26.09.10 - The Church Has A Future

Alan Bennett

1Peter 2:1-12


Song on CD – “Living stones in the house of God” (firm of faith, alive in the Spirit)

These “living stones” are the major tool in God’s overall plan to unite all things in Jesus Christ his Son. The church is the temple or body of people who God has been forming and through which he has been acting down through the ages. It has roots that go back to the OT It’s mission stretches forward into all remaining history and into eternity.

That story is the churches historical dimension. Much has been recorded and written and postulated. Sadly the church in history and even today has partly lost or ignored that mission.

Slide 2. “Shut in upon itself, the great concern of the Christian community is to preserve it’s immunity and safeguard it’s existence” (Abbe Godin)

But this space-time world is really part of a larger spiritual realm in which God reigns. Jesus spoke often of the “kingdom of God” or “The Kingdom of Heaven” being among us. The church is the body given to Christ through his redemptive work on the cross and glorious resurrection. God has chosen to put the church with Christ at the very centre of his plan to reconcile the world to himself. This is where you and I come in, the living stone members of His body, chosen by God for our time and empowered by His Spirit, the Holy Spirit of power and authority to carry on in the world the work of the Kingdom which Jesus began.

We don’t need to be reminded that we follow in the train of those 12 original insecure ordinary men who having spent 3 years with Jesus almost blew it, almost that is until the anointing came upon them at Pentecost. Ever-since the Holy Spirit has empowered ordinary men and women in every age to do exploits in His name. And so, now it is our turn. Are we ready? (pause for response) Do we know what we are to do ?

Slide 3 “ The church is a mixed society. It is not a community of saints and dedicated persons but a society of sinners at every variety of spiritual development” (Max Warren)

“The church’s task is not to save itself – Christ has already done that. It is rather to give itself in love and service- in fact to die for the world”. (Tullip Vinay)

I put it to you this morning that our mandate for being church is no different from what Jesus set Himself to do when he elaborated on the Kingdom of God by reading out loud in the synagogue in Nazareth quoting from Is. 6 as recorded in Luke 4…

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me…”

To preach good news to the poor ie those without hope. “I am the way etc”

To proclaim freedom for the prisoners -- actual, in mind, disability, abuse, poverty

To give recovery of sight to the blind literal, all sickness, spiritual, ignorant, arrogant

To release the oppressed -- injustice, satanic bound, drugs, marginalized

To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour --actual God’s love, blessing, revival, recovery

This then is the churches mandate or mission for now and into the future. Jesus himself set this in motion. How well we act on this in both quality and quantity as a church today will determine the size and scope of the church tomorrow. I believe it will also determine the quality and quantity of our life as a nation. Church history is a record of the measure of God’s blessing upon the nations that have followed and adhered to and upheld the Gospel call. Let’s be selfish for a moment. If you and I want an ideal environment for our children and grandchildren to the 3-4 generation then we need to act now.

Slide 4 “ While women weep as they do now, I’ll fight; while little children go hungry, I’ll fight; while men go to prison as they do now, in and out, in and out, I’ll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, where there remains one dark soul without the light of God – I’ll fight. I’ll fight to the very end”. (General Booth) don’t you love that?! Echoed by Winston Churchill perhaps!?

But we don’t act out of a selfish motive Ultimately it does not rest with either a future national or labour government or an MMP mix of major and minor parties.. God has chosen His church, you and me, as individuals with Holy Spirit gifts to act together as His church to these ends. And because Jesus has redeemed his church for this very purpose, the church will be victorious, His Kingdom will come. – Amen, !! Hallelujah !!

You see, as good Presbyterians we must go along with the sovereignty of God and the way the most insecure and blunt of those original 12, Peter, recorded his understanding of the church in the passage read.- 1 Peter 2:9-12

You are a chosen people You are a royal priesthood You are a holy nation

You are a people belonging to God….. These are the 4 links that bind us to the body of Christ, that keep us worshipping our sovereign God and His work of redemption.

Slide 5 “Once a man is united to God how could he not live forever? Once a man is separated from God, what can he do but wither and die?” (CS Lewis)

“You are a people taken out of darkness, now in the light of God. You had no mercy but now you have received mercy You are aliens, strangers in this world.” …. These are the 3 big changes that have taken place in those who have come to know Christ.

1. Gentile pagans who knew not God – now with a new life in God.

2. Lived to themselves, selfish, oblivious of others needs, now having tasted.

3. Now no status in the world. Scary perhaps!, not conforming. Worldly standards “war against the soul” the spiritual battle behind so many behavioural issues.

Therefore abstain from sin, live good lives, look for God’s visitation. These are the 3 big commands the Bible leaves us to follow through on today and everyday while we have breath. “That they may see” better – “that they may gain insight”

Slide 6 “We shall rest and we shall see, we shall see and we shall love, we shall love and we shall pray, in the end which is no end”. (Augustine of Hippo)

“God’s visitation” can come at any time.

1. The final judgment. 4:7
2. Christians suffering more 4:17
3. Revival comes through preaching 4:6

All 3 are true and relevant for us today. The final judgment of this world is certain. Christians here and around the world are suffering, often with their lives. . By prayer, and preaching the Good News, the Holy Spirit will come before this, because God is still calling people to repentance and faith. Yes, the church has a future as long as the Word is proclaimed and we are open and prepared for more of His Spirit.

Conclusion… I want to back track a little in closing. There may be someone here this morning who has NOT yet “tasted that the Lord is good” There may be someone here this morning who is still in darkness is not part of this church, this ministry we have been talking about. You need to come to our head stone, our corner stone, the one who has given us a reason for life today and a hope for a sure tomorrow. I want to invite you in a few minutes to join with a church member at the back of the auditorium for prayer and further explanation of how to know Jesus as your Saviour to.

Prayer. And Benediction

19.09.10 - What Is The Church?

Pastor Alan Bennett

READ Eph. 5: 15-33

No, I’m not starting a campaign for better husbands and wives and parenting, though that may come in a later message. But looking into some of the foundational reasons for church, this unique body that has continued to grow and expand around the world for 2000 years and no secular power or authority has been able to fully understand it, stop it or destroy it.

Averil and I went to Thailand in 1967 to plant not build churches in the central provinces that were the least evangelized of the land. Yes, churches are planted and subsequently grow primarily as an organism. Churches are not built from a blue-print and then left to be occupied and maintained as an organization, although the Southern Baptists from USA did this for a time in Thailand. In Matt 16 Jesus did say, “I will build my church and the powers of death will not overcome it”. But here the building is not brick and mortar but on the confession of faith by Peter, that Holy Spirit inspired, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God”. This is the same question put by Jesus that we must all answer, “Who do you say I am”? Ultimately then we see that churches are a matter of a relationship, first in coming to know Jesus personally and then that same relationship spreading through our human networks. (illus Anchalee Jongkakeekit, Thai pop singer)

That’s why this passage in Ephesians is so relevant to our understanding of church. It links the “mystery” of a husband and wife relationship and subsequent family relationship, to the God initiated and inspired relationship between Christ and His church and His people, the body of Christ.

So how does a church get started? Like most things in this world it starts with a birth, a birth of at least one, though sometimes twins come along (eg lambing) Through evangelism The Holy Spirit comes upon a life and that life is “born again” (Jn 3). Later, more come to faith in Jesus through the same new-birth experience and so a family is formed. There is no limit to this family size. (illus all 4 of ours born in April 4+4 =8 )

The church then grows through relationships forming within this unit, which we call “the local church”, being the equivalent of a normal natural family, made up of sons and daughters, brothers and sisters living and loving one another under the same roof, each with a sure personal allegiance to the parent, Jesus himself. Ref Acts 8:1, 12:1 , .

In time, when we see this happening in many places over many years, perhaps decades at times, the extended family emerges. Church communities come together because of mutual respect, understanding and a desire to work together; sometimes the start of a denomination. In Thailand many recent new churches have begun through Aunts and Uncles believing.

The Christian Faith should then go on and make a positive impact on it’s neighbourhood and society just as the name of a well respected citizen and extended family can do. Eg who’s who list (ref Southland phone book or Calvin membership! )

From the change the Christian Faith can have on society, the good news will spread and be noticed at national level. (illus the vision of Watoto, at present 1,900 children, goal 10,000 in Uganda, 2 million across Africa. Some doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses and at least one President ! )

(4 years ago the then PM of Thailand said in a speech on national TV, “I wish all Thai people would live like the Christians live in helping one another) Praise God he saw a difference somewhere in his travels and spoke it out as “good news” In this regard I am sure we had a glimpse of the still present Christian ethic at work in Christchurch last week with so many people and groups sacrificially caring for one another, / contrasted with a few who sadly exploited the situation to their own ends.

Let’s look more closely for a moment at what makes a church in our passage in Ephesians 5 …

Christ is the head of this organism, this family, this community this body v23 not the moderator or pastor! Jesus is at the helm

Christ is its saviour. V23 He bought it at the price of His blood, His death. He now lives as an advocate for the church. Do we consult Him regularly?

Christ loves the church v25, and He wants it to be holy and pure, just as wives want their husbands to be and vice versa. Outside influences and unchallenged standards as seen on TV are not for this family the church. The church has a unique right to model true love in this world and protect His assets. How dare we fail our Lord at this point!

Christ wants His church to be radiant and blameless v27, alive with head held high. Sadly this is one area the church is vulnerable to attack, especially by the media frenzy. We have all heard it said, “ Church is boring, it’s dead and/or the church is full of hypocrites and sex offenders. “ Can we still hold our heads up high? I believe at Calvin, by God’s grace , we can and we will. Only in this way can we be different from any service club down the road.

Christ feeds and cares for His church. V29 We are fed by reading our Bibles at home and when meeting as church or in any church ministry. We must be people of the Book. Are we? We are cared for by the Holy Spirit who as promised is in the life of every believer. But do we experience his care, his comfort, his counseling? Do we listen to the Spirit as well as pray our requests?

“The profound mystery” v31-32 Christ has bound himself to the church to the point that we become one with Him, knowing and doing his will. It is all about constant open two way communications (illus. the party game with husbands and wives asked same questions)

More seriously, we all struggle with prayer. The first disciples did and to their credit they admitted as much and asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” Look at the result of their admission – the Lord’s prayer. It has been a model for the church ever-since, not to be chanted only, but as a form for us to insert our lives, our longings our doubts our anxieties, our praise and worship into. The more we pray, commune with Jesus, the closer we are to “being one” with him and perhaps unraveling this mystery or at least taking the profound out of it.!

Yes, the church is a relationship, an organism pulsating with life and vitality. Calvin has experienced this and will go on doing so, so long as the cycle of birth and rebirth in the Spirit is with us. Let us grow and guard our homes our families, our love for Jesus and His church, maintaining the purity of the Faith for His names sake. Amen.

12.09.10 - Spreading Confidence In God

For the last two weeks we have started from a passage in Jeremiah 17 in which Jeremiah says, “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.”

That message isn’t restricted to Jeremiah. That is one of the most basic truths in the entire Bible. Those who have faith in God are blessed. Jeremiah contrasts it with trusting in people or trusting in our own strength. Trusting in God. Having confidence in God.

Last week I talked about growing confidence in God: how we can grow in faith. This week I want to talk about spreading confidence in God. We want other people to be blessed (I hope) and so we want others to trust in the Lord. Love for people must mean that we want them to come to faith in Jesus and be blessed.

I suggested last week that our trust is dependent on our past experience or other people’s past experience. Should I trust aeroplanes? If my past experience of aeroplanes is frightening then I won’t trust aeroplanes. If I hear stories from other people of frightening plane rides then I also won’t trust them. Conversely, of course, if my experience or what others tell me is positive, then I am much more likely to trust them.

Except that we also tend to not trust what we don’t understand. If I have inaccurate information about aeroplanes then I might mistrust them or if I have inadequate information. That would be true of anything. My past experience of dogs and other people’s past experiences of dogs – for example, news media stories of children being savaged by dogs – will affect whether or not I trust dogs. But some of my information might be inaccurate or maybe my view would change if I had more information.

So let’s apply that to how we can encourage people to trust in God, starting at the bottom.

Most people in our society simply don’t know much about God. It used to be that most people at least knew the basic Bible stories and were familiar with a good part of what the church teaches. But today we cannot assume that.

How can we encourage faith? Clearly there is a need for people to tell them. The first need is for some information. If we tell a story about someone at church being healed, that might be radical new information for some of our friends. They simply don’t know about a God who heals. Or if someone is facing some struggle, you might simply say that you are willing to pray. The idea of a God you can talk to and who answers prayer might be new information. People are largely ignorant. A first step is to reduce the ignorance. Tell them.

There is also the question of the quality of the information people have. People have very strange ideas about God such as that He is a killjoy just waiting to catch us having fun and punish us for it. Countering the misinformation might be as simple as having fun and letting people see that Christians can be happy.

I don’t want to say much about the quality and quantity of the information except to say that if lack of information or lack of reliable information is keeping people from trusting God and from knowing His blessings then we can change that by being willing to talk. Clearly God wants us to talk.

Paul, in Romans 10, talks about people simply not knowing.

Romans 10:14-15 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

How can they believe if no one tells them? Sometimes all that is required is some information. We often assume that people don’t want to hear but “how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” That is not really about how attractive your feet are. It is about how much people appreciate the person who brings good news. “It is a beautiful thing that you bothered to come and tell me.” They are grateful for good news. All you are doing is offering them something good; a blessing. They will be eternally grateful for that.

If the quality of the information is an issue, tell them the truth. Clarify misunderstandings.

But let’s move on. Sometimes people just need to be told and they will believe but often people’s trust in God will be affected by other people’s experiences of God. We are those other people. Our experiences of God can help people have confidence in Him. In fact, our experiences can have incredible power.

I think there are three steps here. I want to start with the least effective and work towards the most effective but even the least effective can be incredibly powerful.

The first step is us simply living as Christians – as people who have been transformed by Jesus. It is not about us saying anything or people directly experiencing God. It is about people experiencing God’s people. It is about our lifestyle – a lifestyle that is different because of Jesus. A life transformed by Jesus can speak powerfully.

What would be on that step? Our fellowship; our love for one another. When people can see Christians caring for one another like in the early church where, as we read again recently, they sold their land and possessions so as to give to the poor, that is different from society at large and that speaks volumes.

John 13:34-35 34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Loving one another; the strength of our commitment to one another, is a powerful witness. People will know we are disciples of Jesus when they see that.

On that step we could also put serving and caring, in other words, not just our caring for one another but our caring for them. Meeting physical and practical needs. Befriending.

Jesus demonstrated this. He stopped to talk to Zacchaeus to whom no one else would talk and then went and shared a meal with him. Zacchaeus was transformed by that act of love, and repented. Jesus became infamous for being a friend of tax collectors and sinners. And they came to faith in God as a result.

In these instances, people aren’t experiencing God. They are experiencing God’s people. It is the lowest step but when God’s people are transformed people, that experience can be powerful.

The second step is more powerful. Good deeds are good but they often need words as well. A transformed life might raise lots of questions but people need more than questions. They need answers. Why do you behave like this? Why do you love me? Why did you forgive me when I hurt you?

Remember, Paul, in Romans 10 said, “How can they know unless someone tells them?”

1 Peter 3:15 ...Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...

People see that you have hope. They see that you are different. Be ready to say why.

So the next step is being willing to talk about our experience of God. “I was able to forgive you because God forgave me.” What might we put on that step? Testimonies; our stories of what God has done for us. And those stories can just be part of a conversation.

We know testimonies are powerful, don’t we? When they are honest stories of what God has done for us, people can identify with our situation and can be blown away by hearing what God did.

I think there is an even more powerful step. What if people not only heard about our experiences of God but witnessed them? What if you had a friend whom you took to your small group and the group prayed for something and that prayer was answered? What of someone came to church and saw a healing taking place? Or saw someone repent in tears and find forgiveness? Isn’t seeing it even more powerful than hearing about it second hand?

That happened during Jesus’ ministry. People saw God-things happen and they were amazed and some chose to follow. At Pentecost, people heard the apostles speaking in tongues. People saw the lame man at the Temple healed by Peter and John. They didn’t experience God but they witnessed someone else experience God. Both occasions were followed by preaching. They still needed to hear. The sign opened the door for the message. Now more trusting, they probably did experience God in the preaching.

Jesus said to the first enquirers, “Come and see.” I am convinced there is huge value in that and we need to think more about what that means for us. What if we said, “Come and see”? What if we invited people to come with us and see what God was doing – maybe just see how people love each other or see that Christians can have more fun without alcohol than other have with it, or see miracles taking place? How powerful might that be?

The fourth step is when people experience God themselves. The crowd at the temple witnessed someone else experience of God, but the lame man experienced God personally. How powerful has that got to be? Jesus healed and forgave and delivered from demons. This is what is called “power evangelism” – people coming to know God through some experience of His power. We hear stories of Muslim having visions of Jesus and being converted. Someone might pick up a Bible in a hotel room and hear God speak personally. All of these things are non-Christians experiencing God.

People can come to faith in God at any point. They don’t have to get to the top step. They can simply hear and believe. The steps simply indicate increasing power. On the bottom step there is no God; just God’s people. The second step involves hearing about God. The third, witnessing God. The fourth, experiencing God. But they are all powerful.

So what does this mean for us as a church? What does it mean for you as an individual? Or for your small group? What does it mean for Anthony and Suzie, and all other parents? How can we spread confidence in God to our children? Our own witness; our own lifestyle; talking to them about our own experiences of God; them seeing us experience God – being part of family prayers and seeing that God answers. But ultimately, that they themselves experience God. Let’s let our children experience God.

Are we experiencing God? Then telling others about that or letting them witness it can be a huge part of their coming to trust God.

It is the same thing with our neighbours. What do they see in us? Maybe we can talk to them about our experience of God – a little snippet of our testimony We can invite them to “come and see” when we experience God. Maybe we can be part of them experiencing God. Which step do your friends need?

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord. We want other people to experience those blessings. So let’s be ready to use any of those steps, just whichever ones are appropriate.

05.09.10 - Growing Confidence In God

Last week we look at a passage in Jeremiah 17. I’d like to read it again. READ Jer 17:5-8

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.

The first couple of verses say, Cursed are those who trust in mortals, who depend on flesh for their strength. We either trust God or we trust something else – our skills, our bank balance, the fact that the government will come to our aid if we get into trouble, or whatever. There is a choice: God or something else. I don’t want to focus on the curses but on the blessings. How can we grow our trust in God?

In the 2010 Reader’s Digest survey of the most trusted professions in New Zealand, religious ministers ranked 25th just after roof insulation installers and one place higher than weather forecasters!

Why would that be? Why aren’t ministers higher? Well, we could list things like the sex scandals in the Catholic Church (and other churches. The Catholics don’t have it all on their own), American televangelists who have failed morally either with money or sex, a high profile pastor/politician in this country imprisoned for child abuse, Brian Tamaki and the suspicions (warranted or not) of control and of fleecing his congregation so that he can live in luxury. And we could go on.

Trust is based on previous experience – either our own experience (including what the person has said to us) or what we have heard of other people’s experiences. Some people will have had their own bad experience at the hands of a pastor. But, most people’s lack of trust is based on what they have heard – other people’s experiences.

But two questions need to be asked about those experiences or reports of experiences. Firstly, How reliable is the information? Or, how reliable is the interpretation?

I might be influenced by misunderstanding, misinformation, even deliberate slander. I might see a person doing something, completely misinterpret it and conclude that I can’t trust that person.

I might have a bad experience with a fireman and stop trusting firemen– whereas they came out on top of the Reader’s Digest survey. I might be told that you can’t rust people whose eyes are too close together, and I might believe it. Many women have been shamefully treated by men and now don’t trust any man.

Or someone might tell me a story. How reliable is that story? How reliable is the person who told me? Might he have been deliberately trying to damage the reputation of another person? Whatever the motivation, personality attacks are designed to damage a person’s credibility.

The second question is: How complete is the information?

We tend not to trust things we don’t understand. We might not trust people who are different from us, including different races – or different religions.

Do you trust Muslims? Why or why not? Do you have personal experience? Are you going by other people’s experiences – such as New Yorkers’ on Sept 11, 2001? How accurate is your knowledge? Might some of what you have heard be distorted – maybe intentionally distorter? How complete is your knowledge? How much do you actually know about Muslims?

So, coming back to Jeremiah, do you trust God? Why or why not? Do you have personal experience? Do you know what God says about Himself? Are you going by other people’s experiences? How accurate is your knowledge? Might some of what you have heard be distorted – maybe intentionally distorted? How much do you actually know about God?

Blessed are those who trust in the lord, who have confidence in Him. How can we grow our confidence in Him? How can we be people of faith? Let’s work our way backwards through these things.

1. Find out. Seek Him.
God is a pretty big topic. A little bit of information isn’t going to give you a good understanding and not really going to convince you that you can have confidence in God. Those who know God well are the ones who trust Him most. Knowing God should be a life quest.

Jeremiah knew something about this. He wrote:
Jer 29:12-14 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity.

Jeremiah foretold the time when the Jews suffering in exile in Babylon, would rediscover God. God said that He had plans for them, plans to prosper them and not to harm them, plans to give them a hope and a future. God said He would come to them to fulfil His promises. When He did, the Jews would call on God and pray and seek Him with all their hearts. And God would be found by them.

God is gracious. Even after their sin and exile, He still had good plans and He gave them yet another opportunity. God is good but the people still had to want God. They still had to seek with all their hearts.

A couple a weeks ago I mentioned some disturbing figures about how little New Zealand Christians read their Bibles. It is questionable how much Christians are seeking God with all their heart.

2. Get reliable information
There’s an awful lot of rubbish talked about God. Be discerning. How reliable is the stuff you read? How reliable are the people who are influencing you?

I am not going to say any more about that, except the obvious. There are some sources that are far more reliable than others. Top of the list is the Bible. It is good to read books and listen to podcasts but, actually, seek God with all your heart first and foremost in the Bible. We need to be people who know the scriptures well and therefore know God well.

Be like the Bereans in
Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

3. Be inspired by other people’s experiences
The Bible is a record of God’s dealings with other people. When we hear about God creating the whole universe just by speaking, or rescuing His people by dividing the Red Sea does that increase our faith? When we hear about God giving barren Hannah a son or protecting Daniel all night in the lions’ den does that give us confidence in Him? When we read that God answered Elijah’s prayer sending down fire to consume his sacrifice or about Jesus healing a synagogue ruler’s daughter, are we more able to believe that God is powerful and loving? When we read about Jesus hanging condemned and bloodied on a cross, doe that reinforce our knowledge that God loves? And when we read about the empty tomb or about the spread of the early church, are we excited about God?

God has given us a book of other people’s experiences of Him, so that we might be inspired.

Romans 10:17 ... faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

There are other ways, of course, of hearing about other people’s experiences – books, web sites, recordings. There are a million inspiring resources that can really grow our faith. Let’s be inspired. Let’s seek God wherever we can find Him.

Of course, when we get outside the Bible we again have to ask the question about the reliability of our information. The Bible is 100% reliable. Nothing else is. We do need to be discerning but God has given us many opportunities to be inspired. People’s testimonies build faith.

That is also why fellowship is so important. We benefit greatly by mixing with other Christians. God has deliberately put us into a family with others because He knows that their stories and their example can build, brick-upon-brick, our own faith.

Heb 10:23-25 23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess. We have a confidence in God’s promises for the future. We believe God will keep His promises. We believe that on the basis of what we know of God’s character: He who promised is faithful.

But Hebrews recognises that our confidence might wane and so the writer says, “Let us hold unswervingly to it. Let us grow in our confidence.” How? What does he recommend? That we spur one another on. That we don’t give up meeting together.

4. Experience God yourself
Other people’s experiences and other people’s encouragement are tremendously valuable. But it is never a substitute for our own experience. In fact, if all we hear about are other people’s experiences of God and we don’t have those same experiences, it can be very disappointing. It can make us doubt if it is all real. Why doesn’t God do these things for me? We need our own experiences.

How can we experience God?

Pray. It is faith-building when we pray and God answers that prayer. Of course it is a risk. If God doesn’t answer, we will be disappointed. If we would rather not be disappointed we won’t pray but, by doing that, we also rob ourselves of the opportunities to see the answers. If we don’t pray, we demonstrate that we don’t trust God. The way to correct that is to take the risk and experience God’s faithfulness.

How else can we experience God? Read the Bible. Have you had the experience of hearing God speak as you read – knowing that God is saying something specifically to you. That might not be your experience every time. God might sometimes test your faith by not speaking. Will you still trust Him if He doesn’t speak? But if we don’t read our Bible, we won’t have that experience of hearing Him speak.

How else can we experience God? Taking risks. Being obedient. Doing what we believe God is telling us to do. Yes, it is a risk but if there is nothing ventured there will be nothing gained. Faith comes from taking those risks and finding that God is faithful.

Often that obedience might be responding to prompts to serve others or to minister to others. If God is asking us to speak to someone or help someone, we might be scared. We might fear that it will be rejected or that God won’t use that. But taking the risk puts us in a position to receive what we will never receive if we don’t take the risk. It is those who give who receive.

Times of trial can be the most profound growth times. It can be when we don’t experience God; when it seems that God is absent, that we find that if we hold onto Him He has not let go of us.

1 Peter 1:6-7 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Jeremiah says, “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.” It is true. Having confidence in God is a great blessing and leads to great blessing. Do we have confidence in God? Can I suggest you do your homework? Go looking. Go and find out. Make it a life quest.

You will hear all sorts of things. Test their reliability.

Find out how others have experienced God. Read the Bible. Mix with other Christians. Read books.

But seek you own experience of God. Listen to Him. Talk to Him. Obey Him. And see if He doesn’t prove Himself faithful.

Col 2:6-7 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

If we have received Christ Jesus as Lord that is great but Paul says, “In the same way, continue to live your lives in Him.” Live by faith. Live trusting God, rooted and built up in Him. Strengthen your faith. Whatever your faith level today, seek to increase it tomorrow.

The first step is receiving Christ Jesus as Lord. Maybe you have never done that. The question is whether we have put our faith in Jesus. If you are not sure you can do that, do your homework; talk to a Christian you know; read the Bible. Our eternal salvation depends on our faith in Jesus. Either we trust God or we don’t.

Maybe God has led you to the point of knowing you should put your trust in Him. If so, don’t delay. Do that today. Tell Him you know He loves you and you are willing to trust Him. If you would like someone to pray with you as you make that step, there will be people at the front of the church, on the right hand side, at the end of the service.