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Give Thanks

11/25/2018

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16 "Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

1863 -- Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a National Holiday, a day to give thanks to our magnificient Father.

1950s Became a 4 day work week because a lot of people were calling in sick on Friday anyway.

1939  Roosevelt pressured by realtors to change the date to the 4th Thursday in November.

1941 Congress passed Law to say that Thanksgiving would always be celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November.

Yet, every day should be Thanksgiving -- filled with thanksgiving.

When we have a thankful attitude we personally benefit.  Satan wants to steal our joy away. If we have a thankful heart, he won't be able to. You could call it a good defensive posture. 

Give thanks no matter what.  Be content no matter what.

"To love God is to love His will." Elizabeth Elliott

"But godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6

Paul doesn't complain. Follow His example. And follow Christ's example.

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death--
        even death on a cross!" Philippians 2:5-8

Say (and mean it), "I trust you."

The Duke of Wellington (who defeated Napoleon twice) said at the end of his life, the one thing he would change is that he would give more praise.

How do we live like this? How do we live with a grateful heart? A thankful attitude?

1. Begin and end each day with praise.


"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
    never will I forsake you.”[a]" Hebrews 13:5

In every circumstance praise God. 

Complaining dries our hearts up.

"9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]
    but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’" Matthew 6:9-13

We can't maintain our witness when we are ungrateful.

2. Remember what you have received.


"For if, by the trespass of the one man, deathreigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in lifethrough the one man, Jesus Christ!" Romans 5:17


"Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
    make known among the nations what he has done.
 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
    tell of all his wonderful acts.
 Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lordrejoice.
 Look to the Lord and his strength;
    seek his face always.
 Remember the wonders he has done,
    his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced," Psalm 105:1-5

3. Praise is a conscious action. We can choose how we approach life.


"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.​" Colossians 4;2

"Let the peace of Christ
 rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.And be thankful." Colossians 3:15
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In One Accord

11/18/2018

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The phrase "in one accord" is mentioned 11 times in the book of Acts.

"They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers." Acts 1:14

The Early Church:
*Anointed and Full of the Holy Spirit
*Preached the Word Boldy
*Miracles, Signs and Wonders
​*1000s saved and were being added to their numbers
*One purpose

What changed?

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8

"Every good and perfect gift is from above,
 coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

We've dropped the ball somewhere along the linee because Jesus Christ hasn't Changed. The Father and the Spirit haven't changed. God's gifts are still perfect.

Maybe we've slidden away from having passion for Christ into man made stuff, rules and regulations.

We need to go back before we can go forward.


"How good and pleasant it is
    when God’s people live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
    running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
    down on the collar of his robe.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
    were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
    even life forevermore." Psalm 133:1-3

Unity is anointed.

They were unified in prayer. Have faith. Have belief -- Pray with faith.


"He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s."
2 Chronicles 20:15

God, do your will. Praying this is part of our worship.


"When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them." Acts 4:24

All prayed. All worshipped.

How often do we pray, "God use us"?

How often do we ask God to let His power come through us? Our prayer needs to be purposeful and directional.

We need to be united in vision and purpose.

Our church needs to be a place where:
-- we worship in Spirit and in truth.
-- We grow and become more like Jesus.
-- We encourage and build each other up.
-- We minister and serve.

Reach out to the lost no matter the cost!

​Some people have no hpe. We can give them hope. If we're truly heart-broken about someone, we will reach out. If you see pain and hurting, bring them to Jesus. 

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one-- 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:20-23

Like heart, like mind, like action.

Do we have this relationship with Jesus? Do we share?

Endless pot of blessing to share.


“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them
 by my Father in heaven." Matthew 18:19

We don't have time to be tired.  Our role is to preach the gospel and make disciples. If I want it done I must do it.

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Our Role in the Church

11/11/2018

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(I messed up the recording this week. There will be another one next week...sorry!!)

What is our role in the world at large?


"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." John 13:34

The church is not the building but the people.

People make the church.

So what's our role? Each of us has a role to fulfill in the church. If one part of a body fails, the body can die.

Three holistic  roles of the church:
-- worship
--edification
--evangelism

Worship -- expressing our love by worshipping the Creator.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your [a]years with good things,so that your youth is renewed like the eagle." Psalm 103:1-5

"Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
3 Know that the Lord [b]Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and [c]not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with [d]thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
5 For the Lord is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 100:1-5

Make noise for Jesus!

Don't be an eyore.

Edification
-- building each other up (bible study, continuing education, praying for each other, hospitality, meeting needs, spiritual, physical, emotional).

"Therefore [a]encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing."
1 Thessalonians 5:11

"and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." Hebrews 10:24-25

Never been a more opportune time to do God's work! Should be a major mission to edify each other.

Evangelism -- reaching out to a lost world.

People have questions. It is our responsibility to know the truth and to be able to defend it. We need to be able to express compassion and mercy tangibly. We need to truly make a difference.  Express compassion and mercy tangibly.  

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you [b]always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

Get busy. You have an incredible gift you need to share.  We have been commissioned by God to lead. Am I just watching? Or am I doing?

"The basic function of the church is to be involved in every facet of the life of the believer. Christ looked at the needs of the people, provided it and then began to preach the good news. The church today must live up to its own billing" Gilford T. Montrose

"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
 12 for the equipping of the [a]saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;" Ephesians 4:11-12

We are the people.  So what should we be doing?

"Then I heard the 
voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”" Isaiah 6:8






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Practical Neighborly Love

11/4/2018

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 "Dear friends, since God loved us this much, we must love each other." 1 John 4:11

We're meant to love our neighbor all the time.

Jesus said, "Love one another" eight times.

​Who's our neighbor?

Picture
The big heart (on the left) let's say represents God. The small heart represents us. The overlap of the hearts is where the love needs to come from -- the place where how we love will echo and reflect the way God loves us.

"The man replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’ They also say, ‘Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.’” Luke 10:27

Who isn't my neighbor? A neighbor is anyone who  needs to see God's love through us.

"My dear friends, we must love each other. Love comes from God, and when we love each other, it shows that we have been given new life. We are now God’s children, and we know him." 1 John 4:7

This is what we're supposed to be doing -- God's love pouring out through us.

"No one who loves others will harm them. So love is all that the Law demands." Romans 13:10

If we do it out of a heart full of love, no harm will be done. Do the best you can. If your love is rejected, that's okay.

Money can be a challenge.  Money should bring us joy when we give it. Jesus had 29 parables. Sixteen of those parables talked about money.

"But if we say we love God and don’t love each other, we are liars. We cannot see God. So how can we love God, if we don’t love the people we can see?' 1 John 4:20

If you can't love your neighbor you aren't loving God. If our love comes from God you have an endless supply of love.

"But love your enemies and be good to them. Lend without expecting to be paid back.[a] Then you will get a great reward, and you will be the true children of God in heaven. He is good even to people who are unthankful and cruel." Luke 6:35

No strings attached. No qualification needed to be loved by us. Love the best you can love. Give because God wants you to.

"I am the Lord All-Powerful, and I challenge you to put me to the test. Bring the entire ten percent into the storehouse, so there will be food in my house. Then I will open the windows of heaven and flood you with blessing after blessing." Malachi 3:10

God tells us to test us in the area of money and giving. Do it! Take the challenge. If we love we can't love too much. We can't give too much either.

"I am not trying to get something from you, but I want you to receive the blessings that come from giving." Philippians 4:17

We always get more than we gave. God reached out through someone else to show us love. 

The world says keep it, hoard it, save it. If we aren't careful we'll fall into the world's mentality about money.

Where you spend your time and money is what's important to you.

It seems wise (the world's way) but it isn't.

"You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Matthew 6:24

 "Don’t worry and ask yourselves, “Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?” 32 Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these. 33 But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well." Matthew 6:31-33

Practical love -- perfect example is The Good Samaritan.

He did all the practical stuff needed to be done. If you see a need fill it. God knows you're ready for it. We can never out give or out love God.

If you're doing God's business, He'll take care of you. You'll be okay.

"Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He is always the same and never makes dark shadows by changing." James 1:17

Everything we have is God's. Every single thing. I'm God's steward. I'm holding onto God's stuff. Bills I pay feed other families -- think about the connections.

"If you give to others, you will be given a full amount in return. It will be packed down, shaken together, and spilling over into your lap. The way you treat others is the way you will be treated." Luke 6:38

"Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well."1 Peter 4:10

God gives so we can give.

Cheerfully give as we have joyously received.

"Each of you must make up your own mind about how much to give. But don’t feel sorry that you must give and don’t feel that you are forced to give. God loves people who love to give." 2 Corinthians 9:7

He wants us to give like He gives. Don't be reluctant.

Are you fulfilling a need? Open your eyes to other people's worlds and their needs. We each give in our own way. God is offering us a blessing.

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    Shannon Hinrichs

    Dupree Baptist Church Pastor

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