Celebrating Baptism

We are here to celebrate our baptism. Baptism is a wonderful moment on our faith journey where we are changed forever. Baptism is an outward expression of the spiritual transformation that is happening inside of us. The old life is falling away and we are becoming a new creation. It is a wonderful experience to be children of God.

Our old life thinks that the world is against us. Our old life is one of fear, curses, and heartache. Our old life is one with anger, hopelessness, and despair. My favorite scripture that comes to mind to describe our transformation is 2 Corinthians 5:17. It says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” We are a new creation when we let Jesus Christ into our lives. The old heartaches and pain are gone and the new life with Jesus Christ at the center of our lives has taken its place.

The next scripture will also inspire us. I told Richard Ferguson that he has given me great joy. I cherish his stories how God is touching his heart and how he is reading God’s word. The next scripture is from 2 Corinthians 2:1-2. “¹If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”

My joy is complete today because we are here to celebrate Richard’s baptism. Our goal in our spiritual life is to be like-minded with Jesus Christ. Our goal is to bold in our faith and speak God’s word. We have the same love as Jesus Christ. We are one in spirit and purpose alongside Jesus Christ. We are united in one accord that we are children of God. Jesus Christ is our God and we are his people!

I learned a song titled “Do Something New in my Life” early on one of my mission trips. I love this song. I had forgotten the song until I was writing my sermon. The song describes what happens when we let Jesus Christ in our hearts.

“Yesterday is gone, another day has come. Do something new in my life. Yesterday is gone, another day has come. Do something new in my life. Oh Yes. Do something new in my life, something brand new in my life, Oh Lord.”

I love that song because it is inviting God to do something new in our lives. The song doesn’t ask if it is possible for God to change us, the song just asks God to come into our lives. God can change you, your mother and father, your spouse, and your children today and tomorrow. Just ask God into your life! Nothing is impossible with Jesus Christ in your life.

Hebrews 5:12-14 (NIV) encourages us about growing in God’s word. It takes time once we start growing to understand. It says “¹²In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

God will reveal the mysteries of the Gospel to us as we study his word and grow in our faith. Scriptures that are confusing now will be made plain as we grow in our faith. It is okay to drink spiritual milk as we learn about God. The solid food will be provided at the proper time.

The promise and prayer for solid food is found in Ephesians 3:17b-21. “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. ²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.”

John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus Christ by baptizing people who wanted to be baptized. In Luke 3:15-16, the scripture says that “¹⁵The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. ¹⁶John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

I love the scene in Luke 3:21-23 where it tells us that “²¹When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened ²²and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.

And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” ²³Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry.”

Jesus set the example for us to follow. Jesus started his ministry after he was baptized. The scene at the river shows us the father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God, the father, is up in heaven telling his son, Jesus Christ, that he is well pleased. The Holy Spirit is coming in a visible way like a dove into Jesus. Thus, we see God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit working together during baptism.

I wish I remember my baptism, but I was too young. I was baptized as an infant. My parents took an oath that they would raise me up in the ways of the Lord. I was confirmed into the Methodist Church as a teenager. I cherish every chance I get to see a baptism now. The baptismal experience that reminds me of the story from Luke 3 for me was in Gbani, Ghana. (Pronounced Bonnie, Ghana).

I went to an open air service under a huge tree where people had gathered to worship God and hear God’s word being preached. It was on a Sunday morning. We met the chief and the elders of the village. One of the elders told me that he was a witch doctor. The witch doctor told us that two of the elders were his brothers and that the village of Gbani was his village. I didn’t know anything about guys like that at the time. As Uncle Bill Barker started preaching, I saw the witch doctor began to give the people the evil eye.

The people became afraid and stopped listening to the sermon. I realized it was time for me to pray. I prayed “God, let the people have the faith to overcome their fear. Let the wind blow and blow the evil out of here.” I felt a breeze. I felt God’s presence overcoming the evil in that village. We took one hundred and fifty people to the river from Gbani and Sagadugu. I helped Uncle Bill baptize eighty-one people in the river. We baptized until our backs ached. I’ve seen God when people are transformed during baptism.

That witch doctor was there during the church service to take the people’s eye off of God and to turn faith into fear. He pretended to learn about God and worship God, but his real goal was to disrupt the church service. It didn’t happen. The people grew in their faith instead and were willing to be baptized that day. Now, both villages have churches with people who are growing and thriving in their faith.

Today, Satan doesn’t want people baptized in our church, New Hope UMC. Are we going to be afraid? NO! We are going to follow God. Satan wants this church to die. Are we going to be afraid? NO! Satan wants you to be afraid to be a new creation. Are we going to stay in our old ways? NO! We are going to be a new creation formed by the Holy Spirit with the love of Jesus Christ to guide us in our new journey. Today, we are going to say “Yes, Jesus!”

There was a very wise and faithful man who came to Jesus to learn about baptism and how to inherit eternal life. The story is told in John 3. The man is Nicodemus. Nicodemus knew Jesus was a great man, but he was afraid to be seen with Jesus so he came at night.

John 3:1-21 tells us: “¹Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. ²He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

“³In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." ⁴"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" ⁵Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. ⁶Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' ⁸The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

“⁹"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. ¹⁰"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? ¹¹I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹²I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

¹⁶"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.”

“¹⁹This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

John 3 tells us that we must be born again. We are born again through the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We must repent of our sins and pledge that Jesus Christ is the Lord of our Lives. Jesus died on the cross so that we could be born again.

It is by the blood of Jesus Christ that we can let go of our old life and become a new creation. Let us come into the light today to celebrate our baptism. Ephesians 4:1b-7 encourages us “¹I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ²Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ⁴There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. ⁷But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

It is by God’s grace that we are saved. My joy is complete. I give God all of the thanks and glory that our church is growing spiritually and with each other unified in Christ. It is our responsibility to plant our brother’s seed of faith into fertile ground. It is our duty to water and nurture Richard as he grows in his faith and walks in the light of Jesus Christ. Let’s celebrate our baptism today and every day. Right now, let us join in the celebration of the baptism of Richard Ferguson.

Giving All to Family

I am giving thanks for our family today. Who is our family? Have you stopped to think about what makes a family? Everyone’s family is different, but yet the same. God has given us a wonderful gift: our family. Our family includes those that we are related to us by blood, adoption, and marriage. Our family also includes the mother of the person whom we loved and married. Our family is a special gift from God that we are here to celebrate.

Did you realize that our family also includes people who are not related to us at all? Do you have people that come to family gatherings who don’t have any connection to your family except that they are loved? The common thread defining a family is love. Sometimes, God puts together people who love each other who would not naturally be considered family. We can also love our enemies until they become family.

Giving to our family is so important. Giving to our family is found frequently in the scriptures. We give our love, our time, and our faith to our family. We give our love freely. We give our time to be with those that we love. We also give our time to earn a living to pay for a place to live and food to eat. We also give our faith and belief in God to our family. My daughter, Jessica, gives to her family by being a wonderful caregiver when someone is sick.

The book of Ruth has a great story of giving all you can to your family. Life can be really hard and difficult. We need to pull our strength from God when times get tough. The love from our family also keeps us going. What happens when we don’t know about God to use his strength? This Old Testament book in the Bible is named for Ruth who was not Jew. She did not worship God when the Bible starts telling her story. Giving to our family is the heart of the story of Naomi and Ruth. Naomi gave her love of her God to her sons and daughters by sharing God’s love with her family. In turn, Ruth gave her love back to Naomi.

In Ruth 1:1-3, we learn about Naomi’s tragedy. It says “¹In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. ² The man's name was Elimelech (ih-LIM-uh-lek), his wife's name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon (MAY-luhn) and Kilion. They were Ephrathites (E phra thights) from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there. ³Now Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.”

Naomi lost her husband who provided for her and loved her. Naomi was thankful that she still had her two sons. Her sons were growing into men and would provide for their widowed mother.

Moab is the land east of modern day Israel across the Jordan River. The country of Moab was settled by the descendents of Esau. There was severe hatred between the descendents of the twin brothers Esau and Jacob. That hatred was renewed and passed down to the next generation. Naomi had plenty of heartache with her grief in a foreign land.

The story continues in Ruth 1:4-7, “⁴ They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, ⁵ both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. ⁶When she heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. ⁷With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.”

Usually, Naomi’s sons would provide for her if something happened to her husband. Not this time. All of her men were dead. Naomi had no money, no food, no hope, and no men to provide for her. She had two daughters and no way to eat or earn a living. What would she do?

She didn’t have any easy choices to make. Naomi’s first instinct was to head back home to Judah where God was blessing the land with rain and food again. She also was torn about taking her daughters out of their home country into a foreign land.

Naomi was making some hard decisions in Ruth 1:8-14: “⁸Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back, each of you, to your mother's home. May the Lord show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me. ⁹May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband." Then she kissed them and they wept aloud ¹⁰ and said to her, "We will go back with you to your people." ¹¹ But Naomi said, "Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands?”

^“12Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons- ¹³ would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD's hand has gone out against me!" ¹⁴ At this they wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but Ruth clung to her.”

Naomi gave her daughters a chance to start their lives over again by finding new husbands and forgetting about Naomi. Naomi told her daughters to leave her and save themselves. Naomi told them that it is better for them to have a future. Naomi didn’t want all three of them to starve. Orpah agreed with Naomi’s logic and left to start a new life. Ruth heard Naomi’s logic, but came up with a different answer. Ruth had the idea that she should stay with her mother-in-law, Naomi.

In Ruth 1:15-18, Naomi said ¹⁵ "Look your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her." ¹⁶ But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. ¹⁷ Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." ¹⁸ When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.”

The speech that Ruth gave Naomi is used in many wedding ceremonies. The words are between a bride and groom. In the Bible, the words are from a daughter-in-law to her mother-in-law. Ruth’s speech has a lot of wonderful wisdom: 1) Ruth is asking Naomi to stop speaking that Ruth will leave her. Our spoken word is very powerful. 2) Ruth is promising to go where Naomi goes and stay where Naomi stays. 3) Ruth is also promising that Naomi’s family will be her family. 4) Ruth is pledging that Naomi’s God will be Ruth’s God.

Ruth makes the most important pledge at the end of her speech. Ruth promises to worship God. Our family is blessed when there is unity of faith. Naomi and Ruth both believed in God now and would put their trust in God. Worshipping God made all of the difference for Naomi and Ruth. Ruth did not know that life would be better if she was loyal to Naomi. Ruth loved her mother-in-law. Ruth traveled back to Naomi’s home. She gleaned in a field owned by a guy named Boaz. Ruth was given favor in Boaz’s eyes by God.

In Ruth 2:8-13, the scripture tells us what happened when Ruth had the faith to go with Naomi to a new land. It says “⁸So Boaz said to Ruth, "My daughter, listen to me. Don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here. Stay here with my servant girls.

⁹ Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the girls. I have told the men not to touch you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled." ¹⁰ At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She exclaimed, "Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?"

“¹¹ Boaz replied, "I've been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. ¹²May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." ¹³ "May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my Lord," she said. "You have given me comfort and have spoken kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls."

Ruth gave all of herself to her family. She is a role model for us to follow. Ruth and Boaz fell in love and were married, but that’s another story.

Our family needs us. Ruth was loyal to her family when the chips were down. It is easy to be good to your family when everything is going well. It is harder to be there for the family when life is tough.

The wonderful fact about this story is that Ruth and Naomi were considered family even though they came from different cultures, different countries, and even different gods. Ruth and Naomi’s countries had fought wars against each other. They could be considered bitter enemies. Instead of being bitter enemies, Ruth and Naomi were family.

We are all children of God. Our family needs to grow to include our church family. Our family needs to grow to include people from other countries and cultures. If we are created in the image of God, then we have a lot more brothers, sisters, and cousins than we ever imagined. In God’s eyes, we have a huge family.

I’m going to help officiate a wedding in two weeks in Roanoke. Gary Ellis is of one of my best friends. Gary has traveled on mission teams to Zambia and Ghana with me. He also went on a trip to work on Hurricane Katrina cleanup in Mississippi. A mission team is like a family when we go out to serve God. We also helped to repair houses damaged by Hurricane Katrina to make them into homes again. One couple took pictures of each mission team who came to rebuild their house. They considered each team to be part of their family. We’ve stayed in touch with that couple.

I’ve studied various wedding vows in preparation for the wedding ceremony. I thought about my wedding vows this week. I said something like “I, Walter, take you Susan, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; to be the mother of our children, from this day forward until death do us part.” Our vows also spoke that we wanted God to bless us with children.

I made my vow to Susan because I loved her when we married. My love has grown for Susan over the last twenty-one years. Susan and I spent Friday morning at Lewis Gale Hospital to get a test that she needed. Susan and I will be at the hospital again on Monday morning. Susan feels bad that I have to be at the hospital with her. I told her that I’m with her in the bad times as well as the good times. I’m with her in sickness and in health.

My vow wasn’t just words that I said. Marriage is not always easy. We have to work hard to keep a marriage strong. My vow was words that I said with love and with God’s help. We are putting our trust for Susan’s health in God’s hands.

I do the best I can to give all of my love to our family. I also try to give all of my love to our church family. Giving our best to our church family includes praying for the people on our prayer list. Giving our best to our church family includes being there to help and encourage each other. Actually, it is easier to think of our church family as just being our family. Our family needs encouragement and support when times are tough. Our family is there in times of grief as well. Our family comes together to celebrate joys and victories, too.

I was touched by Richard’s baptism last week. One of the ways that a family gives their all is to share their love of God with the rest of the family. Richard’s family celebrated his baptism by being by his side while he was baptized. The family was united in their joy and faith in God. I felt the power of the Holy Spirit anointing Richard as we prayed for him.

The family felt the power of the Holy Spirit because they were connected by their love of Richard and their love of God. It was hard to see where the family ended and the church family began. We were united as a “family.” Our family had overwhelming joy that Richard is growing in his faith. I felt the power of the Holy Spirit in a way that I had never felt it in the past. We saw the Bible come to life last week.

Mathew 3:11 promises to us that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. My hands felt fire when I laid my hands on Richard’s head. The whole church family felt the power of the Holy Spirit bless Richard during the baptism. We felt God’s presence in our church. Isn’t that great?

Our family is growing because we are sharing the love of Jesus Christ. Our family is growing because we are giving ourselves fully to each other. The book of Ruth teaches us that we need to include others in our family. Ruth gave her love and her time to Naomi when it didn’t really make sense to give herself completely to her mother-in-law.

God provided his grace and favor to Ruth because she was faithful to her mother-in-law. Ruth gave her whole heart and her whole future to Naomi.

She wasn’t partially committed to her family with one foot loving Naomi and one foot with a backup plan. Ruth was completely in love with Naomi. Ruth was completely committed to Naomi who was her family. Ruth and Naomi loved their enemy until the enemy became family.

Richard was completely committed to giving himself to God. Our family was completely committed in loving Richard and blessing his new life. Richard’s new life started the moment that he said “Yes, Jesus” during his baptism. Mark 12:29 explains how to love our family: ²⁹"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all of your mind and with all your strength.' ³¹The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these."

Go out today and love your enemy until your enemy becomes family. Go out today and give all of your love to your family. Go out today and be committed to your family in good times and bad. Go out today and share the love of Jesus Christ with your family whether it is the good times or the bad. God will be there for us at all times. Go out and be there for your family today and every day. Amen!

Going to Serve

We are going to find a way to serve God. One of the spiritual gifts is the ability to serve God. We must serve God and our fellow man without any pretense. Jesus set the example for us to follow. We must get our lives aligned with God so we can serve him better.

A mother of two disciples named James and John wanted her two sons to be the best disciples. It was not enough for their mother to have two sons serving god as disciples. She wanted her two sons to have the highest position of honor.

Let’s read Matthew 20:20-21 “²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. ²¹"What is it you want?" Jesus asked. She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom."

The mother of James and John wanted them to have the position of honor when they went to heaven. We can’t get to the front of the line by demanding that we are the best. We can’t get to the front of the line by intimidating the others who are serving God. God will judge how we served him and the place of honor in heaven that we deserve.

Jesus Christ did not come to this world to rule an earthly kingdom. Why do we try to rule an earthly kingdom in our church or in our family? Jesus is explaining that if we want to be first in line for honor, then we must be the best servant that we can be. In fact, Jesus Christ served in the ultimate way by giving his life for our lives today and our eternal lives tomorrow. If we want to be first we must be last in line. If we want to be great, we must serve everyone that we meet with a humble heart. People wanted to follow Jesus not because he ordered them to follow him, but because Jesus served them first. Jesus loved them first. Jesus poured out his life as a servant.

The story in Matthew continues in verse 29 by using an example of the way that Jesus Christ served others. Matthew 20:29-34 tells us: ²⁹As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. ³⁰Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" ³¹The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" ³²Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. ³³"Lord," they answered, "we want our sight." ³⁴Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.”

A large crowd followed Jesus in this story, but nowhere does it tell us that Jesus yelled and screamed for the people to follow him. Jesus did not tell the crowd how to walk or what to do. The crowd was drawn to Jesus because he loved them and he served them. In this example, the blind men called out to Jesus to help them see again. Jesus had compassion and touched them.

Jesus was the ultimate leader because he was the perfect servant. Jesus did not ask the blind men to follow him or serve him. Jesus went to the blind men. Jesus showed compassion and love. Jesus touched their heart when he healed their blindness. Afterwards, the two ex-blind men would have followed Jesus anywhere because he loved the two men first. They will follow and serve God because Jesus served and loved them first.

Satan will tempt us just like he did Jesus. Satan will tell us that we are no good. Satan will tell us that we must be first in the line for honors. Satan tried it even with Jesus in the desert in Matthew 4:7-10. “⁷Jesus answered Satan, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" ⁸Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." ¹⁰Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"

Jesus rebuked Satan. Jesus also remembered that we should only worship and serve God. We serve God better when we put the needs of others in front of our own. We can show compassion only when we care about the needs of others. Satan offered Jesus the ability to rule all of the earthly kingdoms. Satan tells us that we must rule to be first. It is a lie.

Jesus was able to make a difference during his lifetime because he did not try to be first or the best or the dictator. Jesus served in every way possible. Jesus used all of his gifts to serve, to teach, and to heal in the stories today. Why do we have the need to be in control to feel that we are the best? Jesus humbly served those in need without getting a plaque or having total control. We do not need to have total control. In fact, we must let go and let God be in charge.

1 Peter 4:10 (NIV ) explains that “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.” That is powerful. We can administer God’s grace by using our gift to serve others. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Grace is getting the love of Jesus yesterday, today, and forever. Isn’t it wonderful that we can show God to others by serving them.

Ephesians 5:1-2, 4,8-10 says “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. … Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.

We need to imitate God as we serve. How do we learn how to serve God? We must pray to God to let our words, our hands, and our feet become God’s words, God’s hands, and God’s feet. We must pray for God to fill us with the Holy Spirit. We must pray to let God use us according to his will.

The next thing is to get into alignment so we can serve God. We are made up of three parts: our spirit, our soul, and our body. The soul is made up of our mind and our emotions. The spirit is the part of us that connects directly to the Holy Spirit. Usually, our body is in charge of our life and we’ve lost track of our spirit. If our body dominates our mind and spirit we are in big trouble.

We need to pray that our spirit is in charge of our soul. We need to pray that our soul is in charge of our body. Our spirit needs to dominate our soul so that we can hear God’s voice talking to us. The soul is led by our mind which can have a lot of doubt and fear. Our body has a lot urges that can just short circuit our spirit if the body is in charge. It would be good if you prayed everyday that our spirit is in charge of our soul and in turn our soul is in charge of our body. We were designed to be spirit first, soul second, and body third. We are able to hear God’s voice and will in our life if our spirit is able to connect directly to the Holy Spirit.

We have a right way and a wrong way to serve God. We are serving God the wrong way if:

· we have foolish talk and gossip.

· we spend our time comparing the way we serve God to the way that others serve God. Serving God is not a competition.

· We serve God with anger, hate and resentment.

· We look for a way to get ahead by serving God.

· We judge others for the way they serve God.

· We are causing confusion, discord, and anger with the team who are serving with us. We are all part of the body of Christ.

Serving God is a way to give back to God part of what he has given to us. We are serving God the right way if:

· We imitate God as we serve.

· We share the love of Jesus Christ as we serve.

· We use all of our spiritual gifts to serve God.

· We give people faith and hope as we serve.

· We encourage others to grow in their faith by serving them with our whole heart.

· We empty ourselves completely so that the power of the Holy Spirit can fill us and in turn use us.

· The people that we serve do not even see us, they see Jesus Christ.

· We teach people about Jesus Christ by living God’s Words in the Bible.

· We attract people to God because by serving them they develop a stronger relationship with God.

· We should look up to God for direction and not down on the people we are serving.

If someone sees us while we are serving God, then we are not doing it right. We should be invisible. If people hear us instead of God, then we are getting in the way of God. The power and love of Jesus Christ should be the only thing seen and heard. We are not the story. We are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. We are supposed to go where God calls us to serve. We are supposed to encourage, lift up, and love those that need the love of Jesus Christ.

The people that Jesus Christ served tell about his love and compassion. They don’t talk about the person as much as they talk about what Jesus did to share that love with so many people.

Let’s pull out more from the scriptures found in Ephesians 6:6-8 (NIV). It says “⁶Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. ⁷Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, ⁸because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.”

This scripture asks us to do the will of God from our heart even when people are not watching us. We are not serving God to get the most accolades. We are serving God out of gratitude that God gave us his only son, Jesus Christ. We are urged to serve God with our whole heart. This scripture also assures us that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does. The Lord will reward without having us compare the way we serve to the others in our church. We serve as part of the same body of Jesus Christ. We serve as part of the same team. We serve better when we are united in one accord.

Satan attacks us within our church. Satan’s goal is to prevent us from serving God and being in one accord. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He wants to steal your joy, kill your faith, and destroy your walk with God. I will preach on spiritual warfare on another sermon.

Right now, don’t listen to that doubt that is in your head. Don’t listen to the gossip that you are lazy, no good, and can’t serve God. It is not true. I will speak with faith that you are mighty men and women of God. You will serve people in a powerful and loving way. They will see the power of the Holy Spirit enabling you to do the impossible. You will get into alignment where your spirit dominates both your soul and your body. You will begin to hear to voice of God calling you to serve him.

The people that you serve will see God at work. We will be united in faith, hope, and love. God will reward you for being a loyal and faithful servant. As we serve God and go where he sends us, we will see signs, miracles, and wonders. We will experience the love of Jesus Christ that is higher, deeper, wider, and longer than we can ever imagine. Jesus came not be served, but to serve. He gave his life for our lives. We can be inspired by the way that Jesus Christ served to serve others.

I’ll let Jesus have the last word in John 12:25-27 from the Message. Jesus says “^24-25"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal. ²⁶"If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you'll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment's notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me.”