Sermons
Leadership Community - April 2009
LEADERSHIP COMMUNITY
April 2009
Hidden treasure and Costly Pearls – As told by John Wimber
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Don Williams in his definitive book for what it means to be a Kingdom of God, Vineyard person begins his book Start Here with the question, “What Happened to Me?”
- Deliverance from Satan’s Kingdom
- the sign over the entry gates to the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz...
WORK MAKES YOU FREE
It was a lie.
Satan lifts up signs over the gates of our personal prisons as we roll into his gas chambers: “You can be your own god” or “Go ahead and have some fun now – you can worry about the consequences later” or “Put yourself first! Who else is going to look after your interests?”
“The devil continually pounds on us to grab more, consume more and collect more. He promises to satisfy us with quick and bogus vixes that will feed our egos, our insecurities and the ache inside.” (Start Here. Williams, page 9)
The signs satan lifts up along the road to his gas chamber – signs that promise us freedom from the cycle of pain and shame. There is only one true banner ...
CHRIST IS FREEDOM
“If you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32 NASB)
Our highest priority and practice –
“To be an obedient church that reaches up to God in passionate worship.”
The heart of Biblical worship is surrender and that begins at the moment of conversion.
“God can do wonders with a broken heart if you give him all the pieces.” -Victor Alfesen
We believe that broken people can come to God through Jesus and find truth, healing, surrender and freedom. Then they find worship. Not until then. We worship the King, giving Him his due. Worship is our gift from our heart to our king who loves us. We no longer bring a blood offering. The final blood offering has been made. We bring ourselves.
As pastor, I call you to re-engage in passionate worship. I call you to re-surrender of your lives as leaders. Lead in worship. Lead in surrender and lead in obedience.
Come prayed up. This means that you start every day with prayers of surrender and prayers of worship. Use Romans 12:1-2. Cover your families and friends in prayer.
Come prayed up before we gather on Sundays. Pray for your pastoral team. Pray for the worship team, pray for the GKI leaders and teachers, pray for our youth pastor and his wife, leaders and helpers.
Pray up our vision to be an obedient church that:
reaches up to God in passionate worship; that reaches into each other in devoted service; and reaches out to the world in sacrificial love.
- DELIVERED INTO GOD’S KINGDOM
Not only are we delivered from satan’s kingdom, we are delivered to God’s kingdom. The Christian conversion experience is more than assurance of salvation and eternal life. It is fundamentally anEXCHANGE OF SOVEREIGNTIES.
People either live in the counterfeit kingdom of darkness and false freedom or we live in the kingdom of God.
What does this mean?
- It means to be re-plugged into the life of God. The born-again life is a Spirit-connected life. Jesus didn’t tell Nicodemus in John 3 that he should be born again. Jesus said, “You MUST be born again.” Born again people are plugged back into the power source of God’s Holy Spirit. The LIGHT goes on! We see. We understand. Through the power of the Holy Spirit old sin patterns are disrupted. Spirit brings us His power and gifting for ministry.
- It means to become like Jesus Himself. This happens by crisis and by process. This happens by the in-filling of the Spirit who then sanctifies us. When we are filled with the Spirit the fruit of the Spirit grows in us (Galatians 5:22-23). These fruits allow the GIFTS of the Spirit to flow out of us for others.
- It means to walk the road marked “suffering.” Williams identifies five levels of suffering.
Level One: Misunderstanding by Family (Luke 12:51-53). Part of death to self is death to securing our identity and destiny in our families rather than in Jesus Himself.
Level Two: Religious Resistance (Mark 11:18). Jesus had many opponents and almost all of them were religious! The early church was warned this would happen even from their own ranks (Acts 20:20)! Jesus warned that if you loved him, you will be hated by this world system (John 15:18-20; 16:33).
Level Three: Identifying with the Lost (Mark 1:41). Addictions, AIDS, homosexuality, sexual sin/pornography, immorality, greed, hatred, etc. We seek to bring God’s healing power to the world. We search for lost sheep and bring them to the Shepherd. You will be accused of false motives.
Level Four: Experiencing the Effects of Sin (Galatians 6:7-8). We are not delivered from an evil world. We are called to live in it.
Level Five: Battling the Evil One (John 17:15). Sharing in Christ’s sufferings includes doing battle against the enemy and his demons. We are to “test” spirits (1 John 4:1). So, take up the shield of faith to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16).
By these three means of grace: becoming “re-plugged” into the life of god, becoming like Jesus, and willing to walk the road of suffering, we learn to be . . .
An OBEDIENT CHURCH, that reaches up to God in passionate worship; that reaches in to each other in devoted service that refuses to give up; and reaches out to the world in sacrificial love.
Do you see it? REACHING . . . We will not stop reaching up, reaching in to and reaching out.
Reaching for the “something more.”
Reaching for the power of the age to come that they might invade our world NOW.
Real life in the kingdom is a constant REACHING
REACHING
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