Reflections from Sunday (6/14/2009)

Yesterday was a good day. I had a lot to do, and as normal, I stressed myself out (why do I do that when I know Jesus can carry all my burdens?), but overall, it was a great day. I preached for the first time in two weeks since I was away last weekend. The message was called Break The Mold. The text was Romans 12:1,2. Here are some basic thoughts--

• We are all shaped by something-- Some of those things are: culture, race/ethnicity, heritage, family background, traumatic events, deaths, births, natural disaters, financial background, education, geographic location, friends, etc. We are shaped and molded by our environment.
• Do you really want to be like your environment? Nearly 60% of marriages end in divorice. In the Church, 50% of marriages end in divorice. Actually, the Southern Baptists lead in the divorice statistics, so something is terriblely wrong here. Christina and I are getting married in a month. We don't want to fit the pattern of "normal" marriage. She and I both come from families with marriages that either are not godly are all, or need some work. We want to succed and not fail!
  --75% of local churches in the U.S. are either dead or dying. The population of this country is up and growing, but in the last 50 years, church attendance (which is the biggest indicator of spiritual growth) has continued to nose-dive. Who wants to be part of a dead or dying church? JESUS DOESN'T so what should we?
• Our thinking does a lot to determine our actions. Jesus told us that both adultry or sexual sin and murder begin in the heart. Sexual sin begins as lusting and murder begins as hatred. How we percieve things affect our actions. If you think someone flips you off in traffic, you might be tempted to do the same, but maybe all the did was wave and you couldn't see very well. Our attitudes and thinking determine our plan of action.
• Jesus has told us to give up control over our thoughts and actions. We are called to be "living sacrifices." Interesting... In the Old Testament, sacrifices were made and they usually involed something dead (either and animal or picked grain). But Jesus, speaking though Paul, is telling us to give ourselves up to God, but still be living. How? By giving Him total control over evey area in our lives, because only then do we find real freedom. We are no longer ourselves, but a new creation; Christ living in us.
• When we give Jesus control and become Living Sacrifices, we break the mold. We are transformed by the renewing of our mind in Christ Jesus. When we break the mold, we show the world that God's Will is perfect.
• Are you Breaking the Mold or Simply Conforming to the Lost & Boring World Around You?