, and keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Jan 21st Stewardship of Submission

A Galveston housewife had a prized singing pet parakeet named Chippie. She made some terrible mistakes with Chippie. While vacuuming the carpet she decided to clean the bottom of Chippie’s cage with her vacuum. BIG MISTAKE!!! The phone rang she turned to answer the phone without turning off her vacuum. Sssssp!!! Chippie got sucked through the tube and into the canister. BIGGER MISTAKE!!! She dropped the phone, shut off the vacuum and opened the canister. There was Chippie feathers ruffled dirt all over. He was stunned but alive. She rushed into the bathroom, BIRD IN HAND and held Chippie under the faucet and turned it on full blast. Then she grabbed the hair dryer. BIGGER MISTAKE!!! She turned it to hot and high. The blast of hot air dried him, but nearly finished him. After hearing about the incident a reporter called. “How’s your prized parakeet?” he asked. She said, “Well, Chippie doesn’t sing any more. HE JUST SORT OF SITS THERE AND STARES.”
Ephesians 5:15-21
Be filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
Why does he say speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs? More than the non-poetical books, they tell of God’s greatness and His attributes His love for us and His provision and His desire for our fellowship. They tell of His saving power and His delight in those who delight in Him. They are words of JOY! They remind us of God’s presence, power, purpose and passion. They are real they hit right where we live. They remind us God’s real.
Take psalm one an admonition to righteous living, psalm 7 a story of how it appears evil is winning and concludes with “I’m thanking God, who makes things right. I’m singing the fame of heaven-high God.”
Psalm 85 “I can’t wait to hear what he’ll say. God’s about to pronounce his people well, The holy people he loves so much, so they’ll never again live like fools. See how close his salvation is to those who fear him? Our country is home base for Glory! Love and Truth meet in the street, Right Living and Whole Living embrace and kiss! Truth sprouts green from the ground, Right Living pours down from the skies! Oh yes! God gives goodness and Beauty; our land responds with Bounty and Blessing. Right living strides out before him, and clears a path for his passage.”
They’re words of Joy! God has done something amazing. He has seen our need for rescue He has responded with help, were different because of who He is and what He has done.
The tension is the world attempts to steal this away. This joy this sense of everything is going to be all right even when everything says it won’t; comes from the deep confidence of the heart fully submitted to God. Thus Be filled with the Holy Spirit. It reads, be filled and keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit. Don’t think in terms of water pouring into a pitcher. The Holy Spirit is a person not a force. As such it indicates our submission to God. In other words, submit completely to God and keep on submitting to God. Make the decision to be submitted to God and keep on being submitted to God. Make the decision today, but make it again on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday… Be submitted live in submission to the Holy Spirit and keep on living in submission. The world attempts to do you like Chippie sucking you up soaking you down and blasting you with hot air to get you to sit stunned and dumbfounded. So you won’t make the conscious decision to be submitted and remain submitted.
Since this is how it works God knows on your own you are unable to live the Holy Spirit submitted life He gives you us. Be filled and keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Notice He didn’t say we are to sing these to one another, but speak them to one another.
So how do you talk to others? Are your conversations laced with the goodness of God? Do your words convey the fact that you are different because of who God is and what He’s done? Are your words of encouragement from a life of radical faithful submission to God? Do they hear the joy of living in submission to God? I am not saying that you gloss over the facts. If you are facing a hard time have suffered great pain it scars and hurts. But the submitted life knows the incredible healing of the Holy Spirit. Do you share God’s incredible healing from experience or are they words? The experience of healing happens at the moment and moments of submission. We struggle with this since it means we aren’t in control, we don’t choose how and when we face the hurt, pain, anger, fear, and other emotions attached. God is so He can heal.
So how do you talk? Are they words from a page or words from the experience of submission? The difference is words from a page often ring hollow words of experience hold power. What do people hear when you talk? What do you hear when you talk? Are you a song stealer or a song giver? Do you provide joy or???
Paul writes sing and make melody with your heart to the Lord. We’d probably say it means sing with great emotion. Not the point. The heart is the center of the will the decision center of life. Sing and make melody with your heart, intentionally place your self in submission to God and as a result there is a song in your heart. Remember song=joy. Joy’s gained when we make an intentional decision to live in submission which overflows in worship. Worship is both song and life. The center of your decision making placed in submission to God that’s worship expressed through song that’s worship.
Singing and making melody with your heart reminds you to remain in consistent submission to God. It does something else as well. The song speaks to others instructions of the joy of living in submission to God. It reminds us and teaches others. Love God. It is also love people. It is also Believing Great things happen when God and people meet together as we tell them through speech, song, and lifestyle submission to God is the way to live.
The practics of living joyful consistent submission happens with others. I become like Jesus. What was He like?
Philippians 2:5-8
Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Jesus lived in submission to God and humanities cruel punishment not because He had to, but because of His incredible love for you. He willing chose to be subject to you and for you because He values you so highly that you are worth His suffering that you might be changed and enjoy His freedom and grace!In return when we come to Him He asks us think of yourself the way I thought of myself. Be subject to one another. Express through the real actions of aligning yourself under each other for the benefit and blessing of the others because their worth it. If were submitted and living submitted He eventually leads us to this challenging moment of submission to one another for their benefit even at a cost to ourselves. Do you live submitted to the Holy Spirit? Does it reveal itself in submission to others? Even other Christians you may not like? Are you doing your best to speak, think and act for their best? Do you protect their character? Do you do your best to help them become like Jesus?
Is there a song in your life? Do you know the Joy of God? Do you provide that joy to others through your words, song, and actions? Do you live in gracious submission for the blessing of others? If not there is a submission problem. Be filled, and keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Jan 14th Stewardship of Money

Scripture Ephesians 5:15-21

Dissipation = One who spends too freely on what flatterers tell him he needs. One who spends too easily on his lusts, appetites, and desires.
Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.
The command to not be drunk with wine is not solely an admonition to not being drunk, although it is that. It is an admonition to not allow anything to possess and control you that is not God. If there is an outside controlling influence it leads to dissipation. Being one who spends to freely on what flatterers tell him he needs. One who spends too easily on his lusts, appetites and desires.
Dissipation is a problem in American lives. The saving rate in America is at the lowest level in 60 years5.5 million addicted gamblersOver 1 million bankruptcies a yearMore people go bankrupt each year in America than graduate from colleges and UniversitiesAverage Christian household only gives 2.5 of their income to churchworse than during the depression!The average church member only gives $20.00 to missions, but spends $1,174 in gambling.Churches have ignored the topic all together, while there are over 2,350 verses and 2/3 of scriptures speak of stewardship.64% couples argue over money and 54% it is the #1 reason for divorcetill debt do us part!
It reminds me of a quote I recently read, “Let’s all live within our means even if we have to borrow to do it.”
The mantra of the American religion of materialism is “Charge It.”
Consider the scenario of Tom and Susan need a new washing machine, the find one at Sears for $299. They get a Sears charge card and make the minimum payment each month. By the time the washing machine is paid off, how much will Tom and Susan actually pay? $1,199!
Proverbs says, “The borrower is slave to the lender.” It doesn’t mean don’t ever borrow, but it does warn us to be wise to the realities of what it will mean.
Let’s be honest though it is tough to live in our society when all around us we are bombarded with the siren call of materialism. Ads pour through TV screens proclaiming our need for everything, they fill the Sunday paper, magazines. Then your neighbor brings home new cars, TV’s, computers, clothes and other stuff. Everywhere we look we have materialistic stuff crammed down our throats. It makes it tough.
The reality is how we treat money is the most decisive test of the controlling influence of our lives.
Do not be controlled by outside influences, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Holy Spirit.
We know what materialistic living looks like. It is everyone else who has anything more than we have. Honestly it is all around us and we get caught up in it if we are not careful. It is allowing anything other than God to determine what we spend and how we spend it. We know the consequences maybe even have felt them or are feeling them now. The consequence of excess living it is especially tough to work for money you have already spent for something you didn’t need.
Dissipation leads to ruin. Materialism leads to financial struggle which leads to poor decisions, which lead to relational struggles, which lead to great difficulties in life. Being controlled by outside influences lead us to making poor financial decisions, which lead us to struggles in life.
Spirit led financial life leads to freedom, contentment, peace, and enough.
How do I know if I am living a life of dissipation or being Spirit led?
What controls your financial decisions, money and the desire for gain, or the Holy Spirit?
How do you determine what to spend and on what?
How much do you invest in eternity? (You can’t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.)
Do you make kingdom investment decisions on faith or on financial facts? (The average Christian household only gives 2.5 of their income to church worse than during the depression!The average church member only gives $20.00 to missions, but spends $1,174 in gambling)
Do you know what you want to do with your financial life? Do you have a plan?
Have you ever set a goal for giving? Starting point is 10% build from there. Tithing is not the ceiling for giving it is the floor, it is not the finish line it is the starting line in our financial life. The one sure fire cure for materialism is generosity. The way to become generous is to be led of the Holy Spirit.
Steps to control in your life.
First, confess that you have been out of control financially.
Second, invite God to be the controlling influence in your life again.
Third, establish a plan.
Fourth, set some goals for kingdom investing and do it religiously.
Fifth, pray and recheck the first four regularly.

Conclusion:
How did you do answering the questions? Can you answer them with certainty that you are Spirit led? If not it is time to make the move confess the reality, and invite God to be the controlling influence of your life. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine (Don’t be controlled by outside influences) which is dissipation, but be filled with the Holy Spirit.
God longs to fill you with His Holy Spirit it is His will. His will is that He would be the controlling influence of your life. Will your future be determined by God’s leadership or outside influences? Come as we sing.

Stewardship month, Jan 7th Stewardship of time

Ephesians 5:15-21
If I were to give you $525600 what would you do with it? If I were to give you that each year what would you do? How would you spend it? How would you invest it? It is a large amount of money and really probably unmanageable in our thinking so let’s make it manageable. What if I were to give you $1440 a day everyday for the rest of your life?
One stipulation: you have to spend it all each day there are no leftovers, no saving it for the future. It is either spent today or lost. You choose each day how you will spend it, but you must spend it all. Would you tithe? It would be easy to give 144 a day if you knew every day you were going to get 1440. If you did that you would have 1296 left to spend on anything you wanted.
Now what if I gave you another stipulation for the money? To sleep or eat you have to pay me a dollar a minute. So as an average person you probably sleep and eat for about 480 minutes a day so that would leave you with $816 a day to spend. That’s a lot. Since you like work I’ll let you work, but it will cost you as well a dollar a minute. Which means you will probably spend 550 dollars a day to work. You still have $266 a day to live on. Could you do it? That is still more than 70k a year on a five day work week. That is still after you have tithed 144 a day. How cool is that? If you were to consider the amount left over for everyday of the year it is 97k+. Think you could make it then?
525600 is the amount of minutes you will have to invest this year. You are given 1440 minutes a day. So how do you plan on spending them this year? Could you tithe them by investing in your relationship with God? Even if you were to have 4+hours left over each day after sleeping and eating for 8 and working for 9 hours a day tithing just over 2 hours a day?
What is the value of time? Consider that we waste it, kill it, use it, spend it, wish it would speed up and slow down. We look back and wonder where it went and we look ahead hoping it will arrive.
Make the most of your time: Buy up all that is anywhere to be bought and do not allow a suitable moment to pass by unheeded but make it your own. Do you sense the urgency? Time is important and is not meant to be killed, or wasted. It is meant to be used for the purposes of making the most of it.
If you had to buy time would there be any difference in how you spend it? Would the days of our lives be used more wisely? What if you had to pay in advance $60 an hour for the time allotted to you? Would you waste it? The answer should be obvious.
So how do you plan on using your 525600 minutes this year? Make it manageable how do you plan on spending your 1440 minutes today? How about tomorrow?
How you use your time speaks about your life in Christ! It tells us where you are in relationship to Him. Do you use it wisely?
Paul says walk carefully!
There is purpose, direction and intent to life. Life is not aimless, nor is it a series of frenzied activities followed by down time. It is the steady progress toward the goal. How you invest the 1440 minutes given to you each day should be based upon some established goal. But if you are like most people it is an unspoken, probably not clearly defined goal that you may be embarrassed to actually share if you were to make it clear. Most of us have shown and expressed by how we spend our time what is most important to us. The goal may be unspoken and not clear, but it drives us. It is the collection of stuff for the hope of a moment to relax and enjoy that stuff. We spend our time for the purpose of pleasure, whether now or in the future. We live for the moments of enjoyment of our stuff and our time. Is it wise?
As an average American you will spend nearly 20 years of your life working. The amount of time you spend on your job will amount to 20 years. 23 years will be spent sleeping. 9 years will be spent on TV and other amusements. 7.5 years spent dressing and personal care including exercise. 6 years will be spent eating and 6 more traveling. You will spend 5 years of your life waiting in lines at the bank, stores, theaters, sporting events, the post office, etc. You will spend 1 year searching for lost items like keys, the TV remote and your glasses, eight months opening junk mail, six months waiting at stoplights, and 6 months in worship and praying if you are an average American. If you are like most Christians you will spend between 1 and 2 years in worship/praying/ spiritual life. This is in an average of about 80 years of life.
Where is our greatest investment? Pleasure activities account for more time than spiritual activities. But you don’t understand I don’t have the time to give an hour a day to God stuff let alone 2 hours. It’s a lie folks, we are all given the same amount of time each day. The question is not the amount it is where we are choosing to invest it! What is most important in your life will get your best time.
Be careful how you walk not as unwise, but as wise making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
When Christians speak of discerning the will of the Lord they usually mean major decisions like who will I marry or what will be my career choice. This is not what the text is about. The text is more concerned about God’s intent for the way we live every day, about what is pleasing to him. Perhaps we would not have so much trouble in finding God’s will for important decisions if we were more accustomed to discerning his will throughout life, making our lives conform to the pattern Christ has given us.
What is God’s will? Your salvation! Your Sanctification! Godly relationships! A thankful attitude!

What are we going to do with the 525600 minutes of the year as a church?
God’s voice: Concerted prayer effort. Sat. 10 pm crew what happened, what will it take for us to do it again? Altar prayer life.
Purpose: Unity in the church. Growth in spirit, numbers, passion, life changing results, outreach opportunities, each of us sharing God’s love with others in a real way, service a priority to those who need it, kids, youth, mens, womens, café, Sunday school, small groups, cindy ronny, kurt, Andrew, nursery, summer series creatives, the opportunities are endless.
Make the most of your time.
So how will you invest your time this year?
1440 minutes a day, 10,080 minutes a week, 43,200 minutes a month, 525,600 minutes this year. How will it be invested?
“Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”