Our Savior... Our Church... Our Future 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

As Savior, Jesus is the builder. Matthew 16:18, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it." Jesus didn't say,"You will build My church. He didn’t say, "You will build your church." Nor did He say, "I will build your church." He did say, "I will build My church." As Savior, Jesus is the builder! As the Church, we are the body! Ephesians 1:22-23, "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." Colossians 1:18, "And He is the head of the body, the church..." And as Head: He calls the shots! He gives direction! He provides the strategy for growth and health! As Savior, He is the builder of the church! As the Church, we are the body of Christ! As for our Future, it is bright and certain! Jesus said, " I will build My church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it." Our Savior... Our Church... Our Future!

Let’s think about Our Savior... Our Church... Our Future.... we talked about...(1) God's Perspectives of His Church. And those two perspectives were...
-the church gathers for a reason. Every time we gather, we gather for Worship, Bible Study, Fellowship, Discipleship and Encouragement.(evangelism). But for the church to be the church, we've got to take it one step further. The church not only gathers for a reason, the church scatters for a reason. After gathering, we scatter just like the first century church did in Acts 8:1,".. and they all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria..." Everywhere they went, there went the church! As they scattered, they took with them the message and hope of Jesus! As they scattered, they shared the good news of Jesus with those they came into contact with. And for us to become a first century church in this twenty-first century world, we must not only gather for worship, we must scatter for witness! Now don't get the idea that everyone they witnessed to was open to the gospel. Not everyone is receptive.

Everywhere to everybody we meet, church is people that love Jesus and share Jesus and worship Jesus.So, there is (1) God's Perspectives of the Church. (2) God's Priorities for His Church. God blesses churches with blessings that practice and prioritize His priorities! His priorities must be our priorities in order to experience His blessings and
best!

And those three priorities are: Exalting the Savior, Equipping the Saints, and Evangelizing the Sinner. The purpose of our church should either be to Exalt the Savior or to Equip the Saints or to Evangelize the Sinner.
For example...
Our morning worship time is 3 fold:
(1) Exalt the Savior
(2) Equip the Saints
(3) Evangelize unbelievers.

Now in our time remaining, look with me to 1 Corinthians 12. Here, Paul compares the body of Christ to the human body and in doing so, explains how the church gives Jesus the preeminence.
1 Corinthians 12.12-14, "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many." You ought to underline these phrases: one body, one body, one Spirit, one body, one member. What is Paul talking about? He's talking about Unity in Christ. You put it down: there is great power in unity! Now unity doesn't mean everybody thinks the same. But it does mean that everybody works together to accomplish a task just like our bodies do! Now too often we have the attitude that says: "Believe as I believe, no more no less, that I am right and no one else, confess. Feel as I feel, Think as I think, Eat as I eat and Drink as I drink; Look as I look, do as I do, then I'll have fellowship with you." Now there is a difference between unity and being together. We can be together here and not have unity. You can take two cats and tie their tails together and throw them over a telephone line. Now those cats are together... but they are not unified!

When the unity of the church disintegrates, the power of God becomes depleted! We only have a certain amount of time, energy and ability. And when our unity breaks down, we no longer focus on the mission of Jesus and everything breaks down. No wonder we read in Psalm 133:1, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." And don't think for a second that unity just happens. You have to work at it. You have to put your mind to it! Paul says in Ephesians 4:3, "endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling." The word "endeavoring" means "to exert one's self, to give diligence, to be zealous. Let me ask you a question, are you exerting yourself to keep the unity? Are you giving diligence toward the unity of our fellowship? Are you being zealous to keep the unity of the Spirit?

10 Little Christians standing in line
1 disliked the preacher, then there were 9.
9 little Christians stayed up very late
1 overslept on Sunday, then there were 8.
8 little Christians on their way to heaven
1 took the low road and then there were 7.
7 little Christians chirping like chicks
1 disliked the music, then there were 6.
6 little Christians seemed very much alive
but 1 lost his interest then there were 5.
5 little Christians pulling for Heaven's shore
but 1 stopped to rest, then there were 4.
4 little Christians each busy as a bee
1 got his feelings hurt, then there were 3.
3 little Christians knew not what to do
1 joined the sporty crowd, then there were 2.
2 little Christians, our rhyme is nearly, done
differed with each other, then there was 1.
1 little Christian can't do much tis true,
brought his friend to Bible study, then there were 2.
2 earnest Christians, each won one more
that doubled the number, then there were 4.
4 sincere Christians worked early and late
each won another then there were 8.
8 splendid Christians if they doubled as before, in just so many Sundays, we'd have 1024.

In this little jingle, there is a lesson true, You belong either to the building or the wrecking crew! One body, one spirit! Through our unity, we exalt the savior! We can accomplish the impossible as we stay in one accord! So, one way we exalt the savior is through the unity of the being together at least once a WEEK. When people see and hear that we are unified here, that tells them that there really is something to Jesus! Ephesians 4:1-3, "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
Endeavoring, exerting yourself, giving diligence to keep the unity!

In the high priestly prayer of Jesus that is recorded in John 17, we read in verse 21, Our Savior, He is the builder of the church! Our Church, We are the body of Christ! As we live out the life of christ Our Future is bright and certain!

Join us Sunday morning at 10am as we Worship God together 

53 South Dean Rd. Orlando, FL 32825

You can find us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/FriendsCommunityChurchOrlando/videos/843884466724923

The link to this past Sundays sermon is below

https://www.facebook.com/FriendsCommunityChurchOrlando/videos/274792161829083

The Life Choice Acts 3:13-23

Last week took a quick glimpse into the life of the church; not long after Christ’s death and resurrection. When Peter and John had gone to the Temple at the time of the afternoon prayer meeting, and things got a little crazy. Remember the crippled man that was placed near the pool near the entry called The Beautiful Gate. He was begging for money as he had done for many years. But that day was different from all his other days. And as far as we know, no one had given him a penny that day. But this was going to be his best day ever. On that day, God touched his life and the man who had been born crippled, could walk.

The area they were in was called Solomon’s Colonnade. Now it would hold a pretty good group of people. The people had heard all the screaming and shouting. And they were looking for the guys that had performed this miracle expecting to have a miracle of their own.

12  When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?  13  The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus. You handed Him over to be killed, and you disowned Him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.  14  You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.  15  You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.  16  By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through Him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.

I wonder if John was saying something to Peter like “easy bro…chill just a bit. They don’t know Jesus like we do.” But Peter didn’t chill. 17  “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.  18  But this is how God fulfilled what He had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer.   19  Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,  20  and that He may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.  21  Heaven must receive Him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as He promised long ago through His holy prophets.  22  For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything He tells you.  23  Anyone who does not listen to Him will be completely cut off from their people.

Have you ever been with friends and they were being a little more spiritual than you wanted them to be around other people you probably didn’t know? Just a little too quick to share their faith, or opinion? Or have you ever been out with friends and they were embarrassed about the way you spoke about Jesus in your life? I’d be willing to bet there are more of the first than the second kind of followers. Perhaps this is why we don’t see God move as powerfully as He would like to in our lives. We know what we should do, but too often we don’t do it. We have been taught in our society that religious conversation and activity are taboo. We can talk about education, political problems, all kinds of diseases. We can talk about homosexuality, bisexuals, open marriages, transgenders, beastiology….But don’t say anything about God.” And TOO OFTEN WE DON’T.

In our society, You cannot talk about what is morally right and wrong in the workplace or in our schools.. We gave up on those ideas years ago. We all have our own ideas about God, and we should allow everyone their own understanding. I’m sure God will cheer on our open mindedness. There is a fallacy in our thinking.

(1) Thoughtlessness is not spiritual. If you haven’t considered what you are saying and how you are going to say it, just hold that conversation till you have thought about it a little more.

(2) If you can’t back it up scripturally, don’t say it.

(3) If you aren’t sharing for the other person’s benefit, don’t say it.

(4) If you have thought about it, if it is scriptural, and if it is a benefit to the listener…don’t miss the opportunity to share God’s word.

A warning to new believers. Don’t get goaded into a conversation in which you neither have experience and/or biblical training. These are usually useless conversations that exist only to make you look bad. But you are the experts as to your own lives. You only know what you know. I only know what I know. But God’s promise was delivered to us by Jesus…But when the Holy Spirit has come He will guide you into all truth. JOHN 16:13 One of those truths is in verse Acts 4:12…Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Did you read that? Take out your pen and write down all of the people and places you can be, or speak to, that can bring wholeness to your life. If you have written anything but Jesus Christ, you made a mistake. You failed the test Though I know we covered the subject. In fact, the only way you could have failed the test is by choice. You don’t like the answer. You think God isn’t a loving God. No, you’re wrong. He proved His love by sending His Son who died a horrible death so that we could have life through His sacrifice. It was His plan. His love. His life… that gives you the opportunity to have life; if you will humble yourself and accept His love and forgiveness for you.

NO, you don’t want that kind of God? You do get to make the call. It is your choice. Today I have set before you life and death… choose life! And the Spirit of God was with them and they began celebrating Him and what He was doing in their lives. The people were impressed, 5000 became followers of Jesus Christ. Peter and John were threatened and then freed and they went back to the other followers. Peter and John reported all that had happened. They started praying and it got louder and louder and louder. Now I know God isn’t hard of hearing, so what caused their loudness? The more they prayed the more the hearts soared toward God. It was an expression of joy and victory.Acts 4:31

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. You might think you’ve read that before. In Acts 1:8…But you will receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and Judea, and in Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8

19  Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,  20  and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.  Acts 3:19-20

Link to the sermon is below 

https://www.facebook.com/FriendsCommunityChurchOrlando/videos/3560788694203913

Join us Sunday morning at 10am as we Worship God together 

53 South Dean Rd. Orlando, FL 32825

You can find us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/FriendsCommunityChurchOrlando

Saved to serve not saved to sit! Acts 3:1-7

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.  3  When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.  5  So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6  Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”  7  Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.

This morning I would like us to go through the verses of this passage and look for ways that God might work in our walk as He worked in the disciples' walk. 

1. Find a prayer partner. Acts 3:1 1 NOW PETER and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour (three o’clock in the afternoon), Jesus had Peter, John and James. Paul had Silas. I believe God works most through two or more people, perhaps it keeps them humbled and Him glorified. This Cripple had friends too- everyday they took him to beg, but they’re help was limited…help him for the moment, but the next day he was just as needy as he had always been…for the people of that day it was the ninth hour or 3:00PM. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put everyday to beg from those going into the temple. Acts 3:4; 3:1 not about me, it is “us” – look at us. It has always been this.

2. Set a time and place to meet with God. Acts. 3:1 – ninth hour or 3 PM. Be at the meeting place you and God have set aside.

3. Be a person of faith. Acts 3:3 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter , he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us”. So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

Without faith we cannot please God. In Life's Journey – Why do we need faith ?

A. Challenges are inevitable. Those who avoid challenges will fail in life.

B. Challenges are unpredictable.

C. Challenges are temporary.

D. Challenges have a purpose.

How can I increase faith –“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17). Hearing – how – listening- by attending services, small groups,bible studies...Hearing – what – Word of God.

4. Look for those in need. They will be where you least expect. (at the gate of beautiful with an ugly problem.). You might find them in the mall or restaurant, wherever there is a group of people who are in need of you. Good Samaritan- Levi saw a problem and walked away, priests saw a problem and walked away but the Samaritan looked again – how can I help. There starts the ministry. … Your “calling” (God’s calling on your life) lies where there is a need… If God brings you somewhere and there is a need , it is your presence and your ministry will that can make an impact there.

5. Respond to the needy Acts 3:7 7 Then he took hold of the man’s right hand with a firm grip and raised him up. And at once his feet and ankle bones became strong and steady.

The crippled are all around us. They are looking for someone to extend a hand to help lift them to their feet. Sometimes it’s a smile or a kind word. Sometimes you have to get more involved and reach out and help pick them up and sometimes the stink of sin might get on your clothes.

Years ago I was part of a team that went to the apartments where the poor and disadvantaged live. Every Saturday we were there playing ball and other games with the children, and on Sunday we would go back to hold a Sunday school class for the kids. When Sunday school was over, we went back to our church to be there for service. It was amazing that when the team sat down you could easily tell who we were. Our friends sat away from us because we had the smell of the children on our clothes and they didn’t smell like us.

Sometimes you are not going to be successful until you are close enough to smell like them. It doesn’t mean you don’t take a shower when you get home. But it does mean you have to go and be that different smell where they live, so they will want what you have. And if you say Pastor, that is not for me… then I’m sorry. Because these are the people Jesus loves. And if you can’t love them, then you must not love Him.

Join us Sunday morning at 10am as we Worship God together 

53 South Dean Rd. Orlando, FL 32825

You can find us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/FriendsCommunityChurchOrlando/videos/843884466724923

The link to this past Sunday's sermon is below:

https://www.facebook.com/tony.juneau/videos/113613628465437

A Life Changing Faith

A lady was walking down the street on her way to work and she saw a parrot in a pet store. She went in to admire the bird, and suddenly the parrot spoke to her, “Hey lady. You’re ugly.” Well, the woman was deeply offended, and she stormed out of the store. But on her way home, she thought she’d been a bit rash, and so she stopped into the store again. But the same parrot saw her and said, “Hey lady, you are REALLY ugly.” She could hardly speak and rushed out of the store to go home. But the next day she stormed back into the store and the parrot once again said, “Hey lady, you are SO ugly.” She was so furious that she went to the owner and threatened to sue the store. The owner was apologetic… and he promised the bird wouldn’t say it again. A week later she went to the store again and the parrot spoke again: “Hey, lady!” She paused and glared at the bird: “Yes?” And the bird said… “You know.”

We’ve all heard the saying – “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” AND IT IS! Different cultures have different ways of seeing beauty. For example: In many western cultures (like the U.S.) TANNED SKIN is seen as a sign of great beauty. To achieve this… women and men will use tanning beds, tanning enhancers, fake tans, and bronzers. But, in many Asian countries - LIGHTER SKIN is more desirable. Pale skin is seen as a sign of beauty, youth and wealth. To achieve this, many women will apply sunscreen religiously, use skin lightening creams, and wear large sun hats, or special visors

THEN THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO TAKE BEAUTY ONE STEP FURTHER.

In Japan, women will go to orthodontists to have extensive work done on their teeth to make their teeth look more crooked and uneven. This is considered attractive… because it is supposed to make the women appear more approachable. In South Korea, the current rage is to undergo plastic surgery to make one’s face appear more heart shaped. The procedure involves breaking the jaw bone into 3 parts, removing the middle part, and fusing the other two together to create a pointed chin. Beauty is literally in the EYE of the beholder. But in the days of Jacob and Rachel and Leah, beauty was quite literally… in the eyes. We’re told that “Leah’s EYES were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance.” Genesis 29:17

None of the commentaries I read could explain what it meant that Leah’s eyes were “weak” but most agreed it WASN’T considered a trait of beauty by the people of that day. As one person noted, her eyes made Leah unnoticed, unwanted, and unloved… and unmarried. You see, Jacob didn’t want to marry Leah… and apparently no one else did either. One person said that - Leah was one of Laban’s big problems. If she didn’t get married HE would have to take care of her forever, and he didn’t want to do that.

It would cost him to keep her… and she was NOT an asset. She remained unwanted and unmarried by everyone. But then Jacob showed up and Laban decided to kill 2 birds with one stone – He could get richer (because of Jacob’s free labor) and, (if he worked it right) he could get rid of Leah in the bargain. It wasn’t right or fair to Jacob… and it was not right or fair to Leah. Imagine being unwanted and unloved. Even your father thinks you are a burden. And now Leah’s competing for the love of her husband… with her sister, and she’s NEVER going to win that competition. IT’S JUST NOT RIGHT! But then… then… God steps in. Genesis 29:31 tells us “When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb…” and she had four sons. REUBEN was her 1st: Reuben means “behold, a son”. And she thinks “Surely my husband will love me now” (Genesis 29:32) But he doesn’t! Soon after, she has a 2nd son – SIMEON meaning “One who hears” thinking “Because the Lord heard that I was not loved he gave me this one too.” (Genesis 29:33) As if two sons were not enough, she has a 3rd boy–LEVI which means “attached.” And she thinks now at least “my husband will become attached to me, because I have born him three sons.” (Genesis 29:34) And then she has her 4th son – JUDAH – which means “Praise”… and she simply says “I will praise the Lord.” (Genesis 39:35)

What I find interesting about these 4 boys… is that they represent the conflict inside of Leah. The 1st and 3rd sons (Reuben and Levi) reflected her burning desire for her husband, but the 2nd and the 4th sons (Simeon and Judah) she doesn’t mention her husband. These boy’s names talk about her faith in God. Simeon meant “ONE WHO HEARS” (God HEARD her), and Judah means “PRAISE” and she declared “I will praise the Lord. You see… Leah was a woman of faith. Even in her unhappiness and despair she had her EYES on God. AND GOD REWARDED HER. He didn’t just reward her with sons… He rewarded her with a heritage. Her boys became pivotal in God’s plan for Israel, especially the 3rd and 4th born of her sons. LEVI became the father of the tribe of Levi … that’s where Moses and Aaron came from. And the tribe of Levi became the priests who took care of theTabernacle/Temple. The priests of Levi were pivotal to Israel’s worship of God.

Then there was JUDAH – his tribe gave Israel – men like David, Solomon and Hezekiah, and lots of other great Kings of the nation of Israel. And of course – JUDAH was the tribe from which Jesus was born. I remember the 1st time I realized what God did for Leah with those boys, and I thought to myself - God used an unwanted and unlovely girl to give Israel its most important sons. Leah was given sons, and the tribes of those sons gave Israel its greatest leaders… and ultimately, OUR greatest SAVIOR… Jesus!

But let’s go back to how ugly Leah was. She was unnoticed, unwanted and unloved, AND UNMARRIED… until Jacob came along. And even HE didn’t really want her. How do you handle that kind of rejection? Well Leah did the right thing. She turned to God. She looked to God to HEAR her, and she looked to God to GIVE HIM PRAISE. And it was turning to God that changed her life.

Years ago, I listened to a counselor who told of being asked for help by a man whose son had just been admitted to a mental hospital. Upon visiting the hospital the counselor learned that the boy was expected to be there for several weeks just for observation to discover his problem, and it had cost the family several thousand dollars. When this counselor spoke with the young man he found that the boy was withdrawn and depressed. In their conversation, the counselor asked the young man a very strange question: “If you had the power to change anything about your appearance, would you do it?” And the boy replied “You bet I would. I’d change my face.” “Your face,” the counselor asked in surprise, “what’s wrong with your face?” “It’s ugly.” “It’s ugly? Who told you were ugly?” The boy replied that earlier that year, when he was at school a couple of younger boys came up to him and told him “you’re ugly.” And the young man believed it! Once he’d discovered that, the counselor led him through a teaching from Scripture on why he should accept what he couldn’t change about himself, and within a week, the boy was changed… and on his way home.

What did that counselor teach that young man? Well, 1st he taught that there’s A Balance of Truth: YOU and I are… damaged goods. Romans 3:23 “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” including you and me. BUT Psalm 139:14 explains that YOU are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” In fact, the Bible teaches that YOU are made in the image of God. 

2nd - God has FORMED us for His purposes: In Psalm 139:16 the Psalmist says “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were FORMED for me, when as yet there was none of them.” And in Isaiah 45:9 it says: “Does the clay say to him who FORMS it, ‘What are you making?’” Everything about you has been FORMED by God, and it’s been formed to give you a purpose and function. Your looks, your physique, your mannerisms - there is not a single thing about you that God cannot know about and use for good.

3rd God’s not finished with you yet. Ephesians 2:10 says “We are His workmanship… He’s still working on us. In Philippians 1:6 says (God) who BEGAN A GOOD WORK in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” God never quits working on you

4th - God has an inward ideal of who you should be like – and that ideal is Jesus. Thus, God forms you and shapes you until you begin to reflect Jesus in your life. Thus, what you and I are on the outside isn’t nearly as important to God as what we are inside.

5th - If necessary God will sacrifice outward beauty to develop inward character. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul prayed 3 times for God to remove a thorn of the flesh from him. But God replied: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore (Paul said) "I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

6th - There are certain things about you … that are unchangeable in your life. Your face, your body, your height, your sex - and He can use them to make you special and valuable. So then, the counselor then led the young man in a prayer of acceptance that changed his life:

1. God I want to thank you for my unchangeable traits;

2. I especially want to thank you for ... (the traits I’ve not been thankful for);

3. God put me back up on your easel and develop in me the inward qualities you desire. (Bill Gothard’s Basic Youth Conflicts Seminar – Gothard was the counselor I referenced in the story)

The point is this – when you give yourself to God - it isn’t your physical shortcomings or your disabilities that determines who you are. It’s how much God is allowed to control your life. I once watched a man named Richard Turner do “card tricks” in front of the magicians known as Penn and Teller. Turner would do things like cut and shuffle a deck of cards with one hand; Shuffle the deck 6 or 7 times… and then spread the cards out so that all the Spades/Diamonds/Clubs and Hearts were in order (Ace through King). And he was so quick and clever with the cards that Penn and Teller admitted that they (as professional magicians) were unable to determine how he did what he did. But what was more amazing about Richard Turner was… he was “weak of eyes”. He’d been blind since the age of 9. On the TV program RICHARD TURNER commented: “I don’t call myself blind… because I see things in ways other people can’t see. My thumbs and my fingers can feel things that other hands can’t. I now have 10 eyeballs (his fingers).” And then he said: “We all have obstacles. All of us! You know what I consider the worst disability of all? Procrastination and laziness. Give me blindness over that any day of the week.”

Oh, and did I mention that Mr. TURNER also has a blackbelt in Karate? He said he hadn’t missed a workout in 45 years. Richard Turner refused to let what he CAN’T do, get in the way of what he CAN. But has he done this without God? No. When he was a teenager he got into drugs and other bad decisions, and he says that what turned him around was a magician who became his mentor... and church. In one of the videos on YouTube he was asked: "Richard why do you think you’re here?"; He replied: "I don’t think I’m here by accident. I think I’m here by design. I think there’s a creator behind the scenes. Just like I don’t think the Statue of Liberty created itself, I think there was an engineer behind the creation of that symbol of freedom. And since I’m not here by accident then I’m here by design and it took me a lot of years to get to the point … but my purpose in life is to encourage others and inspire others while in the process blowing their minds." And that brings us back to Leah. Leah depended upon God to look upon her struggles and help change her life. She had obstacles no other woman like her could have overcome. But God gave her her children… and it was the children He gave her that brought honor to her name. God’s grace was sufficient in her life because His power was made perfect in her weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9

EVERYONE HAS OBSTACLES. We all have weaknesses. But if we turn those weaknesses over to God, He can change our lives from being victims to being victorious.

Join us Sunday morning at 10am as we Worship God together 

53 South Dean Rd. Orlando, FL 32825

You can find us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/FriendsCommunityChurchOrlando

The link to this past Sundays sermon is below

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When You Run Dry (1 Kings 17:7-24)

I want to talk to you today about trusting the Source of life with the stuff of life. Trusting God not only for the things we need in life, but also with the things we need in life. If you want to go ahead and grab a bible, we’re going to be in 1 Kings 17, starting in verse 7 today. We're in a series right now called When the River Runs Dry and it is based on the life of a prophet named Elijah.  Last week we saw God send Elijah to deliver a message to King Ahab. Ahab was a Jewish king, but he had disobeyed God and married a Canaanite woman named Jezebel who, exactly like God warned, had led Ahab away from worshipping the true God to worshipping a false god named Baal. Now Baal was supposed to be the lord of the dew and rain, so God sent Elijah to Ahab to tell him, "Baal isn’t the lord of the dew and the rain and to clear up your confusion, the true source of the dew and rain says there is not going to be any more dew and rain until I say so." Now that made Elijah public enemy number one as far as Ahab and Jezebel were concerned, so God told Elijah to go hide in the Kerith Ravine and while he was there, ravens brought him food and he got water from a small river. But then...

7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the LORD came to him: 9 Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food. (1 Ki. 17:7-9)

Ok, so just because the river ran dry, didn’t mean God had forgotten about Elijah. God had another way of providing for him, but Elijah would have to trust Him in order to take possession of that provision.  I think that’s why God let this particular river run dry, because a dry river bed makes a great path to its source.  It's interesting that he says, “Go at once." In the original Hebrew, it literally means "Get up!" and it implies that Elijah kind of wanted to stay where he was.  That might be partly because it is always tempting to try to stay where God has worked in the past rather than moving on to what He wants to do in the future. But it’s probably also because what God is asking Elijah to do here is scary. God told Elijah to go to a village in the region of Sidon. Now here’s what you need to know about Sidon. First, it was Canaanite territory...and that’s scary enough for a Jewish prophet who challenged the legitimacy of one of the main Canaanite gods...but Sidon is also the hometown of Jezebel, the queen who brought Baal to Israel. So this is kind of like the Pope making a public statement that Allah isn’t real and Muhammed is a liar and then going to Mecca. Not a great idea. But...that’s what God has just told Elijah to do. And He said, "I have directed a widow there to supply you with food." Now Elijah’s probably wondering, how is that going to work? A Canaanite widow is going to provide for me? She is a Canaanite, so she is not going to be willing...and even if she was willing, she’s a widow, so she’s not going to be able to help me. Widows were the poorest of the poor in good times...but this is the middle of a drought and famine. So he’s got questions about how this is going to work, but what God is asking Elijah to do here is focus on Who, not how.  Because if God is the Source of life, He can be trusted to take care of the stuff of life. And that’s what God’s asking Elijah to do here: trust me. Trust the Source of life to take care of the stuff of life. Now what does that trust look like in this case? What does Elijah have to do? Just say, "I trust you!"? No. He can’t just declare his trust, he has to demonstrate it. He has to get up and go even though there’s still a lot about what God is asking that he doesn’t understand. But We demonstrate our trust in God by putting obedience before understanding. Because that is what faith is. It’s the willingness to say “Who” matters more than “how”. Now I’m not talking about a blind leap of faith. I’m not talking about trusting someone who has given you no reason to trust them. God had already given Elijah plenty of reason to trust Him...and He’s done the same for us. That is what the cross is. That’s what the empty grave is. They are reasons to trust. But we trust who, not how, ok? Faith is the willingness to trust that the God who has provided will provide even though we don’t know how. And we demonstrate that trust by putting obedience before understanding.

10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to here and asked, "Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?" Now what he’s doing is testing her willingness. He expects her to say, "Why don’t you go to the well and get it yourself?" As an Israelite man talking to a Canaanite woman, he had no reason to expect her to be willing. But to his surprise, she was, and...

11 As she was going to get it, he called, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread." (1Ki 17:11)
Now he’s testing her ability. Because the water he asked for would have come from a well...and even in a drought, a deep well would still have had some water in it. So asking her to get water was a test of her willingness, but asking her for bread was a test of her ability. A widow living in a season of drought and famine probably wouldn’t have bread at all, let alone any to spare.

12 "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 olive oil in a jug."(1Ki 17:12a)
She is basically saying, I âm willing...but I am not able. And she takes a solemn oath...she swears that she doesn’t have any bread. But what’s interesting is that she swears by Elijah’s God. She says, the Lord your God. By the way, any time you see the word LORD in all caps, what that's telling you is that the word Yahweh is there in the original language. Yahweh is God’s proper name in Hebrew. So basically she says, as surely as Yahweh, your God. She should have said, as surely as Baal lives but she didn’t. Instead, she swore by Elijah’s god...and that suggests that maybe she had some doubts about whether her god had the goods. 

(Are you following a god you have similar doubts about? [dig in here to different gods we all tend to turn to. What god are you tempted to turn to even when it fails to deliver the goods it promised?] Listen, some of you are here today because God has brought you here so that you could hear this. You’ve got a god that doesn’t have the goods. You keep turning to relationships or to a particular community. You keep turning to your career. You keep turning to Tik Tok. You keep turning to education. You keep turning to your grit and your determination...but those are all gods that don’t have the goods they have promised you!

That’s where this woman is... but she is starting to realize it. "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."(1Ki 17:12b)
She says,all we have left is enough for our last meal. Because of the drought that Elijah’s God declared and her god failed to defeat, she’s at rock bottom. She and her son are done. That’s rock bottom. And some of you know what it’s like to be in that place, to be at rock bottom. Some of you are there right now. You know exactly how this woman feels. I’ve been there. I know what it’s like. Rock bottom is a terrible place to be and if you are there right now, I’m so sorry that’s where you are. . But I want to speak a truth into your life today. It’s a truth I’ve learned more times that I care to admit: rock bottom will teach you truth mountain tops can’t. As I look back on my life, almost all the most important truths I’ve learned about life and about God...they all became clearest at the lowest points in my life. And maybe the most important of those truths is this. I love what Tony Evans said about rock bottom. He said: "Sometimes God lets you hit rock bottom so you’ll discover He is the Rock at the bottom." (Tony Evans)

This woman had been taught her whole life that Baal was the source of her supply. And now, at rock bottom, she’s realizing the rock she had been told to trust is just dry dust blowing away in the wind. But there is another Rock at the bottom she can plant her feet on.
13 Elijah said to her, "Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son."14 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 sends rain on the land." (1Ki 17:13-14)

Now remember, whenever we see the word LORD in all caps in the Bible, like we do here, the original word is actually Yahweh. So what Elijah literally says here is, Yahweh is making you a promise. Yahweh will give you flour and oil until Yahweh sends rain. Baal hasn’t given you the stuff he promised, but Yahweh will. Baal hasn't been able to bring the rain, but when the time is right, Yahweh will. And on one level, this is a promise, but it’s also an invitation. Elijah is telling her a story, my God can be your God...and my God can do what yours never could. And what does it take for Elijah’s God to become her God? It takes faith. That’s what the bible says over and over again. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - (Eph 2:8). Faith is how we take hold of God’s grace and His goodness. So what does faith look like for her? What does it look like for this widow to put her feet on the true Rock? He asks her to bring him some bread first. And I know on the surface, that sounds selfish. But as a prophet who represents God, Elijah is asking her to follow a principle: We demonstrate our faith in the Source of life by trusting Him first with some of the stuff of life. By bringing Elijah, which is, in effect, bringing God some bread, she would be saying, I’m putting my trust in the source of life, not the stuff of life. You with me? By the way, this is why the Bible tells us to bring God our first-fruits. And it’s why we say here that giving first honors God. It’s not that God needs our money or our time or our talent. But when we give God a first portion of those things, we are demonstrating that our trust isn’t in those things. We’re saying this stuff isn’t my rock...this stuff isn’t my refuge...this stuff isn’t where my faith is. My faith is in the source, not the stuff. That’s what Elijah is calling her to do: to demonstrate her faith in the Source of life by trusting Him first with some of the stuff of life. And that is a big ask here, but...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. 16 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. (1Ki 17:15-16) Because of her great display of faith, she had a great supply of food. And this is an example of a principle we see all over God’s Word. In fact, here is something very similar God said to his people through the prophet Malachi: 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the LORD Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe, says the LORD Almighty. 12 Then all the
nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land, says the LORD Almighty. (Mal 3:10-12)

Now listen, God’s not a vending machine, but He’s not a slot machine either, ok? God’s not a vending machine. It’s not like put this in, press these bottoms and get this specific result. But God’s not a slot machine either where you have no idea if there is even going to be a payoff. There are principles and patterns in God’s Word and when we follow them, there is blessing. And that’s what’s happening here. Now I’d love to stop the story here, but we’re not done:
17 Sometime later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. 18 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?" (1Ki 17:17-18)
Now to really understand this, we have to understand that her anger and her bitterness here isn’t just because she lost a son she loved...she also lost something she was depending on. In the ancient world, as a widow, her son was who she would have counted on to take care of her as she aged. So he wasn’t just her son, he was the stuff of life. And her reaction, while it’s completely understandable, is also important because it reveals that she hadn’t yet fully transferred her trust from the stuff of life to the source of life. Listen: How we react to the loss of the stuff of life tells us a lot about our trust in the Source of life.

I want to encourage you to think of the last time you lost something that you saw as an important supply. Maybe you’ve lost a job or a relationship or the past couple of weeks you’ve been watching the stock market and your retirement account has taken a nosedive. How have you reacted? And what does your reaction to loss say about where your trust is?

On one level, this woman’s reaction is entirely understandable...but at the same time, it also reveals that her trust hasn’t been fully transferred to God yet, either. So what does Elijah do? He said…bring me the child. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the LORD, ˜LORD my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?" (1Ki 17:19b-20) Kind of feels like Elijah is struggling a little bit with God here, too, doesn’t it? This feels a lot like "where are you, God?" or even a "what’s your problem, God?" And I’m so glad this is here...and you should be too. Because if even the prophet Elijah can struggle with God when confronted by something like this...then that means there’s a word for you and me. And the word is...normal.

Listen, struggling with God doesn’t necessarily mean that we lack faith. Faith doesn’t mean we never struggle, it means we keep choosing to take the next step of trusting God. Elijah is struggling here. But...he doesn’t stay in the struggle. Instead, he chooses to trust the God he’s struggling with: 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the LORD, "LORD my God, let this boy’s life return to him!" 22 The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, ˜Look, your son is alive! 24 Then 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. (1 Ki. 17:21-24)

Notice it’s no longer your God or your Lord. Now it’s just the Lord. She made a complete trust transfer from Baal to Yahweh...and that never would have happened without this difficult circumstance. And here’s the good news about when the river runs dry: Every dry river is an invitation to take our next step towards its Source. But, the good news is that we can take that next step while the river is still running. And that means even if the river does run dry, we’re not going to be devastated by it and, maybe, just maybe, the river won’t run dry...

 What’s your next step of trust towards the Source? Maybe start with these:  Serving others, living generously, inviting others to find and follow Jesus.

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