Living with Power

Ephesians 4:30 says, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

The Christmas season is upon us, and what a beautiful reminder of how dependent we are on God. He gave us the only person who could save us from the penalty of our sins – Himself! Immanuel, God with us! Yet, in our society today it is SO easy to get distracted by all the festivities, lights, gifts and fun that we miss out on the reality that God through Jesus came to live, just as we live. He lived a perfect life, died an unjust death and paid a penalty He did not owe. All for us! Yet, that is not where it ended. Jesus then ascended into heaven after emphasizing to His disciples that He must leave so that the Comforter would come. God through the person of the Holy Spirit would come and multiply Jesus’ power exponentially by residing in God’s adopted children, you and I! The purpose of this was so that we could live as a people known for the power of God. But the question begs, do we, do you, live this way?

Now don’t get me wrong, we can’t will into existence the type of life God desires. We can’t “try” hard enough, check off our boxes, and it simply happens. No, it is the Spirit alone who transforms us and it is His power alone that flows through us. BUT walking in the Spirit requires action on our part. Our responsibility is to position ourselves under the flow of God’s transforming grace. How do we do that? We must increasingly stay connected to God through desperately pursuing Him in prayer, knowing His Word and taking risks by being others’ focused. This is our work, but when we take this action, God’s transforming grace flows to us and allows us to take part in things that are greater than we could ask or imagine! (Eph. 3:14-21).

A couple months ago, Pastor Jesse preached about how we can live our lives expecting great things from God (His part) while we attempt great things FOR God (our part). But to do so we can’t quench or grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:30; 1 Thess. 5:19). This means that we can extinguish the flame of the Spirit in our lives by following the patterns of this sinful world OR by not being aware and thereby missing the Spirit’s directive in our lives. This occurs by being so wrapped up in us, our busyness and schedules, that we miss Him prompting and nudging us beyond our comfort zones, our conveniences, and our laziness. Rather we are to risk!

As Francis Chan states in his book, Forgotten God, “If GOD truly lives in you, shouldn’t you expect to be different from everyone else in the world…But it is safer to avoid situations where we need God to come through for us than to risk greatly for Him…Are you living by your own strength, wits, abilities? Or are you needing God dependently in your life to come through? If you haven’t experienced God in ways you can’t deny, then I would suggest that you are not living in a needy and dependent way.”

Innately we know that this reality doesn’t sit well with us. We know that God calls us to far more than a surface-level, safe faith.

So this Christmas season, be stretched and risk beyond what you think you can do and watch the power of the Holy Spirit sustain and empower you to do the work of advancing God’s Kingdom! Risk by first connecting yourself to God, then listen to the Holy Spirit ask you to do things beyond your comfort zones. Maybe to share Jesus with someone you don’t know, to pray for someone who needs it, to move beyond a surface congeniality with your neighbors and invite them to dinner, or to commit yourself to the family of God by getting connected in a Growth Group. You will see as you move toward this upward trajectory of dependence upon the Spirit, the power displayed in you will stand out. Your life will truly reflect the power Jesus told us we could have (Acts 1:8) as we live knowing that this world is not our home, we are only pilgrims and aliens here (1 Peter 2:11-12). And this powerful life is the life of a disciple of Jesus!

posted by:

Matt Newton

Growth Groups Pastor

Thankful No Matter What

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ.”

Fanny Jane Crosby was born in 1820. Shortly after she was born, the family doctor made a tragic mistake. Instead of irrigating her infant eyes with prescribed drops, he inadvertently used a toxic substance. The result? Fanny was blind for life. Amazingly, she lived without resentment or bitterness. This gifted poet, who wrote several thousand poems that were later turned into hymns. Fanny was known , ironically, for her cheery outlook and her customary greeting: “God Bless you dear soul.” Her remarkable poems and songs are a chronicle of gratitude for God’s blessings she experienced in her 95 years on earth.

Although Christians still sing several of her well known songs-over a century after her death, one song in particular has wide appeal. The first stanza begins with these words: “To God be the glory, great things He has done.” Isn’t that something? Obviously she had reached the spiritual destination the apostle Paul held out as a worthy goal for all believers (including us). In spite of unpredictable circumstances, the apostle calls us to express our gratitude. He simply points out, “It is God’s will for you who belong to Christ.”

Respond to God with thanksgiving every hour on the hour-no matter what has gone on in the previous hour or what you think will go on in the next. Train yourself to be thankful for Jesus and what a difference that has made in your life. make an effort to model today what Paul encouraged believers to do centuries ago, "always be thankful."

Resist the temptation to close your eyes to God's goodness because of any hurt feelings you are nursing. On a sheet of paper, list the blessings of your life that you tend to overlook. Start with sight. Include the ability to breathe or walk. How about having enough to eat? You've got the idea. Now keep adding to the list.

posted by:
Dan Wade
Pastor of Congregational Care

Being a Contagious Christian

Wow! It’s November already and with the leaves falling and cooler weather coming, we’ll be hearing a lot about the onslaught of flu season. You add to that the global awareness of the swine flu and you get a great deal of concern about children and adults that are contagious. This is a real threat and we certainly need to take precautions to battle these illnesses.

The Bible has much to say about us as followers of Jesus being contagious and infecting those around us with the love and “Good News” of Christ. Acts 1 says that we will be his witnesses in
Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. I Peter 3:15 says to always be prepared to give the reason for the hope that you have. Romans 10: 14 asks “how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?" Christ has given us the responsibility and blessing of having an affect on those around us and intentionally making a difference.

Read Matthew 5: 13-16.

This passage uses the two analogies of salt and light to illustrate how we as believers can have a positive influence on all those we come in contact with. Salt has a tremendous ability to make everything it touches more tasty & enjoyable; light is incredibly useful for finding your way, taking the right path and seeing clearly. Verse 16 says, “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” How do you see yourself? Are you infecting those around you with goodness, encouragement, hope, and, ultimately, with the truth of God in love?

Bill Hybels puts it this way:

Deep in every true Christian, there is an awareness that we are on this planet for purposes greater than having a career, paying the bills, loving our families, and fulfilling our role as upstanding citizens. Even going to church and worshiping God – important as they are – sometimes leave us feeling that something is missing. What is it that’s absent in the lives of so many believers who are crying out for fulfillment? What on earth is God asking us to do? God wants us to become contagious Christians – His agents, who will first catch His love and then urgently and infectiously offer it to all who are willing to consider it. This is His primary plan, the one Jesus modeled so powerfully, to spread God’s grace and truth person to person until there’s an epidemic of changed lives around the world.

The interesting and amazing thing is that there are powerful benefits to those who are willing to take on this privilege. First of all life takes on a whole new spirit of adventure. This is followed by a strong sense of purpose that brings about real and lasting fulfillment as we join God in His work. The natural by-product is spiritual growth and spiritual confidence, and when we realize how much of an honor it is being God’s agent, and the enduring investments we are making in His eternal Kingdom, hopefully, we can see that the benefits far outweigh any barriers we may face.

Inspired by my newly formed growth group and our desire to affect our neighborhood, my wife and I held a “neighborhood watch” BBQ this past weekend in our front yard. We invited families from about 50 homes in the area and – to our surprise – around 27 families showed up to hang out, eat burgers, get some info on our neighborhood watch, and simply enjoy meeting each other. I feel like a whole new world has been opened up to me.

This season, I encourage you to try being a little more contagious!

posted by:
Jeff Koons
Pastor of Family Ministry & Men's Ministry

When the Storms Hit

Wow, that was some storm that hit Sacramento last week! It was amazing how quickly the weather changed from beautiful fall weather to a powerful storm off the Pacific Ocean. I must admit, I’ve lived in this area for many years and don’t remember anything like it. The electricity went out at the church and we sent the staff home. Olson Drive down from the church was a mass of downed trees on the roadway. A crepe Myrtle tree that I planted in my backyard over 30 years ago snapped in half and huge limbs were down all over the yard. I even had a big branch fall on my neighbors brand new shed. Oh, well, sorry about that! It was a mess.

Kind of like real life! We are moving along minding our own business and everything is going well, then things suddenly fall apart. We know storms will come, but we’re just not ready when they hit. Jesus warned us in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Godly people do lose jobs and homes. They struggle in their marriages and with their kids or parents. Christians lose loved ones. Health problems come. We know there are storms in life, but we are so quickly caught off guard when they happen to us. Jesus clearly warned us that storms will come, but He gave us hope, He has overcome the world! He is still in charge. He has already won the victory. It may seem like everything is in chaos, but He is still sovereign, so children of God, take heart!

Later in the day, as I was sitting in the backyard under my patio cover watching the storm, I must admit I was nervous. What if one of those trees fell on the patio? I’m from Kansas and I know bad weather! Believe me, Kansans don’t sit outside and watch storms! They head for the basement. At the same time, I knew this was California and tornadoes aren’t supposed to happen here. So, like a fool, I calmly sat and watched the storm rage.

Kind of like being a child of God! We know that we are God’s kids and he takes care of us. We are never alone. God walks with us through the storms. That’s what Jesus promised in Matthew 28:19, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." No matter how bad the storms are, He is always right there sitting with us, walking with us, holding us and protecting us. That is a promise from Jesus Himself!

Several friends from the church shared pictures of two rainbows they saw during the storm. What a reminder from God in the midst of the storm, “Don’t worry, I’m still here!” So children of God, when the storms hit, reach out and take His hand. You are not alone. Remember, God is good all the time! Amen??

posted by:
Ted Smith
Senior Pastor