Sunday, December 13, 2009

 

Corrie McClarey -- announcements
John 8:31-32   hold to the teachings of God
Trammels and James transitioning out of teens to married

 

Tonya -- communion
Lam 3:22-25  god is faithful
Rom 5:3-4   rejoicing in our sufferings
the holidays - reflections of the year
feeling of immense gratitude; peace from the cross

 

Jeff -- from Atlanta church -- Festival of Faith
Acts 2010  The next chapter -- Acts 4:13 
Honors the Holy Spirit
seeing the book of Acts come alive
at the Classic Center in Athens
registration and hotel information on-line
www. athensfestivaloffaith.org
tell the hotel festival of faith when you register, register by 1-22-10

 

Ron Drabot
Giving in every area of your life
Discussed last week with the North - being a successful Christian

 

1)  Would you consider yourself to be a successful Christian?
we think of success as worldly.  Has it been a spiritually successful life?
2)  How would you define spiritual success?
How does God define it?   (audience participation from last week)
-- fruit - making changes, having impact
-- perseverance
-- in the light
-- act justly (Micah)
-- being persecuted because not conformed to the world
-- please God by having faith

 

Right now -- do you consider yourself spiritually successful?

 

it requires risk
Boy cut from his high school basketball team, went home and cried -- Michael Jordan
Man fired from the newspaper - no imagination, no new ideas -- Walt Disney did ok for himself later in life
College man told to drop out - not cutting it,  Thomas Edison
Abraham Lincoln -- failed over and over in life and in elections before he became president

 

Challenge for Financial giving:   Need to take a risk
In life, anyone who has not failed, has not lived
no spiritual success unless you are willing to take a risk

 

1)  your conviction of missing out must become greater then your fear of messing up
Matt 25:14-30  parable of the talents
5, 2,1 talents given
vs. 19+ master came back
to be happy, use what God has given you, step out and take a risk
vs. 24  we blame others when we fail
someone's else's fault
he didn't lose anything, he didn't spend it on the world or gamble it, he just kept it and gave it back
"you wicked, lazy servant"  called that because he was unwilling to take a risk

 

Hell begins the day that God grants you the vision to see all that you could have done, should have done, and would have done, but did not do.
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German author, scientist and statesman

 

Two Cornell Psychologists, published in 1994, studied the effect of regret in the short run and long term.    When focused on the past week, subjects were rather evenly split between those who most regretted their actions (53%) and those who most regretted their failures to act. Looking back over their lives to that point, however, a substantial majority of the subjects (84%) reported greater regret for what they failed to do.

 

2)   Sinking is better than sitting to be successful.
Matt 14:25   Jesus walks on the water
his apostles were freaking out
Peter stepped out on faith
God let him walk on water

 

Risk is involved anytime we give
1 Cor 16:1-2  giving
2 Cor 8:7  

Ron and his house church leaders at the mall on Friday night - sharing their faith
contribution is something you plan for - not the leftovers
set aside, save it up
2 Cor 9:7   don't give it up reluctantly

Dt 28:5-8  I will bless you -- they interpret as financial only

Prov 11:25   be refreshed 

 

we will all be called to make sacrifices in life

 

We blew out missions contribution.   Thank you for that.  Continue to meet your personal vow. 

 

Youth leader in Chicago - called Ron -- considering being the youth leader in South Africa
a dangerous place to raise children and to live
4 teen disciples of 2000 disciples
they desperately need youth leadership
his daughters are 12 and 14 - they didn't want to go
They visited Africa, the church, - they knew they had to go and meet the needs in Africa
God will bless and refresh those who refresh others

 

It begins with a decision to commit yourself to risk it all for God

 

Frank Radcliff
the elders support the work the staff is doing and all the volunteers
Preparing 2010 budget - list of desires is a long list, there's a lot of great things we can't fund right now
1 - pray
2 - plan
about contribution

 

Janet Cancaliao baptized in Latino ministry
see announcement sheet