"SEEK" 6 Months Later
Well it is July and with the summer in full swing, I usually catch myself taking a mid-point evaluation (it must be the teacher in me). I like to self-evaluate where I am with the Lord in my career and in my roles at home and at church. When I started to think through the first 6 months of this year, the Lord took me back to the very first of January as we started our 7 weeks of SEEK. At Grace SEEK is a time of intentional prayer and fasting in which we commit to pray for our church. This past year we focused on our core values of repentance, worship, transformation, community, service, and mission. I don’t bring SEEK up to necessarily reinitiate it (obey as the Lord leads), but to recall and remember what was taught and prayed through during that time of seeking the Lord. God directs His people in scripture many times to look back, reflect, and remember Him and His promises. I hope this reflection of SEEK helps you do just that.
I. Repentance: A heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ. –Wayne Grudem
During the kick off of SEEK, Craig recalled 5 of the 7 churches from the book of Revelation 2 and 3 to help us see the characteristics of a church that needed to repent. The church of Ephesus was living a so-called mechanical Christianity; a loveless duty of many good works, but a lost love for the Savior. How much are we living the Christian life based on duty and not desire? The church of Pergamum had a strong heritage. The problem was the church was compromising on her convictions and what she knew to be true. What behaviors do we engage in knowing that they are wrong? The church of Thyatira had persevered in the faith, but tolerated false teaching in the church. Does sin bother us enough to confront it instead of staying in our comfort zone? The church of Sardis leaned on the past while the present and future was almost dead. Do we lean on our past accolades or see godliness as a continued pursuit? Lastly, we see the church of Laodicea that had all the world can buy but was living a Christ-less satisfaction. Do we see ourselves as needy?
II. Worship: Orient ourselves around the knowledge of God in Christ that results in humbly seeing ourselves in His presence and giving Him our heartfelt praise and obedience in every part of life.
Craig reminded us (most of us at home due to the snow storm!) out of Deuteronomy 6 that God desires His people to obey and treasure Him. When we commit to this as believers (what we were created to do), we truly worship and lead others to worship. Questions I remember being challenged with during this message was: Do we feel “in awe of God” when we worship together?, Personally, what do I think about when I have nothing to think about?, Is worship based more on the experience than on truth? Let’s seek to live a 24/7 worship.
III. Transformation: It is not willpower or positive thinking that will change us, but the gospel of Jesus Christ that transforms.
We are reminded that it is by God’s grace and the work of the Holy Spirit that changes people’s lives and continues to transform us from one glory to another. It is the work of God’s Word, prayer, and living in Christian community that keeps us heading in the right direction in wisdom and truth. We know that
our journey of faith is a gradual one and that we need to ask for God’s future grace in our lives to fight off the sinful desires of the flesh and live within the Spirit who has set us free.
IV. Community: Spiritual relationship in the church created by Christ.
Dalton exhorted us to commit to one another in true fellowship as we pursue Christ together in community. Community is the means by which God heals and reconciles his people. Community is also one of the major ways God reaches the lost world (“they will know us by our love”). As believers, we have to fight against pride and fear which hinders genuine community. So, how are we doing in this area of community? Do you have a 3am friend, one that is there for you and you can go deep with?
V. Service: We work on each other’s behalf. The Gospel should produce a community-rooted service among its members and then flowing outward to others around us.
Craig exhorted us from our study of Acts and in other N.T. passages regarding the heart of service modeled by Jesus and what specific areas we can involve ourselves to serve in the church. As believers, God has gifted us by the power of the Holy Spirit and provided resources to steward as we seek to effectively serve the church. Have you found your place to serve at Grace? Are you balancing the expectations of a Grace church member, worship + 2 (in community and serving the Body)?
VI. Mission: God’s glory in God’s Universe
We seek to live missionally whether we are in Cedarville or Jaipur, India. We must choose to live “intentionally,” believing that our lives are to be organized around God’s great purpose and our specific place in His plan. Our mission: “Exalting the Name of God the Father, Increasing the Fame of Jesus Christ, and Fanning the Flame of the Holy Spirit.” We must seek to be on mission over our comforts and our traditions. What does it look like to live out our mission wholeheartedly? Would our church look different if all members lived on mission together?
These six areas should be at the core of who we are at Grace. May we continue to look back and remember who we are and the work that is still yet to be done. As Zach reminded us last week from the pulpit:
“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am” - John Newton
May we continue to live a life of prayer and fasting seeking the Lord to revive us personally and corporately.
Your Brother in Christ,
Thad Franz
|
