Sermon Starters provided by Rev. E. Anderson

July 2, 2008 at 8:24 pm (Sermon Starters)

                                                            

Rev. E. Anderson                                                Source of the Nile - Uganda

This is but a sermon starter to get you thinking and studying in relation to the text and theme.  Trust it will be provocative and promotive. 

CONTAGIOUS CHRISTIANITY

 

Reading     Genesis 12

 

Text           vv

 

Introduction

RELEVANT QUESTIONS:  What are you carrying around that is transmittable to others of a holy and positive nature? What are other people catching from you of a contagious nature that is wholesome and good, in your family, Christian fellowship and world at large? Christians are to be divine carriers, bearing forth factors of a transmittable and infectious character that will make a tremendous difference to others.

POWERFUL INFLUENCE: There is no doubt that Christ was the greatest person that ever lived and wielded a spiritual, supernatural and powerful influence wherever He went and whoever He met and ministered to. The Gospel records leave a lasting testimony to Him with respect to His dynamic presence and power, countless people feeling and knowing the impact of His life and ministry. Wherever He went and to whoever He came across, all knew in a real sense the vibrant and forceful quality of His person and power. People were never the same as a consequence of His major input into their lives and situations. See the contagious impact upon Saul who became the apostle Paul – Acts 9.

DIVINE POSSESSION AND EXPRESSION: Paul makes the statement that God’s purpose in and through Christ was that the whole of Christendom that it should be ‘filled with all the fullness of God’ – Ephesians 3: 19. Jesus Christ has come not only to bring forgiveness of sins but to implant and initiate His life and nature within every Christian believer. They are born anew from above to live the heavenly kind of life inspired by divine love. But then there has to be the powerful indwelling of the life of God in every Christian so that they are spiritually influential wherever they are. Each, henceforth, are to carry around divine inspiration and factors that are of a heavenly and contagious nature so that others are invaded and impacted.

BIBLICAL EXAMPLES: One only has to turn to the Bible to discover people who were invaded by God in a definite manner and as a consequence were blessed and became divine carriers of and for Him in some distinct way. It is still possible to catch some of their holy contagion and pass such on to the benefit of countless others.

 

1.      A DIVINE CARRIER OF RICH PROMISES AND BLESSING

 

One of the first people to be a bearer of something significant and worth catching and possessing was Abraham. He was one of the earliest to experience and enjoy something of immense value that could be safely and abundantly passed on to the benefit of all.

 

·          He was to be the recipient of choice promises that would profit him and also inspire and encourage others in an outstanding manner – Genesis 12: 2, 3. The eternal God was to confront him and impart to him some outstanding guarantee that would dramatically change his life and career. From the moment God spoke he was to be the recipient and possessor of a legacy of promise and his life had to be built on them.

·          He was to know that, in the main, the promises focussed on divine blessing – Genesis 12: 2, 3; 13: 14-1; 15; 17. This ancient patriarch was to discover that God was committed to his future progress, increase and blessedness in a phenomenal manner. God had great plans and destiny for him to fulfil of a worthwhile character and as he simply believed and obeyed he would become renowned as a person whom the Lord had blessed..

 

2.      A DIVINE CARRIER OF INCREDIBLE FRUITFULNESS

 

It is in the mind of God that those who live in connection and communion with Him should be as fruitful trees. This is the image and revelation that God seeks to sow and establish in those who would enter into accord with Him – see Psalm 1. A tree is very contagious factor: it has the capacity to produce fruit and more fruitful trees.

 

·          The young man Joseph was destined to be a fruit bearer of immense significance. His father prophesied into his life and stated what this beloved son had become – ‘Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall’ – Genesis 49: 22. It seems that his life and ministry could not be contained and that there was something contagious about his character and ministry that was rather contagious.

·          Christ taught that the object of being a believer in Him and being spiritually united to Him would create this experience of immense fruitfulness – John 15: 1- 16. One cannot be linked and associated with Him and be sterile and barren. The indwelling of himself, and His life flow, is sure to bring about a gradual state of fruitfulness. Illustration:  Consider the life and ministry of Barnabas – Acts 4: 36; 9: 27; 11: 20-30; 13: 1-4 etc.

 

3.      A DIVINE CARRIER OF GREAT WORKS OF SALVATION

 

It is a worthy thing to be the means of bringing salvation to others in ways that are quite astonishing. You can be the channel or conduit through whom the power of God is declared and demonstrated to countless others.

 

·          God was to lay His hand upon a man by Moses, show him salvation and the deliverance that was to be birthed and released through him – Exodus 3.  The moment had providentially arrived in his life where he was to become a deliverer and saviour to his people and God was ready to evidence His power at the burning bush thus proving His capacity to exercise on a bigger front.

·          God was to lay His hand upon a teenager, the other end of the spectrum, and manifest salvation again in unusual circumstances – 1 Samuel 17. As the young man moved into Israel’s camp God had got rather a big job for him to do and he was up for it.

·          God sent Jesus, Jehovah in Salvation, into the world to fill the whole world with the holy contagion of divine salvation – Matthew 1; 21. His name stands for salvation and as it is truly believed in and used aright brings salvation. There is something divinely infectious about this sacred Name and when employed as the Lord desires and requires is able to introduce works of salvation. As His Name is used in prayer and ministry glorious works of salvation take place – John 14: 13; Acts 3: 6; 16; 16: 18. When the believer becomes divinely inspired and infected with His Name the spread of its presence and influence can be quite extraordinary.

 

4.      A DIVINE CARRIER OF THE PROPHETIC IN-WORD

 

One of the means that God has ordained and chooses to use is that of the prophetic word. He, in His design and purposes both within the Old and New Covenant, desires to employ the use of prophetic messengers who can inspiringly on His behalf prophesy into the lives of people that require His mind and will.

 

·          Samuel was called upon very early in life to be a carrier and bearer of the prophetic word – 1 Samuel 3: 10-21. His age was not a preventative to God’s call on his life to function in such an important ministry. God’s elect household were in desperate need for God’s in word into its life and direction and so God took hold of this individual to commence a vital ministry and service.

·          Elijah was a carrier and conduit of the prophetic word and no was in any doubt that he was in direct communion and communication with God – 1 Kings 17-18. Northern Israel had a dynamic witness from God through this man as he exercised his prophetic ministry.

·          There was the manifestation of the prophetic in the early Church and the spiritual gifts include the use of prophecy – Acts 9: 17. God spoke to an Ananias to tell him about Saul’s conversion and to go and minister to him. There are other instances in this book that reveal how prevalent this ministry was and people became carriers of messages of prophetic importance. See Paul in Acts 27: 21-25.

 

5.      A DIVINE CARRIER OF HEALING LIFE AND MIRACLES

 

Beyond any doubt, the Bible is itself a miraculous Book and contagious in this matter. It presents the fact of the supernatural and miraculous and seeks to advance the same.

 

·          Jesus Christ in the course of His ministry career was the bearer of such and sought to make His disciples contagious with the miraculous. John the apostle makes an amazing concluding statement with regard to what He actually wrought in this ministry. He says: ‘And there also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written’ – John 21: 25. Christ made the affirmation that ‘greater works than these shall you do because I go to my Father’ – John 14: 12. He gave His Church the divine commission to move into and to expect the outworking of the supernatural, marvellous and miraculous – Mark 16: 15-20.

·          The Christian Church moved into and expected the miraculous to take place. They were filled and possessed with a heavenly contagion in relation to it – Acts 3: 1-16. They exercised the divine right and power to raise a crippled man and expected much more to follow as their praying indicates – Acts 4: 30. God’s power was so present in Peter and contagious that even his passing shadow wrought amazing things – Acts 5: 15, 16. God has been pleased throughout the Church’s history to perform miracles and bring about outstanding cases of healing – Smith Wigglesworth, George and Stephen Jeffreys, Kathryn Kuhlman

 

      CONCLUSION

 

·          There is challenge for every Christian believer and minister to face and deal with. What is actually being carried and communicated of a divine dynamic and nature within the Church and to the outside world? Honest, humble and earnest inquiry must be made personally and collectively.

·          There must be a seeking of God until there is the possession of those things that are going to make an essential and excellent difference to ourselves and others. There is to be no giving up until we have received from God that which will bring these things into manifestation and ministration. God still loves to take hold of ordinary people, sanctify, fill and use them to manifest His grace and glory

 

Comments

Christian Tetimony gathered by Rev. E. Anderson

July 2, 2008 at 8:20 pm (Christian Testimony)

                                                       

Rev. E. Anderson

ALL CHANGE FOR NICOLA

 

Nicola, Leicestershire girl, born 1977. She says that much of her childhood was a bit of a daze. Her parents argued endlessly and she thinks that her brain has mentally blocked out those times. Consequently, she spent hours searching for love in the wrong places with the wrong people.

 

By the time Nicola was 13   most weekends were spent with friends “steaming” on Diamond White  or Stoned  on cannabis.

 

She thought she had a good group of mates, but looking back she realises that they were just like her search­ing for love but unable to find it.

 

In 1992 her father became Christian turning away from his workaholic lifestyle. The changes in him as a husband and father were so remark-able her mother became a Christian too. Nicola says, “My mother experienced a dramatic life change and after being ill for the majority of her life, she was cured through prayer”. This was to be the beginning of a new direction in life.

 

Also in 1992 Nicola met her husband David, look­ing back, she now believes that this was a direct result of the prayers of her parents although she did not believe any of that at the time. Nicola says “We had our first baby when I was only 15. I left school with no qualifications and a year later our daughter was born. It wasn’t easy, the sleep-less nights, dirty nappies, teething rings and sick filled bibs. Added to that, postnatal depression was torture, I felt trapped! I was living away from home, most of my friends were still at school and 1 wasn’t old enough to drive.”

 

A second daughter was born three years later. Dave and Nicola didn’t know whether to separate or just get married, they married in April 1998. “My reason for marrying was purely selfish – I wanted to have the same surname as my children (not the best reason for marrying),” says Nicola There was no big white wedding, just the two of them and the witness. The foundations were shaky. Soon after, Nicola suffered a painful eptopic pregnancy as well as a miscarriage.

 

“Things had to change; I decided I’d had enough of our relationship as things were not going well. But to my surprise, David decided he wanted to start going to church. He joined Harvest Commu­nity Church, and what a difference I saw in him! There were Valentine presents, washing up, spending time with our daughters, and best of all, the words “I love you” were spoken. This was a change I never thought I would see in him.”

 

“Well, I wasn’t far behind him; the changes in David made me realise that this Christian thing must have some truth in it. Slightly apprehensive I attended the church on occasional Sundays. I began to experience a newfound love and faith! Over a space of nine months we discovered a new life, this time filled with unconditional love. This was the love that I had been searching for when I was growing up. It was a love that no hu­man can possibly give. It was the Heavenly Father’s love Jesus came into my life and helped turn it around. I am now a fitness instruc­tor and David has become an outdoor education instructor something he thought he would never be. Our third child is due and this time we don’t feel alone because Jesus is with us.”

 

 

 

Comments

Contemporary Considerations compiled by Rev. E. Anderson

July 2, 2008 at 8:15 pm (Contemporary Considerations)

                                                              

Rev. E. Anderson

Developing Self-Control
by Rick Warren

“Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control” - Proverbs 25:28 (NIV)

*** *** *** ***

 

Self-control brings with it the good feeling of competency. Like a finely-tuned precision automobile, your life stays on course with the slightest touch of steering. The results of self-control are confidence and an inner sense of security.

 

Self-control and self-discipline are also key factors in any success you hope to have in this life. Without self-discipline, you are unlikely to achieve anything of lasting value.

 

The Apostle Paul realized this when he wrote, “Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever.” (1 Corinthians 9:25 GNT)

 

Olympic athletes train for years in order to have a chance to win a brief moment of glory. But the race we are running is far more important than any earthly athletic event. So self-control is not optional for Christians.

 

How do we gain true self-control?

 

  1. Admit your problem.

 

·          The starting point for developing self-control is to face what God has already said about it.

·          James 1:14 (PH) says, “A man’s temptation is due to the pull of his own inward desires, which can be enormously attractive.”

·          Do you realize what that says? It says you do things because you like to do them! When I do something I know is bad for me, I still do it because I like to do it. I want to do it; it’s an inner desire.

·          Do you want more self-control? Admit you have a problem and be specific about it. Begin praying specifically about your problem areas.

 

     2. Put your past behind you. Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV) says, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal ….” This verse exposes a misconception that will keep you from gaining self-control: Once a failure, always a failure.

 

Failure in the past does not mean you’ll never be able to change. Focusing on past failures, however, does guarantee their repetition. It’s like driving a car and looking in the rear view mirror the whole time. You’re going to collide with what’s ahead of you.

 

Ask God to help you put your past behind you.

 

 

 

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