How Can I Lead My Family to Pursue Righteousness?

In the first part of his series, "Bless This Home", Craig Groeschel (www.lifechurch.tv) opens with the theme, "Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness".  How many of you want your homes to be blessed?  We ALL want our families to be blessed, but in most cases when we look at other families, the word that comes to mind is NOT "blessed".  There are so many financial problems, infidelities, children problems, blended families, health issues etc.  Life at home can be overwhelming!   There are a lot more temptations and the world today is so complicating as well.

We are are going to use the teachings of Jesus, specifically from the book of Matthew, to help families to create environments where a home can be "blessed".   Matthew lays out the Beattitudes, which is the baseline for Craig's series.  "We are going to use a number of these principles to bless our homes.  Next week, we are going to look at 'Blessed are the pure at heart, for they shall see God'...Most of our homes would not be characterized by purity but rather by impurity.   In week 3, we will cover 'Blessed are the peacemakers'...Often we have homes where there are 'peace takers'.   In week 4, we will look at 'Blessed are those who are persecuted for (Christ's) sake'....We need to stand out in this world."

Much of the series, for Craig, is going to require him to be largely transparent.  He will commit to share what happens in his own home.  "But we are sooo far from perfect", he admits.  It sometimes surprises people when the pastor's family isn't perfect!  One day his daughter was in class and all the kids were talking about how their parents were always yelling at them. His daughter said, "my daddy doesn't yell at us" and the teacher thought, "well there you go. Of course the pastor doesn't yell at his kids". But then Craig's daughter continued, "they yell at each other every day, but they don't really yell at us" (!!)

None of us are perfect, but we are being perfected by the power of God.  In Matthew 5:6, we read, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for you will be filled".  So many homes are not filled with that that matters most.  Rather, homes fill themselves with other things in an attempt to be fulfilled. In your home, what do you hunger for?  What are you pursuing?  What matters most to you?  Some of us might say, "we are here to please God", but then what would our kids say if we asked them?  Some people might say they are trying to relax, to have fun or to be liked.  "Image management" is a priority for some families.  For others, it could be just the wind; more money, a bigger house, the smartest kids, the most athletic kids...

If you're like most people and if you're really honest, you might admit that you are not hungering for righteousness. So, what do we do when we realize that we don't have an appetite for righteousness?  We change our appetite!!  How many people love pizza? It's hugely popular but not very good for us on a regular basis.  At one point, Craig, changed his diet from too much pizza to fish, chicken, vegetables and fruits. After a couple of months eating like this, he decided one night to eat pizza and it made him sick. Why? because his appetite had changed!  Pizza no longer satisfied him.   This is what it's like when we pursue God! After we begin to feed our minds with the purity of God, we have not appetite for what is impure.

However, even if we change our appetite by pursuing God, we should first be aware of what DOES NOT work with our faith; legalism and lukewarm Christianity!

Legalism doesn't work because this is when we change Christianity to a bunch of rules that are way too many for us to keep.  Rules without relationship lead to rebellion.  This is why some pastors have rebellious kids.  The kids know about the life style but early on, lack the relationship and become rebellious.  

Lukewarm Christianity is when we believe in God, but don't have a real passion that brings glory to Him.  How do we know if we're a lukewarm family of faith?  "The way I know the temperature of my family's faith is when I think of the last time we prayed as a family".  If we haven't talked about faith at the dinner table, chances are we are lukewarm.  If I am not leading my family out of circumstances that are not consistent with our faith, like inappropriate music, inappropriate television shows or events, chances are we are lukewarm.  If the family is not reaching out in the community to help others, chances are we are lukewarm.


What DOES work to change our appetite when pursing God?  As a family, we should not just be a christian family.  Instead, we should think of ourselves as more of a Christ-centered home.  Unfortunately, many people can call themselves christian families, but they are often NOT Christ-centered homes.  Right?  We can all say we are ducks, but that doesn't make us ducks.

David explains this Psalms 63:1, "You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water...David does not look for God when it is just  convenient for him.  If we were to edit this verse and apply to our families it might sound like this;

You God are our God. Earnestly we seek You. We thirst for You.  Our whole family longs for you.

What else is there to pursue, truly?  Popularity?  "Oh popularity, you are my God!"  Or, "Oh championship of the soccer league...!   Oohh new car..., my rump longs for your car seat warmers and a good ride."  This sounds ridiculous, but this is the way many families live and we wonder why they are so empty.

As a leader, teach your home to see God as loving, approachable and involved.

This past week Craig had to travel and beforehand, his daughter Mandy came in to his bedroom.  She wanted to talk, but he was busy.  Working on this sermon, Craig asked her what she would give as advice to another family to have a Christ -centered home.  Mandy replied, "You should create an environment where you kids want to have discussions about God so it's not something they feel they have to do but something they want to do."   It was no surprise, when later that night, Mandy came back in and asked Craig to pray for her future!  But the Groeschel's had long ago committed to a Christ-centered home.  So, if this isn't the culture in our own homes, how do we do this especially now when our kids are older?

1. Involve God in daily conversations.  This may start out by just seeing a beautiful sunrise.  If we comment on it, glorify God in our comment.  If there is a conflict, remind yourself and everyone that God is the resolver of conflict.  Remind our family daily of their godly blessings.  Craig's 12-year-old son, Sam, was talking to his friend recently and pointed out to his friend how God had blessed him with various things in his life.  Craig realized that pointing this out to his own family was spilling out into the community through his kids.  

2. Make church a non-negotiable.  faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God.  Surround your family with the fellowship of believers.  It then becomes something that they want to pursue and something they want to be a part of.

3. Show how seeking and serving God is FUN.  Craig's family has "popcorn prayer time".  They sit together in a room, eat popcorn and pray for people and things that need prayer.  In the mornings, when Craig gets up, he will see his kids studying the Word and it is a blessing to him.  How did they start doing this?  They saw their parents do it and now they do it!

We don't have to tell our kids how to be good if we are pursuing the one who is good.  Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.

These things may sound very rough to do and totally counter intuitive because of all the problems in your home.  But if we commit, we can do it!  Can you make seeking God Fun?  Yes!!  Can you make church non-negotiable?  Yes!!  Can you involve God in conversations?  Yess!!

Joshua 24:!5 says, "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

You choose this DAY.  You choose THIS day.  You choose THIS DAY.  Then your home will be blessed.

How Can We Connect With the Holy Spirit?

Beginning his new series, "Spirit", Erwin McManus opens by explaining that he is going to spend the next 5 weeks talking about the Spirit.  Some might ask, "Are you talking about the human spirit or Holy Spirit?  The answer is yes.  "We are going to talk about the relationship between the human spirit and the Holy Spirit.  In order to help you understand, I am going to have to change your perception of the spiritual realm."  Light is a good parallel to the spiritual world because you know there is a source of light and then there is the object itself.  But the relationship is complicating because there are millions of particles being illuminated by the source and thus, light can be hard to describe.    

Today we need to change our minds about reality as we know it and how the Holy Spirit impacts this reality.  If you have been in Los Angeles for any period of time, you know that it is easier to talk about God than it is to talk about Jesus.  It's easier still to talk about spirituality than it is to talk about God.  Spirituality is an incredibly popular topic because it soon takes the intellectual to theologically challenging conversation.

Long before his relationship with Jesus, Erwin's brother took to atheism, But Erwin took to mysticism.  His brother didn't choose to believe in anything, but Erwin had this acute sense of himself being a spiritual being.  He sensed a reality around him that no language could describe.  It was real and it was drawing him to it.

To further the conversation, let's talk about our worldly senses.  What would we be missing if we didn't have our hearing?  Music is extraordinary whether it is the Josh Groban, Taylor Swift or Depeche Mode.  There is something that stirs us when we hear music.  It draws on our emotions.  Our sense of smell is really connected to our sense of taste and both give us an experience that is almost indescribable   When you can cut into a great fillet, ore smell the aroma of a cappuccino, it is almost a spiritual experience right?  It brings us to a place of exhilaration   But without these senses, we might well never know what we are missing. We might find we can't identify with what people are trying to describe and we might even consider hearing and smelling as almost mythology.  So, is there a sense in the soul that is not currently resonating within us?  Have we stunted our ability to perceive the Holy Spirit?  When we would only connect to the Spirit, it can change how we interact in this world and how we perceive life itself!

Already, most people have a sense of spirit and we even tend to attribute this sense to the Divine.  We might loosely connect it with God, though.  For some people, this divine essence translates to "an energy" or "a force".   The more you live with an awareness of your spiritual world; you are likely, then, to experience a visceral life force that awakens you a little bit.  What we find is that God is not a force or an energy.  Rather, He is actually a being.  The spirit of God is not an "It".  The Holy Spirit is a He; the image of God translated to us.  "It bothers me when (followers of Christ) identify the Holy Spirit as an 'It'".  He is a person!  He has intelligence and thought and emotions!  He has ESSENCE.  Can you imagine talking about someone in your life who is an "it"?  Imagine if your wife saying, "It is always late"!  If, ladies, you are going out with a guy and he talks about you as an "it", cut him off!!  It's not going to work!

If God were an "it", there could be no relationship.

But the God in Spirit seeks a relationship and He energizes us!  We call our touchy-feelly physical God "Father Abba" and "Jesus walking among us", but the Holy Spirit seems to be a nonessential.  We baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and it feels like He is in the third position, right?  He's third string.  We dismiss Him by this point   Even the people who focus on the Holy Spirit often seem to be weird, bizarre and isolated.  But when we investigate the Spirit, we find He is powerful and at the core of Creation.

Let's go all the way back to Genesis 1.  We find, in this book, that there is a unique relationship between God's Spirit and the creation of the Earth.  The Hebrew mind understood that when God creates, the Spirit of God is always present.  The Spirit is essential.  It's critical.  Without Him, we inevitably become materialistic and embrace everything in this secular world.  You see, for those who don't believe that God created the earth, they have to believe that everything comes out of nothing or Creation without God.  But yet popular science, by definition, believes that everything comes out of something else or everything.  Science defines and explains.

Hebrews 11:3 says, "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." 

So, if everything came from that which is not visible, where did it come from?  According to the Bible, it came from the invisible.  All of creation, then, is an expression of its creator.  Because God is a spirit, everything that is material came out of that which is spiritual.  

John 1 says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.  Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made."  There is this intimate relationship with everything that has been created and the Creator.  

Colossians 1:15-17  "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ He is before all things,and in him all things hold together.

The scriptures say that all things are being held together by Him.  The proper relationship or definition says there is a creation and it is a reflection of the Creator.  But we tend to think of creation, this "reflection" as more of an object (like a mirror).  We see it as spiritually separate; as secular.  The spiritual realm, to us, is when we are doing something like going to church.  We go to a spiritual place that is sacred.  Sacred is what we are doing when we are not doing everything else, before we go back into the secular.  We then hope that the sacred will get us "pumped up" for the rest of the week.  It is like the "Red Bull" for the secular.  We say, I need some God word or some God passion to make it through.  How spiritual we are then becomes how long we can carry the sacred into the secular, right?  We have our sacred life and we have our real life.  But what the scriptures tell us is that this way of thinking is false.  There is no division between the sacred and the secular.  God would be more like a gas station in a desert if this were so.  All around us we have distractions like food, sports, work and friends.  All are in the secular space.  



We forget there is an invisible dimension.  Its like a blind man saying, "nothing exists that I cannot see" or like a deaf man denying the existence of music. Here is a part of our dilemma:  If God is this unique person, a being of intelligence, intention and He is creator, we tend to create this huge chasm between the creation in which we ourselves live and our creator.  To our credit, we want to make it clear that the Creator created creation but where we often draw the line is by then saying that creation is not of Him.  We tend to say, "Okay, God is here and all the 'stuff' is over here".  We don't include God in the stuff.  See, the moment we start thinking of creation itself as being God, we become a pantheist, which is an incorrect way of thinking. But, when observing the line of thought, it is understandable why some people fall into the trap of pantheism.  Yes, god is not the stuff and the stuff is not God, but we tend to act like there is no connection at all.  

What's interesting is that, you never see the phrase "the Spirit of God" without something always happening.  There is never the Spirit of God just sort of sitting around.  Are you ever in the moment when you are truly getting something done; when you are really on your game?  That's the way the Spirit always is.  When the Spirit of God is present, He is about to create and stir something up.  Let's look at a few places where this is demonstrated.  

Matthew 1:18   This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

^{Mathew 3:11}   I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Acts 1:8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Scriptures tell us that the Spirit is always moving.  So, when we choose to live in a relationship with the Spirit of God, it stands to reason that our lives will begin to move.  There will be powerful activity.  

Romans 8  Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.  Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.  

You are designed to live in the Spirit of God!  It is a design where God comes in and gives you peace.  

The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.


The moment the spirit of God lives in you, you no longer identify a separation. You act, then, in response to everything that is spiritual.  If we don't have the spirit, then how do we get it?  If Jesus' Spirit is living in us, He promises to give us life.  

But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you.

Paul is telling us that the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead can come in and live in us.  It is more than enough; more than we could ever ask for.  Yet, it is strange that we can believe in Jesus and still live a powerless life because of a misperception of God's Holy Spirit!  The intimacy and power of the Spirit brings about life here on earth.  

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again;rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.  And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 

Your human spirit longs to be with the creator!  You are NOT a material being. You are a spiritual being.  
Have you ever seen a great movie and you realize that the score is driving much of the emotions in the movie?  Drums or violins tell us that something is about to happen.  Someone is about to die or something is about to be found.  For Christians, the Holy Spirit is the score of our lives.  He is not an appetizer; He is the meal!   He empowers us.  So how do we know if our spiritual experiences are from God?

1 Corinthians 12  tells us that God approaches us through His spirit long before we react.  He guides us and moves us.  He gives us the sense that there is more to this world than we see.  He lives there and He draws us. 

I've Got Things to Do; Why Would I Need Margin in My Life?

"Let's open up your Bibles to Luke 10...How many of you would say that you occasionally or always feel stressed?  How many people feel financial tension?  How many of you would say I wish I had more time to spend with my self of my family?"  Craig Groeschel of lifechurch.tv opens his series "Margin" with a message on the need for margin.  We live in a culture that pushes us to the limits.  Buy more.  Do more.  Accomplish more.   Conquer more.  Most of us are living at an unbiblical and unsustainable pace. Its insane what "normal" is today.  Even our kids will go out four or five nights a week doing their activities and we call that normal!  Our schedules are stressing us and our kids out!  Virtually everyone has little margin for error in the main areas of life.  Andy Stanley taught a series a called "Take It to the Limit" where he defined margin. 

Margin is the amount available beyond what is necessary. Andy Stanley

Margin is the difference between what you have and what you need. Craig Groeschel

How does margin lay out in life?  There's money left over at the end of the month.  It's leaving a few minutes early to be early for a meeting.  Margin is leaving more distance between you and temptation.  Margin is having the emotional capacity to deal with struggle.  Margin could be having 3 or 4 nights a week with nothing on your schedule.  Margin could be having extra time or money to invest or give to ministries.  Margin could be having time to reflect, think and meditate.  Margin could mean having significant time with God meditating on His Word  Simply put, margin is what most of us do not have.  "I am convinced that the best things in life happen in margin," says Craig.

Luke 10:38-42 is a great story about two different woman who dealt differently on the subject of margin.  As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.

It's interesting.  We have two women with the exact same opportunity.  Despite what she may have had to do, Mary took an opportunity to sit at Jesus' (the son of God's) feet.  But Martha created things to do.  She chose to be busy and to find things to do that were a distraction from Jesus. She may have been distracted by good things to do, but she was distracted from the best things. 

If Satan cannot make us really, really bad, he'll make us really, really busy.  Unknown

Recently, Craig went on a "staycation" or a vacation where he stayed home.  On the first day, Craig thought of things he needed to do at the church.  So, he went into his home office and began working.  "Bukie", his youngest son, came into his office and asked Craig if he would wrestle.  Craig dismissed Bukie, but then God whispered, "Bukie is not the distraction Craig, your work is." 

In verse 40, Martha asks Jesus is he doesn't care that her sister has left her with all the work.  The irony here is that Martha was absolutely convinced that she was doing the right thing!  Don't many of us believe the same?  We believe we have to live this way.  Business is success and more is right.  Everyone is doing it, right?  But broad is the road and wide is the path to distruction.  Small is the gate and narrow is the road to life and very few people find it. 

"Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world", says Paul.  "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind."  Then you'll be able to test and prove what the will of God is.  If minor changes could have made a difference we would have done that a long time ago.  What we are talking about in this message are large, life changing habits.  Production mindsets miss the moments.  "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."  Choose what is right and it will never be taken away from you. 

What happens when we have no margin? 

1)  As margin decreases, your stress increases.  When you're running late, stress increases.  It makes you say bad things on the way in church.  You can't enjoy the worship sometimes and you might have ill will to those you think are to blame.  Financial margin is a big one.  When something breaks, you have no room to fix it. 

2) Your relational intimacy decreases.  Your mind runs, but you are disconnected.  Recently, Craig's family went out to eat and they saw four people together but ALL FOUR people were on their phones twitter and emailing.  "Quit playing with your little twitter!"  Relational intimacy decreases not only with others but with God.  "I used to be close, but I just got BUSY (Too busy for people and too busy for God)." 

Why is it that so many of us live marginless lives? Why do people not downsize?  Most of us do not wholly trust God.  We don't have enough faith to believe that God is really on the throne.  We think that we are working to get something.  Most of us make more money than we ever have, but we are more stressed and more unhappy.  Why?  Because of idolatry! We are eleveating good things to be supreme things.  We gotta have the bigger house, a nicer car, a promotion...  We gotta be at the meeing so they will think more of us. We gotta have our kids involved in the best programs because, God forbid, we spend spiritual time with them when they "could be better flute players."

In the next few weeks, Craig says that he and those listening are going to have a "come to Jesus meeting".  He is going to challenge his listeners and push them.  Sadly, most people will not change, but some of you will begin to live, not according to the patterns of this world, but according to the rhythms of God's grace.  You will not give too much time to things that do not last.  Matthew 11:28-29 says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."   Let that sink in...rest for your souls...peace...assurance...tranquility.  Rest for your souls... Sometimes people go on vacation and then they have to recover from all the things they did on their vacation!  Some peole think, if nothing is on their schedule, they are insignificant.  This is insane!  Men think they have to make more, conquer more and achieve more.  It's idolatry.  Psalm 46:10 says this; "Be still and know that I am God."

One of Craig's counselors once said, "Take 5 minutes a day and do nothing."  So, this week, your assignment is to do nothing every day for 5 minutes.  Don't do anything. Don't think about anything.  Don't pray.  Just be.  It is the first significant step in creating margin.  The coming series outline for "Margin" is:

Week 1.  Why

Week 2. Scheduling margin. 

Week 3.  Financial margin

Week 4. Moral Margin

 

We are gong to stop finding meaning in the things of this world and start finding meaning in the things of God. 

Isaiah 58:11 says; "The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame."

 You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11

What is the One Thing I Desire from God This Year?

"Happy New Year to all of you...I pray that you are exceptionally blessed in this new year!"  How many of you would say you are a little relieved to see 2009 go?  Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch told his church that his staff, in general, is on a 21 day fast at varying levels to start the year.  He asks if there are prayer needs out there for his members.
Craig opens his message with Isaiah 43:18-19, which says, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."   Craig suggests that this verse applies to many people who had a rough year. 

How many people have a new years resolution?  "By Valentine's day, 75% of you will have given up."  Why is it that  so many of us have good intentions, but we are unable to follow through?  It might be because your intentions are not God intentions.  What Craig urges us to do in this message is to listen to the spirit of God who will speak directly though you and will show you the "one thing" he wants to do through you. 

Today, Craig is going to ask 4 "One Thing" questions to help us determine the "One Thing" God would have us do this year.  Craig asks God what his one thing is every year.   See, when there is a decade of "One Things" every year, your life can dramatically turn into a God driven life.  The first question is;

1) What one thing do you desire from god? 
Psalm 27:4 says, "One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple."  This is what King David wanted.  His one thing.  There may be a person in your life who isn't a christian.  Some of you have have a stronghold or an addiction or something that keeps you from fully worshipping God.  Others of you may look at your marriage and see that your marriage is not what you want it to be.  Your one thing may be your wanting God to deal with some so-and-so.  Maybe you want God to slow things down for your job because you are missing out on life.  You may desire God to change your heart.  You may want to live by the graces of God. Maybe you just need satisfaction from God. 
 
Years ago, Craigs "One Thing" was the same as King Solomon's.  He wanted wisdom.  So, God pointed him to Proverbs and every day, month in and month out, Craig read the a chapter from Proverbs (the book has 31 chapters, so it works out well each month). 
 
2) What one thing do you lack? 
 
In Mark 10, A rich man came to Jesus asking what he needeed to do because he couldn't fully experience God.  Jesus looked at him "in love" (which gives the notion that God shows us what we lack, but does this out of love) and said to sell everything so that he could follow Jesus.  The man walked away because he couldn't release his wealth.  There are many of you who over a period of years, God has shown you the one thing that is lacking in you, but you refuse to embrace it or to do anything about it. 
 

There was a friend of Craig's who once read the Bible every day, but then stopped reading and grew further and further away from God.  So what is your one thing?  Many of you have been wrestling with tithing. This is where God might say to you; "Do you really believe me or not?  Others of you drift in and out of sin.  There are lives that are falling apart because no one will speak into their lives. 

 

Years ago, Graig and his wife lost a group of friends. One couple got divorced, another couple moved away and the spouse of another couple had to be removed from the church staff.  Craig and his wife were bleeding inside because they had lost these connections.  Then, they found themselves going through life without a close group.  It was a God burden because they truly lacked friends who could help support them.  So, they took it upon themselves to get involved again with a community group.

 

3) What one thing do you need to let go? 

What one thing holds you back?  Philipians 3: 13-14  talks about how Paul wanted to truly know God. ...Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Years ago, Craig was in Colorado and he saw a slack line, which is like a tightrope only not "tight".  Well, Craig decided to try and cross it.  The guy on the other side yelled to Craig that he had to let go of the tree before he could cross.  Craig let go and immediately was thrown to the ground.  The secret to crossing the slack line was to focus on the tree on the other side.  The christian faith is a lot like that.  We have to focus on Jesus.  We have to focus on the goal.  if someone hurt us and we are hurt, we can't dwell on the past.  We have to forget the past and press on.  Craig was talking to a friend who was beating himself up because he had compromised his values sexually with his girlfriend.  What is the one thing we need to let go? 

 

4)  What one promise from God do you need to claim? 

When David was annointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel, he was a young man.  God told Samuel, I do not look to the outside of a man but rather in his heart.  As soon as David was annointed to be king, it was still a long road of back and forths.  For instance, when Saul was after David, David chose to hide among the Philistines.  He said to God, "there are so many things I do not know right now.  There are so many things that have turned out bad, but this one thing I know.  that my God is for me.  I am trusting Him.  I am not afraid of what mere man can do to me.  For some of you, God will give you a promise and it will sustain you. 
 
It was in the early years of the church and Craig was down because the church had outgrown his leadership capabilities and so he cried out to God.  It was in that year that God said "my strength will be made perfect in your weakness".  So now, and for the last 10 years, God has been building the church through Craig's weakness.  What one promise do you need to claim? 

 
There are so many promises God can give us.  Here are a few.  God promises to meet every need you have.  God can meet your finanical needs. God said He will provide a way out for any temptations you may have.  God can create in you a sense of having forgiven you.  God promises to make everything work for the good of those who love of Him   He will be with us forever.  He promisese to give strength to the weiry.  He says he will give us joy.  He says he is the good shephard and he will guide us.  He will give us peace beyond our understanding.  God promises to give us power to defeat satan.  God promises that we are more than conquerers.  God promises us eternal life through his son Jesus.
 
There are some things I do not know, but I this one thing I know; My God is for me.

Elijah's Demonstration of the One True God

1 Kings 18 is the opening for this message by Craig Groeschel of lifechurch.tv. Above anything else, God wants to have our hearts, our focus and our love. "You shall have no other Gods before me." "Above all else we are to love God with our heart soul, mind and strength." Satan, throughout history has been putting false gods in front of God's people to distract them from Him and His blessings. But false gods promise what only the true God can provide. Money is a good example. Many of us believe that if we have enough money, we'll be happy and secure.

In the life of Elijah, many people were living idolatrous lives; worshipping false gods. Elijah was called to confront the evil king Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Even though he warned them, the people continued to worship the god of prosperity, Baal. So, Elijah tells the king that it would only rain if Elijah spoke the words. Immediately after this, however, God takes Elijah to the Kerith Ravine to work on his heart. God shows Elijah that He provides by bringing food via ravens and water via a brook. Eventually, the brook dries up and God guides Elijah to the home of a woman, who feeds him with food that is multiplied by God. Then the woman's son dies and God shows Elijah the power of His healing by raising the son from the dead through Elijah.

We next see Elijah back before King Ahab in 1 King 18:17-18 - "When (Ahab) saw Elijah, he said to him, 'Is that you, you troubler of Israel?' 'I have not made trouble for Israel,' Elijah replied. 'But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the LORD's commands and have followed the Baals.'"

Elijah was confronting the popular idea that there were many gods. As Christians, we are monotheistic. Elijah was in a time of polytheistic beliefs. But even with our belief in one God, in today's society, many people still worship false gods. People worship the false gods of money, materialism, sports, careers, hobbies, children and our image. But we don't recognize our false gods because we, in our minds, are just "living".

Craig admits that there are false gods even in his own ministry. He is leery about his tendency to idolize the ministry itself and its growth. Sometimes, his family can move to the top of his list and he can care more about them than God. He is honest with the audience and says future security is a common god of his which takes away his reliance on God.

Continuing, Elijah, in front of Ahab says with all the authority of God, "People, it is time to quit wavering between the gods." Then, Elijah says they are going to have a good old fashioned showdown. "Now, summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing.



If Elijah were alive today, would he not say the same things to us? Would he not tell us to quit wavering? He would say to either sell out to God or to sell out to a false god. If your false god (little g) is your god, then sell out to it. If money is your false god, get into massive debt, steal if you have to and don't ever give again because that would diminish your own

If image is your idol, then get into your image 3 hours a day. "Tan it, tweak it, puff it, tuck it, lift it, twist it, curl it, color it or whatever it is you do, do it. Ignore the fact that you're going to die."

If sexual sin is your thing, then don't let a marriage stop you, go for it. Find whoever you can and live for the sex. Find out what it can do for you.

If your house is your idol, take on debt, hire a landscaper, hire a house cleaner and hire a pool guy. Do all that is in your power to immaculate your home.

BUT....if God is your one true God, then serve Him with all of your heart. Can you feel the power of Elijah's words? It was a true show down. He tells the people to decide firmly who they will serve. For those wavering, he challenges them to watch the power of their gods.

"Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire—he is God." Then all the people said, "What you say is good." Baal was the sun god. If anyone could bring fire, it would have been Baal.

At noon, Elijah began taunting the people about their false god. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened." So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. The people continued dancing throughout the day

Some of us don't dance before false gods all day long. We do it for a lifetime.

Elijah didn't dance to get God to bring down fire, he prayed. "At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: 'O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.'"

When it was Elijah's turn to demonstrate the power of God, Elijah had instructed the people to douse the altars with water three times. Amazingly, the moment Elijah prayed to god, a fire came down and consumed the wood, the stones and even the soil! Can you imagine the shock and awe of the people when they saw this? No wonder the prophets of Baal were then ordered to be put to death! They were misleading the people.

Why Is God Allowing This In My Life?

Opening his "Elijah" series, Craig Groeschel opens with "The Making of a Man of God". It is the story of one of the greatest men in all of history. When Elijah was alive, the Northern Kingdom had experienced some 19 consecutive evil kings spanning over 200 years. In fact, there was one ruler named Ahab who was married to one of the most wicked women in recorded history, Jezebel. Under his reign, Ahab did more evil in the sight of God than any other king before him. Often when a king would turn away from God, they would begin their own religion which was often the worship of Baal. This cult would call for the sacrifice of children and ritualistic sex with prostitutes. This was clearly a time of corruption, scandal and idol worship.

But God didn't raise up an army to defeat this king, he brought one man, Elijah. What does the name Elijah mean? It comes from three root words El, i and Jah. "El" comes from "Elohim" meaning God. "I" comes from the personal pronoun meaning "my" or "mine". "Jah" means "Jehovah". So, the name "Elijah" literally means "My God is Jehovah". So, when God raises up this prophet to defeat the king, the name of the prophet himself stands down the king. When we meet Elijah, we don't know much about him other than where his is from, but we can find his introduction in 1 Kings 17:

"Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, 'As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.'" This turned out to be one of the most prophetic statements of the land. This would mean an economic shutdown today. It would be an utter disaster. But where you might expect Elijah to stick around after his bold prediction, God chose instead to take Elijah into hiding so that He could do much more in Elijah so that He could do more through Elijah. It seems that God had a lot of work to do in this long season, of Elijah's life. As Craig sees it, Elijah goes through 3 seasons.

1) God takes Elijah through a season of isolated pain.

The word of the Lord came to Elijah right after his confrontation with King Ahab. "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan." "Kerith" means "cut off" or "cut down". You could almost sense what God is saying here. He was going to break down Elijah and make him totally dependent on Him. He was going to humble him privately so that He could use him publicly. This may be a place familiar to some of us.

"It's like the little birdie who flew south for the winter," muses Craig. The story of the birdie is one where he got a late start and was caught in a winter storm where all the sleet and snow began to gather on his wings. He was freezing and couldn't move, let alone fly. Yet at his lowest point, a cow comes and dumps on him. The bird, who thought it couldn't get worse is now covered in manure. But then the bird realizes that the manure is warming him up and thawing out his wings. With happiness bubbling up in him, the bird begins to sing. But then a cat comes along and hears the chirping of the bird. Immediately, the cat kills and eats the bird. "Okay, so you're wondering...three lessons for the story!" What are they?

1) Everyone who dumps manure on you is not your enemy.

2) Everyone who digs you out is not necessarily your friend.

3) When you're in your manure, keep your big mouth shut.

Some of us would say that we are currently in the Kerith Ravine ourselves, but we need to know that God is teaching us something that we couldn't learn otherwise. "I'll never forget when I was starting Life Church years ago, I was sitting across from the table from my mentor and friend, Gary Walter...Gary said, 'I've one promise when you start this church. God is going to break you.'" It was a sobering moment for Craig, but sure enough, God did. Yet each time Craig would talk to Gary and say God was breaking him, Gary would say, "No, He hasn't broken you yet." There was finally a season where Craig had lost many things. He'd even lost 25 pounds. But as a result, when people today ask how Craig can handle certain things, Craig says it is because he went through the Kerith Ravine. Elijah went through this ravine for months. There was no one to talk to and he was isolated.

It is doubtful that God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply. A.W. Tosier

2) The second season God takes Elijah through is a season of total dependence.

"The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook."

Here we see Elijah by himself. In the middle of a national drought, God delivered Elijah a brook. Every day, God's catering service, ravens, would fly in food for Elijah. Many of us are now learning how to have faith and dependence on God.

A single mom knew this well. She would pray every day for God to provide for her. There was an atheist next door who would be irritated in hearing her constant begging to her God for what he thought would never take place. Fed up one day, the atheist went to the store, bought several bags of groceries and delivered them to the door of the single mother. He knocked on her door and then hid in his apartment. When the lady answered the door and saw the groceries, she began praising God. But the atheist opened his door and screamed, "You fool! I delivered those groceries, not God! I did it to prove that there is no God." But the woman kept praising God all the more. Not only did you provide for me, but you made the devil pay the bill!!!

When you can't depend on what you used to depend on, God will provide. God didn't give Elijah several months of food or even several days of food. God brought what Elijah needed for the day, only. This may also be what God is teaching us. God will provide.

3) God takes Elijah through a time of "unconditional obedience".

Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the LORD came to him: 'Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.'" Imagine being in Elijah's place. He's going where God has told him to and now the brook has dried up. The same God who gave him water has now taken it away. But the question we have to ask is "Does God now want me to move?" God guides by what He provides. God may also guide by what He does not provide. This might be to get us to respond by total faith.

The dried up brook gave Elijah the courage to move. Did anyone ever see "Karate Kid"? Remember when the kid goes to Mr Miyagi and wants him to teach him karate? There were several scenes where the kid is told to work instead of to train. He washes and waxes the cars and paints the fence. It is only when he is told to block his attacks that the kid realizes that he was, all along, being taught karate techniques throughout his work.

So Elijah went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, "Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?" As she was going to get it, he called, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread." "As surely as the LORD your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die." Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' "She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.

For weeks and months, God provided for the two because of Elijah's obedience. But then tragedy struck. The woman's son dies! Some time later, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. She said to Elijah, "What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?" "Give me your son," Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?" Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!" The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived.



God used horrible things to strengthen the faith of Elijah as well as those around him. In verse one, we saw Elijah as the man from Tishbe, but now, after his many trials and seasons, (verse 24) the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth."

God may allow us to go through our Kerith Ravine so that, in time, we may become men and women of God.