Obedience

You have ONE Missed Call…Call Back?

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PART I: 

I have entitled the message today ‘You have One Missed Call…Call Back?’…  Some months back at the start of our Awana, which if you are not familiar with it, its a Bible Club that has one goal in mind, is to reach children with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and train them to serve Him (Weekly throughout entire school year.)  This is the first year I became involved in this as a TNT Leader along with my wife (who did Awana for years).   We attended our training classes and I was already nervous of the call not knowing what to expect, can I do this, what do I do, teaching kids, what?    I teach my own children, but somehow I was intimidated to do this new thing!  Well, on our last day of training they also said by the way, we need leaders to step up and sign up for a week of teaching (15 minute at the end giving a bible lesson).  So, if I didn’t already have anxiety, now I signed up for the 4th week in to stand up in front of and teach 80 kids.

You see, I am one shy individual, always have been, the INTROVERT!  But when I joined FamilyLife Ministries, I learned one important thing, like with Moses when God asked him to go to Pharaoh and tell him to ‘Let my people Go’, Moses was like WHO ME?  I Stutter, get nervous, etc….  But the key ingredient was GOD, He gave Moses the power, the words, the boldness to GO, and the rest was history….  Key ingredient, the secret weapon…GOD GOES BEFORE US, and all we need to do is PRAY for that Boldness, that Power, those Words, trust the Holy Spirit going before us….and then GO, by faith!    We just follow in His wake, and answer the call!

Now, as Weekend to Remember Directors, with God’s boldness going before us, our team coaches over the phone well over 150 – 200 people per season, and minister to over 1500 people at our events, talking, greeting, praying with them, counseling, one-on-one discipleship at times, meeting their needs, etc.  God prepares us, we just GO and be obedient to the call, and then watch God do the work among us!  We stand in awe and watch God at work!  I guess you would call that a reckless abandon type calling, abandoning all preconceptions of my abilities, and trust in God to meet our steps, like Abraham, God says GO, THEN I will tell you when you get there what to do!

So back to the story, so I had done the first 3 weeks of Awana as a TNT Leader, I have 4 boys (Gabriel, Max, Isaac, Charlie)..  I loved teaching these kids and just hearing all the questions, and seeing their eyes light up when they get it.  Well, during that time I had been praying over those weeks still having some anxiety of standing up in front of 80 kids and coming up with an engaging lesson, and just continuing to give it to God.  The last Sunday before Awana (Wed), I was sitting in church and listening to our youth ministry pastor talk to the adults, and I began to get a picture from God, and began to get boldness from God, all through our youth Pastor telling a story about talking to our kids and engaging them with the Gospel at home.  How the church can teach our kids, but we have them for but a fraction of the time, its up to the parents to step up and step out during the week! (Another message for another day)

While sitting there in church I asked God what He had planned for this Wednesday’s lesson for the kids, and God’s response was that I already gave you the pieces these past three weeks, you just have to put them together!  I though, what do you mean you gave them to me already….I thought about it, and began to silently smirk in awe, God already had been answering my prayer each and every week of Awana leading up to today!

God spoke to my heart and said, I used Gabriel and gave him the question: “If Adam and Eve Sinned in the garden, causing sin to enter into the world for every person since then…..Why didn’t God just fix it?”     – It was a question God gave me such an amazing answer for, but our class time was up….I had to tell him we would talk more about it…

God then said another week, I reminded Charlie For the Wages of Sin is DEATH, BUT, the Gift of God is Eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (His verse I worked with him on)…

God then said, I gave Max this question:  If God created the whole World in 6 days, rested on the 7th, WHY did it take over 1500 years to write the bible?  – And again, God revealed the answer in my heart, but again no time left for that day to answer it adequately.  I said, we will talk more about this….

So, you see GOD wrote a three part message, answering my prayer all along, equipping me with what I needed for the upcoming Bible Lesson.  God also answered the prayer of my own frustration that these were GREAT questions, but WHEN was I going to be able to share them….  Well, God not only gave me the opportunity to share this with my 4 kids, but said…”Here is another 76 I want you to share this story with as well…”    – I mean I was floored thinking, God is building such an amazing story here using me to share HIS story from my heart, and now my frustrations of how and when I would share the answer to these kids questions, is coming to pass…the following Wednesday!  Time to hunker down, pray through this message to build it according to what God wants…for Wednesday!

We have set the stage, and now, we move into the final chapter, God’s reveal…”You have One Missed Call…Call Back?”

PART II: 

We have covered the importance of recognizing and answering God’s call, through stepping out in Faith and trusting God to meet your steps.  Next we cover EQUIPPING…  God will equip you with what you need (boldness, knowledge of a subject, scripture verses, etc ) by the power of the Holy Spirit, WHEN you need it.  God however wants you to step out not in your OWN confidence, but rather step out in ‘Faith’ confident that HE through the Spirit will guide you and equip you, even in fear and trembling….God says Go, we say OKAY!

 So we resume our story, we now travel forward to the night of Awana and close with answering the three kids questions…as presented to them, bringing us closer to the heart of today’s message…

Q1:“If Adam and Eve Sinned in the garden, causing sin to enter into the world for every person since then…..Why didn’t God just fix it?”

A1:  Great question!  God could have just corrected or erased what happened and restored everything to perfection right?   But as we know that God is a ‘Just’ God, like a great Judge who must serve the sentence for what was done.  God cannot simply turn a blind eye to sin. We know the wages of sin is ‘death’  so a penalty must be paid for that sin.  

Second, God gave us freedom to choose from right and wrong since the beginning, right?  Two trees, knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life.  God gave specific instruction to never eat from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, yet as we know Adam and Eve sinned by eating of the tree, thus plunging mankind into sin, again requiring a penalty for our sin to be paid.

We also know that in the bible are a few key words of hope, I call them the BUTS of the Bible.  Words like (but, therefore, so).  This says there is more to the story, hope for you and I!  Much of these words found throughout the entire book of Romans. 

Q2: The Wages of Sin is death right?

So the wages of sin is death, BUT the GIFT of God is through Christ Jesus our Lord!  Jesus death, burial and resurrection, paid the price for our sins!  So, we learned that we have sinned, fallen, penalty must be paid, and Jesus paid that price for you and I so we may be saved!

WHY: God wants a relationship with you and I, and only by the blood of Jesus is that even possible because of sin…

Q3:“If God created the whole World in 6 days, rested on the 7th, WHY did it take over 1500 years to write the bible?”

A3: This is a great question as well!  This is important and will change your life forever so pay close attention…  We learned in question 1 and even 2 that God wants a relationship with us, one by choice where we make a conscious choice of the heart to CHOOSE to Love God, not because we are required, or its what we are taught, but to realize that God LOVED ME FIRST when He gave his life on the cross for me, and my response is gratefulness, and giving my love back to Him through trusting him by Faith and obeying what He commands in the Bible.  

WHY 1500 years: God wants a relationship with you and I, and only by the blood of Jesus is that even possible because of sin…  And just like when you buy a bicycle for your kids, the fun isn’t building it ahead of time and giving it to them built, but rather building the bicycle WITH our kids, which they learn much during that process building it with Daddy or Mommy or Grandpa, spending quality time together…  THAT is what God wants, us to spend time with Him daily learning, praying, meditating on the scriptures, laughing or crying over a moment shared through the Holy Spirit.  Or even smiling over a beautiful sunset together…  

Bottom line, God took over 1500 years to write the bible through the prophets using their life, experiences that he brought them through, even their failures are recorded and used in scripture, everything!  Of course things were also foretold of the future, but still God used the authors to bring it to light….  He brought Peter to bring the modern Church to life with boldness through the Holy Spirit.  Yes, the guy who denied Jesus 3 times, God said “You Peter are my Rock, whom I will build my church!”  Really?  Peter, felt more like a reed than a rock during that time…  But as we learned in the beginning, when the Holy Spirit takes control, ALL things are possible!  

So as I told the kids that  Awana night, God used authors over 1500 years to write the bible, but God’s not done….  YOU and I are part of HIS story book, God is the ALPHA and OMEGA, beginning and the end! 

What does that mean for me? In closing, you need to start using key tools (prayer, meditating on God’s Word, and looking where GOD is at work around you), and ask the Holy Spirit what He wants you to do, ask Him to empower you, fill you, and use you!  But look out, if you pray that in faith, don’t take it lightly because God WILL answer you and do a mighty work in your life!  If may not always be comfortable, in fact likely OUT of your comfort zone, but as Abraham did, just walk out in faith and say OKAY, let’s GO! 

You WILL play an integral part in this life to affect change, bring folks closer to Christ, disciple others showing them how to do this very same thing here, and evangelize the world letting them know God LOVES you, and wants to be in a RELATIONSHIP with you, and USE you each and every day!  You my friend, have a GREAT purpose God has planned for you, if you let Him use you… (Our CHOICE right?)

 What are the take-home action steps? 

  • Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior
    • Acknowledge you are a sinner and sin must be paid for.
    • Believe Jesus died for your sins, rose again conquering sin.
    •  Confess your sins to Him, and trust Him to be Lord of your life.
    • You now have the promised Holy Spirit of God indwelt within.
  • Your relationship with God the Father is now completely restored!
    • Walk daily with God, talk with Jesus, with Abba God the Father.
    • Your sins are paid for, but we still WILL fall down in life.
      • Thank the God the Father for what Jesus did on the cross. 
      • Ask the Holy Spirit daily to fill you and empower you. (KEY)
    • Now, ask God to reveal what his plan each day for you is…
      • JOIN HIM in His work…
      • Always remember God empowers us, all Glory to HIM!
        • Always give credit where credit is due, HIM not YOU! 
        • Humbly do what you are called by God to do.
        • We in of ourselves can do nothing without God.
        • We aren’t amazing, GOD gets all the Glory, He is God!
        • Daily thank Him for using you today!
        • Thank him for the gifts he imparts on you…
        • Look forward to tomorrow! 

 In the end will our legacy be built on the temporal, or will it be about one name, the only name to remember….Jesus!  WILL you answer the call?