Intensive Care

We find out at an early age what it feels like to have a broken heart. What happens when we are young doesn’t even compare with the pain and heartache we experience as we get older. It’s probably safe to say that there are many reading this whose hearts are broken.

Are you ready for this…God needs people with broken hearts!

If you have or have to have heart surgery, to fix your heart they break it. Then you have to spend some time in the intensive care unit after the surgery. Your heart has to be monitored closely. Even though the surgery has been done, there’s always the possibility that complications can occur; that heart trouble can act up again.

As Christians it’s pretty much the same, God breaks our heart so he can fix it. Once we have allowed God to do surgery on our hearts, we need to spend some time in the "spiritual" intensive care unit. The treatment we need is to allow our hearts to be broken when necessary.

Psalm 34:15-17 you do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Why would God be drawn to those who are broken hearted? - The brokenhearted have learned the difference between what is genuine and what is fake. It takes a brokenhearted person to know what is real and important versus what is false and unimportant.

I don’t know if we can call ourselves true Christian’s unless we allow God to break our hearts and show us what’s really important in life! God is close to the brokenhearted because they have discovered what’s really important in life!

Before my heart got broken and I saw what Jesus really did for me, I would curse my neighbors; speak of how my Boss was an idiot. The next Sunday during the Church sermon I would hear how God loved us first so we should love others. Brought tears to my eyes yet Monday I’d be standing at the water cooler and agreeing with everyone about this SOB or that idiot.

Before my heart got broken and I saw what Jesus really did for me, I would listen to this teaching or that sermon, and throw in my 2 sense. Something likes “man that sermon was long” or “I have heard all this before, why should I listen again?” Yet I’d be back at Church the next Sunday.

Before my heart got broken and I saw what Jesus really did for me I’d put 20 dollars in the collection plate even though I made over $2000 a month. What did God need with MY money anyways? The Church was only going to spend it on something I may or may not approve of.

Before my heart got broken and I saw what Jesus really did for me, I attended church on Sunday…and only Sunday. They have enough people volunteering already. I don’t have time so I can’t help or go to classes.

Is any of this a reality for you?

God is drawn to the brokenhearted because they place their trust in Him. The intensive care that broken hearts need is— to trust in the Lord. For some of us, we need our hearts to be broken today. We’ve rebelled long enough.

We’ve tried to do it on our own for way to long.

Why Me???

The majority of times, whenever we face difficult situations, we tend to forget who we are. Whenever we face difficult situations, we first look to resolve the problem by our own strength, and when this does not have the desired result, we then begin to drown in the “why me?”

1 Corinthians 1:5 for in him you have been enriched in every way—in all you’re speaking and in all your knowledge

For the faithful believer the word “enriched” means that we have no limits. The truth of the matter is that there are many in the world that would love to have what we have, this enrichment. What do we have that so many seek, but never find? We have the peace of our Lord in our heart and mind.

At times we are called fanatics or foolish, but this is because as the word tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:18: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

We have been enriched; in other words, we have received riches as no other; riches that cannot be bought with all of the gold and silver that exists in the universe. We have been blessed with a citizenship in God’s kingdom.

So…”Why me?”

Last week, my bonus didn’t arrive. I panicked; I had earmarked that money for an upcoming trip. I started getting upset; I demanded the money from the firm I consulted for. I asked them who they thought they were by forgetting to mail my money! I needed that money!!! I then commenced to go thru all my accounts and try to make up for the money I needed. I fell short. Why do these things happen to me all the time?

All of us here have experienced this at one time or another and it is exactly here where the enemy wants to trap you. The enemy wants us to think and say: “nothing ever works out good for me”; “I always have this problem”.

What does the Word of God say about this? Were we guaranteed that once we accepted Christ all of our problems would disappear? That when we accept Christ, life would become a bed of roses?

Nope!

The Lord does make us a wonderful promise about all suffering and pain and in John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”.

This verse answers the: why me? This verse lets us know that He knows the things that we have to endure, but at the same time He gives us the hope and encouragement that we need. With this verse the Lord strengthens us to prevent us from falling into the snare of self-pity.

Some of you may be thinking: “sure, but you just don’t know what I am going through”. I know that at times all of us feel alone and abandoned; Jesus during the most physically painful moments of His life had this feeling.

I tell you though, no matter the circumstance; no matter how difficult or invincible a situation may appear to be, God never abandons the faithful servant.

God has a purpose in all things, this means that we have to look at things that happens to us as an experience from which we must learn. The truth of it all is that no one can say with certainty why God allows certain things to happen, but of the one thing that we can be sure of is that there is a divine purpose, and the divine purpose will always be for our good.

Jeremiah 29:11-12: “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you.”

Being a Christian does not guarantee us a life free from suffering, but it does guarantee us that He will guide us through our pain. God has done numerous things for us that we may not even know about, and others that we are fully aware of. This is why we should always thank God for all things and in all things.

Do not allow the enemy to trap you in the “why me?”

Just remember who you are.

Balance

I spend at least 8 hours a day on the phone. I get close to 100 emails a day. I send close to 50 emails a day.  I’m continuously chatting on AOL 8 hours a day. We live in a culture which is overstimulated with messages and demands. How do we sort through all these and find balance in our lives?

How do you handle the pressure of what the boss is telling you to do, what your spouse is asking you to do, what the kids want you to do, what the school is requiring of you, what the church is calling for you to do, the expectations of friends, extended family, and community?

There are several approaches. When someone asks them to do something, they try to do it even if they don’t have time or don’t want to do it. They are people pleasers. They cannot say, “No.” Sometimes people try to do it all because they live for “a filled to overflowing” calendar. The more they have to do, the better they like it.

Some people handle it by withdrawing from everything. They never join anything, or if they were involved they quit everything they used to do. It’s the only way they know how to handle it.

Some withdraw by retreating into a world of fantasy. They enter a false world where they do not have to be involved with other people on a real level. They sit for hours in front of the television, read countless books or watch an endless string of movies. They retreat into the chat rooms of the internet with its pretend relationships. Fantasy becomes preferable to reality.

Some become sullen and non-communicative in their withdrawal from life.

There must be balance.

I have experienced all of these, and in some ways still do.  This has been an issue in my life for a while now and “Thank God!” I have accountability partners, friends and family. They have been questioning my balance for a few months now. They have been concerned and it’s about time I listen!

There must be a balance between home, work, rest and fun. There has to be a balance between the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual part of you.

If you are going to have balance in your life you have to have the following 3 ‘P’s:

·         PURPOSE: You have to discover your PURPOSE. This is the core question of our lives. The Bible says, “If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord” Romans 14:8 our lives are not our own. We belong to God.

Your primary purpose here is not to be successful or have a wonderful career. Your purpose is not to be happy or earn a lot of money. Your purpose is not even to find love and have a family. The Bible says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” Matthew 6:33

·         PRIORITIES: You have to establish your PRIORITIES. Ask yourself, “What are my gifts? What are the specific talents and interests that God has put into my life? The reason that these questions are important is that you may be doing many good things, but you may not be doing the things that God has in mind for you.

Priorities have to be set when the choice is between what is good and what is best — between what will be beneficial and what is actually God’s will for you. He has made you with particular interests, skills and gifts. Setting priorities helps you to trim down your involvement to a reasonable level.

Here is the bottom line: If you do not take charge of your life, someone else will. Someone else will be making your life decisions and determining how your time is being spent. God has given you the responsibility of ordering your life — no one else. You cannot learn to say ‘no’ until you understand your purpose and set your priorities.

·         PLAN: If you are going to have balance in your life you have to plan on how to make it happen, otherwise it will never happen. You have just enough time to do what God wants you to do.

If the earth ever got out of balance it would spin chaotically into space destroying life as we know it. The same is true of your life. Jesus Christ needs to be at the center of your life, and all other things need to come from your relationship with him if there is to be balance in your life.

Paul wrote: “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” Colossians 1:17

When your life is in balance you will find more contentment, and you will be more confident. You will be free to be yourself, and not as pressured by the expectations of other people. You will grow closer to God and your relationships will be richer.

Prayer = Problem solved

A recurring theme in my life: There just doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day.


On Saturday, I sat down for 5 minutes with a couple of good friends in the courtyard of our Church. I spent about 10 minutes with them when I realized, I had things to do! As I walked away though, I realized…..I should have just stayed there. I like doing it a lot…just sitting there. What’s with that???

The dictionary defines being overwhelmed as: ’to be submerged under the weight of something. To be overtaken by a superior force; to be overpowered by your thoughts and feelings.’

How many of you have ever felt overpowered and overwhelmed by all the stuff going on in your life?

We can be overwhelmed by any number of things. You have so much going on at work; so much going on at home; and so much on your plate that you literally feel submerged under the weight of it. You feel overpowered. Some of us are overwhelmed by fear; fear of rejection; fear of the future; or fear of what other people might be saying about us. We feel so overwhelmed with these feelings of fear that it is interfering with the quality of our Christian lives.

2 Chronicles 20: In this passage, God, thru example, is showing us what to do with this overwhelming situation.

Jehoshaphat is the king of Judah. He’s the ruler over the city of Jerusalem. And like his ancestor King David, he was a godly leader. In 2 Chronicles 19:6, He says "You’re not working for me. You’re working for the Lord. So make sure that you follow Him faithfully with all your heart."

A little bit after this, the king finds out that the country is under attack. These people have been enemies of Judah for hundreds of years. And now, they are joining forces forming a vast army. And their one unified purpose is to wipe the people of God off the face of the earth! To kill the Jewish people once and for all! (Sound familiar?)

When Jehoshaphat hears about this massive invasion, he is alarmed. Uh, no kidding right? There’s nothing wrong with being alarmed. Sometimes God wants us to be alarmed so that He might get our undivided attention. But sometimes, people respond by panicking. Sometimes we respond to overwhelming situations by trying to handle everything ourselves.

The way to handle overwhelming situations is to do what the king did. Verses 3 & 4 tell us that even though he is alarmed, he resolves to inquire of the Lord. He calls upon the entire nation to come together for a national day of prayer and fasting. In other words, the king is saying, "I am determined to hand this entire situation over to God! I am going to call upon the 1 person in the whole universe who can do something to change our circumstances!"

The king stands up in the courtyard of the temple. He’s got all the people praying with him. And he says, "Oh, Lord, you are the God of heaven. You rule over the kingdoms of the earth. Power and might are in your hand."

WOW!!!

When we start feeling overwhelmed by the worries of this life, we need to stop trying to fix everything ourselves. We need to stop fretting over the things that are out of our hands. And we need to put everything back into God’s hands.

While all this great stuff is going on, the Lord throws the invading armies into confusion. And they end up attacking each other instead of the people of God.

Again I say, WOW!!!

And in verse 24, the people of Judah arrive at the desert. They see all the dead bodies of the invading army. They are like…Praise the Lord! He did it! He saved us!!!" No Duh!!! He’s God!!! And they went down to gather up all the clothing and the equipment and the articles of value. And there was so much stuff down there that it took three days to gather everything up.

It’s important to Pray!!! Too many times, we tell ourselves, "I don’t need any help. I can handle this. I’m a grown person. I’m responsible." And we either end up falling flat on our faces. Or the stress associated with handling everything ourselves takes its toll on our well-being.

Whenever we pray, we can see the power of God on display in our lives:

• Giving us shelter from the storms of life.

• Giving us victory over our stresses and our circumstances.

• Giving us the capacity to praise His holy name even in the midst of adversity.

How many problems in your life have become worse than they need be because you didn’t hand them over to God in prayer?

How many times have you tried unsuccessfully to manipulate your circumstances when all you really needed to do was to give them over to the Lord?

Why wouldn’t we want Him to help us with the overwhelming challenges of life?

Choose or Lose

Romans 12:2 - “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.”


I always seem to roam to Romans. I read this verse for probably the millionth time but couldn’t seem too get past it. I tried reading further but kept coming back to this verse like I was missing something. Don’t you hate that when that happens?

I was stuck on the conformity of it all! Did you know that God’s people have had a problem with this for thousands of years? Conforming that is. We’ve all tried to blend in for thousands of years.

It’s interesting that the Apostle Paul starts Romans 12:1 out with “sacrificing our bodies” and follows it with not conforming to the world. If you conform to the world, then you can’t sacrifice your body to God like 12:1 says to do. See that?

Paul says this because God’s people have always struggled with this.

Joshua 24:14-27. "So honor the LORD and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD alone. But if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD."

This is a great verse, God is a jealous God, and he doesn’t want you serving other idols. But you do have a choice! You don’t have to serve the Lord…good luck with that though.

But Joshua said, "We will serve the LORD our God. We will obey him alone."

Choice is a dangerous thing but Commitment begins with choice. With my son I set a rule, “No Quitting!” One day, we were talking about playing football so I said to him, “Now you understand that if you do this, you can’t quit. If you don’t like it, that’s too bad. You have to stick it out. If you get hurt, I’m sorry, but you can’t quit.”

When Joshua asked the Israelite people to commit to God, he wasn’t talking about a week long commitment. He was talking about a lifelong commitment. When God asks us to commit to Him, he is asking us to commit with our whole lives.

In Hebrews 12, it speaks of running the race with endurance. Why would we need endurance if this was just a quick sprint? You need endurance for long races, not short sprints. While you are running this race of life, it is like a distance run and we need to have endurance. That means we are committing for more than just a few weeks or months. Commitment always starts with a choice. You have to choose what you’re going to be committed to. God or the world, those are your only 2 choices.

Everybody conforms to something in life. The question is what will it be? The answer to that question is up to you. I want to raise my son to know God. I want to raise him with the understanding that God is the most important person in the world to him, even more important than me.

There are so many things out there that are trying to get the family. Things that we don’t even recognize that are slowly taking our priorities off of God and putting them on other things. Commitment begins with a choice. But if your commitment is not taken seriously then it can lead to conformity and conformity leads us to spiritual adultery.

So I ask you….no beg you… Please choose one. Please don’t play the middle with God.

He cannot be fooled.

Like Mr. Miyagi says in the movie “Karate Kid”.

“Walk on left side of road, Okay.

Walk on right side, Okay.

Walk in the middle with God…SQUISH, just like grape!”

What Love has to do with it.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

On the day of Pentecost, when the very first gospel sermon was ever preached, God gave the apostles the special gift of being able to speak in languages that they had never learned so that the people hearing them could understand what was being said.

Paul is saying that if God gave him the gift of speaking every human language, and even the heavenly language of the angels, but he didn’t have love, then he would be nothing more than a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. In the 1st Century, there was a big gong or cymbal hanging at the entrance of most pagan temples. When people came to worship, they hit them to awaken the pagan gods so they would listen to their prayers.

Love is more important than any spiritual gift.

Paul says that even if you know it all - if you know everything there is to know about computer science; if you know everything there is to know about medicine; if you know everything there is to know about philosophy; psychology; theology and every other kind of “ology”. If you know it all, but have no love, then you are nothing at all.

It has always amazed me that when people look at society they try to analyze what is wrong with us, why we’re killing and abusing one another. These experts always seem to come back with the same answer, "We need more education. We need to get everybody educated, and then we won’t have these problems anymore."

I don’t think education is the answer.

1 Corinthians 8:1, "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." I don’t think we need more knowledge near as much as we need more love. We need a whole lot more love and the hearts of people need to change before society will ever change.

Paul says that love is more important than faith. Can you believe that? Now he doesn’t say that faith is not important. He just says that love is more important than faith. He said, "If I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."

I have written of my time in the hospital when I suffered from refraction blindness. My roommate had lost a leg to Diabetes and every night about Midnight, he’d stumble out of bed and hop to the bathroom. At first, this irritated me because he woke me up every night.

The night before he was supposed to go home, God put his hand on my heart and said help him. Huh? How’s a blind man supposed to help a legless man??? God just said help him. So I got out of bed at midnight and waited. Sure enough, he started to stir. I stumbled to his bed and told him, “let me be your leg and you are my eyes’.

The next morning as he is packing up he asked me why I did it. I just told him because God put it on my heart. To make a long story short, after my vision returned I saw him at the hospital again, carrying a bible. There is probably more to this then I know but I didn’t pursue this with him.
My point is this, "They will not care how much you know, until they know how much you care."

So, on this Valentine’s Day 2012, Let’s try showing our love instead of buying it!

Did you know?

Lately, I have been struggling with this phrase, “Jack of all trades and Master of none”. In my career, I spend a lot of time on the Internet and increasing my knowledge to better serve the customers I support.

Since the beginning of the Internet, I wouldn’t be surprised that the growth rate has grown by 1000%, with more knowledge being presented on any given subject, in a single day, than what could have been shared in a year not more than 50 years ago.

Knowledge is not a bad thing to have most of the time. In fact, I am so very thankful for the knowledge that has come forward so I can perform my job better. I thank God for the knowledge that brought forth new methods and new instruments that enable us to preach the gospel more effectively and to reach more people than ever before.

But…

For knowledge to be as good as it can be, we must be able to use that knowledge with wisdom. Knowledge comes from what we have studied. Wisdom comes from using what we know with the wrong results. My favorite saying is, “Knowledge knows it’s a one way street. Wisdom is looking both ways anyways!”

For knowledge to be useful, wisdom must be applied. The problem is that most of the world uses its knowledge based upon the wisdom of the world without God.

Knowledge, without the fear of the Lord, and the wisdom to use the knowledge we learn, is a very dangerous thing. Knowledge creates within the heart of man a desire for things that he does not understand or need. In other words, it becomes a source of temptation.

Wouldn’t we all have been much better off if Adam and Eve would have been satisfied with the knowledge that they had already? They had it all and threw it away for what: Just to know what God knew, and after they knew good from evil, they forever wished that they had never known what God knew again.

I don’t know about you but I really get that! There are some things in my life, I wish I never knew! I know that I have to study to be approved unto God, a workman that isn’t ashamed. But I don’t want to know everything for with knowledge you also receive tremendous responsibility to use that knowledge wisely.

I have also learned, when I gain knowledge there are times when I think I know more than God. Silly, right? There is no way I could no more than God, but sometimes my human side gets all prideful, then I take my eyes off God, and Bam! Where did that sin come from???

God knew this would be a problem for mankind that was now caught in the grip of sin. He knew that, never again, would man be able to use the knowledge he learned within God’s righteous parameters. He knew that man would find a way to abuse the knowledge that he had attained.

Ecclesiastes 1:18, "For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow."

If you don’t know how to repair a computer, no one will ask you, but if you let it be known that you can, then there will be no end of people seeking your help and advice. The more you know, and the more you let your knowledge be known, the more you will be in demand. You will have to trust me on this, I have definitely been there; been overwhelmed by trying to be all for all; and falling flat on my face.

Have you been there?

In addition, the more you know, the more there is to sadden and burden your heart. If you don’t know of starving kids, child abuse, rape, murder, robberies and such, you won’t be so fearful to go out at night and you will be able to sleep a little sounder. But once you learn of them, your life is forever changed by that knowledge.

So knowledge is not always a good thing. Sometimes it can even be a dangerous thing. What is it that makes knowledge worth knowing? It knows the source of knowledge in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we come to know the Lord, the knowledge that we attain suddenly has a deeper meaning than ever before.

Knowledge can be a wonderful thing. I want to know more about my Lord. I want to know more about His Word. I want to know more about His ways. But, I must first know Him, as my Lord and Savior, and then that knowledge will be a blessing and not a curse.

James 1:5, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

KnowhatImean?

Unexpected Rewards

Graduating High School is a big accomplishment. Some graduates receive new cars, vacations and other expensive items as a reward for graduating. One of my friends from school received a book (it was a good one but I don’t remember which one…maybe a BIBLE?) for his graduation, yet he wanted this new car he had seen at a car lot. Upset, he threw the book down and stormed out of the house. Upset with the gift, he didn’t visit or talk to his family for years.

Last year his father passed away. At the funeral, his Mom handed him the book his father had gotten him for his graduation. In tears, he opened the book. On the very first page was a signed blank check. The inscription of the front page read, “Congratulations son, I’m so proud of you! Take this check and buy the vehicle of your choice…Dad.”

Matthew 7:11, "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?"

I don’t get it, what’s with REWARDS anyways?

When I do things with the motivation of getting noticed by others then that’s all the reward I get. When I do things for God, with the right motivation of genuine love for Him and others, then I am rewarded by God immediately, and others see just how great God is, not me.

Matthew 6:2-6 “When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth; they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”

WOW!!! Did you just read that…? I don’t think we need to sit here and try to interpret what he’s saying here. It’s pretty plain. He’s not talking about rewards in heaven like mansions when we die, but some kind of IMMEDIATE REWARDS! Could be in terms of growth in our life and a sense of having made a difference in the world as well as a great witness to others concerning Christ. Isn’t that a great reward too?

Rewards in heaven are great, but I’m human and sometimes I desire a little reward here too. Maybe that’s just me. I have to constantly remind myself though, it’s not about me. To God goes the glory!

Proverbs 25:27 “It’s not good to eat too much honey, and it’s not good to seek honors for yourself.”

Exalting yourself seems to be the same kind of motivation that Satan had. Doing things for God JUST to get rewards isn’t right either. I’d rather do things knowing that is what God calls me to do. Because I love Him! Not because I’m trying to earn His approval.

When my son cleans his room without me asking; when he keeps his bike locked up without me reminding him; and when he tells me he loves me without me having to say it first. Is he doing it for rewards from Daddy? Well, sometimes. But he also understands that as my son, he has responsibilities in being a son of Paul. Just like we have responsibilities in being sons and daughters of God.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 - “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of His return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to His appearing.”

Now I have never physically run a race, that’s not something Paul calls fun. But when you are running a race or competing in a competition or sport, when do you receive your reward. In the beginning; during; or at the end? When you finish the race, who rejoices with you? Family, friends and people you may have just met.

It seems to me that when we serve God with the right motivation, even though we do it quietly and not openly, then God rewards us openly and others see that God has blessed us. This becomes a great witness to others here and now.

God grants us rewards on earth and in heaven…but in my eyes, we have already been given the greatest reward.

Eternal Life!

Team: Small Group

On a Professional football team, you have many different personnel. You have the coaches, players on down to the water boy... er…person. So let me ask you a question, who’s the most important on the team? Better yet, if you had to give a percentage on who actually wins the game, how would you rate it?

Is the Coach more important? How about the Quarterback, he does call the plays and hand off/throw the ball….isn’t he more important? How about the guy that drives the bus and gets the team to the game, he’s pretty important to, right? I mean without him, they’d never get to the game to win or lose.

The answer is they are all important members of the Team, every single one of them. Most of you already knew this but the point I bring to you today is, Small Groups within our Church work much the same way. To have a successful small group, it must be a “Small Group Team”. Everyone with that group is like a football team…they are all important to the win.

Many Christians today prefer not to be a part of the team. They say, “I’m just not a team player.” Too often we prefer to be lone rangers in order to avoid differing opinions and conflict, to avoid people who want to be self-important and prideful, to not have to deal with people who seem to know it all and are insensitive toward others on the team. We may feel ignored or unappreciated.

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Spurring on others in love is a team effort, everybody must work to win! Spurring is stirring up the love and passion within our brothers and sisters in Christ. How do we stir each other up to radical acts of love? That can only happen in the context of small group teams. God brings about radical acts of love by stirring each other up. We need passionate people to stir up passion in others. This is called, Team work!

It will only happen as we gather in small group teams. That is why God is calling us to these teams…togetherness. You cannot and will not overcome the deceitfulness and the attractiveness of sin in your life alone. You cannot and will not thrive spiritually alone. You are not thriving if you are not in some kind of small group team.

Imagine what kind of love and good deeds God could stir up if we took this seriously. Imagine what hidden sins, bondage, struggles, habits, hang ups, hardships God could deliver us from if we took this call to teamwork seriously. Imagine what God could do if we were in a small group team that loved us, cared for us, carried our burdens, pastored us, and committed to care for us.

How can we pray for one another if we are not on a team?

Some of us see these teams and relationships negatively because we do not see ourselves as soldiers in war. We see ourselves as vacationers just sightseeing. We do not have the appetite for spiritual passion as the norm because we settle for what we see instead of expecting, wanting, desiring more.

God is calling us to be supportive. This is where love comes in. It means having a heart to lighten people loads as we get to know them.

So I ask you again, are you on a Small Group Team?

If you aren’t, how’s the self-sufficiency thing working for you?