Grace Community Church Listen Again

As the church has evolved over time, some changes have led to it maybe not functioning as it should. The roles of pastor and teacher have often been combined. Evangelists tend to function outside of church and prophets and apostles are few and far-between. However, it is evident that the "Ascension Gifts" mentioned in Ephesians 4 bring all of these roles together, suggesting that for the church to operate well it needs all five — or none at all. - The Apostle: The pioneer. They keep us true to our mission. They're the foundation layer. - The Prophet: They glimpse God’s heart and draw it into the fellowship. - The Evangelist: They proclaims the gospel with their whole lives. Not just with a microphone on a street-corner. - The Shepherd: They're passionate about developing a loving community of people. - The Teacher: They're the mediators of wisdom and understanding. They communicate, simply, complex ideas. So the question is, do you carry one of these gifts? One way to find this out is to see which area o

We read in 1 Corinthians 12 about the range of spiritual gifts given to us as children of God. Each person is given a different gift, but they all point to revealing who God is and who we are in him. When we don’t unwrap our gifts, the whole body of Christ misses out, as all the gifts need to work together. Like the orchestral symphony that has many different parts, but is dependant on one another to work towards a common goal, we must use our gifts for the advancement of the kingdom of God. When it comes to spiritual gifts, there tends to be strong opinions at the extremes: ​“cessationism” and ​“charismatism”. 1 Corinthians chapters 1 and 14 warn holders of these views. One thing is certain: if a gift turns the person using it into the main character, there’s a problem.

God’s presence on earth is made visible through his people who are called to live sacrificial, fully available lives. His ‘Faithful Presence’ is manifest through us. In Romans chapter 12, we are encouraged to think of ourselves as part of the body of Christ. Each of us are blessed with gifts and talents, and we are called to use them in the building of the kingdom of God on earth. While our gifts are unique to us, we must see them and ourselves as part of an interdependent system with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The fire in Acts fell onto each person. Each individual blessed with a full gifting. And a spirit that can carry those gifts further and wider. Each of us has been gifted something that has the potential to change the lives of those around us. Yes, it’s unusual to find the sacrificial giving of your talent, time and treasure easy, but it’s important that we do not diminish the work of the Spirit and that we endeavour to give our gifts to each one.

Early Sunday morning, the disciples had returned to where they were staying. It was just Mary Magdalene left, crying, by the tomb were Jesus lay. Soon, she saw angels and who she thought was the gardener. It is possible the Jesus waited til Mary was on her own. The picture of Jesus’ tending the garden, might have seemed like a mistake on Mary’s part. Or, there’s significance here. Jesus: hands in the mud; intimately involved in the confusion and heartache that permeates humanity. His resurrection means he continues to make beautiful things out of the dirt.

How many times do I ignore something because it doesn’t meet my standard? 1. God meets us in the ordinary moments of our lives. 2. God sits with us in our time of rest. 3. God invites us to bring our whole selves to prayer. Centre your busy fractured lives on him.

We are called to use our gifts and talents to the glory of God. Sometimes it’s not easy to name, accept or embrace our talents, so perhaps asking these questions might help us achieve ‘Spiritual Ikigai’ - our spiritual ‘reason for being’. 1. What burdens our heart? 2. What do voices of wisdom say about our gifts and talents? 3. What skills do we possess? 4. Are we in good physical, emotional and spiritual health?

How can we have a prophetic imagination for our families, churches and communities? In the book of Acts we learn how the Holy Spirit awakened new imagination and authority in the early Christian church. As we strive to have prophetic imagination stirred in us, we need the ‘see, go and speak’ in faith, as Jesus did. We need to do this in ‘Oneness’ with one another, walking with spiritual authority that comes from our confidence in our faith. We are called to be part of one church, with the shared knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord of Heaven and earth.

We can’t measure our talent by comparing ourselves with someone else. God is asking us to be faithful with the talents we’ve been given. A stage show — such as a musical — has a lot of people that are not the main performers, without whom the show would be a lot less exciting.

Being part of the kingdom of God requires us to handle our treasure in a way that may seem counter-cultural to the world we live in. We are encouraged as believers to offer our ​‘first fruits’ to God, as an act of faith and worship. Rather than be motivated by external pressure to give, our motives should flow from the internal and eternal realms. Money is very often a test case for what’s going on in our hearts — where our devotion goes, our money will follow.

After Paul had brought his message to the new churches around the Mediterranean, he returned to collect money. He suggested that, with their help, they were joining in with the "serving of the saints". Interestingly, in his instructions, Paul is not legalistic. He does not suggest an amount or a percentage, rather he is urging these new Christians to respond as a reflection of their understanding of God's goodness. He is more interested that they give with their hearts aligned rather than it being an adherence to a rule or law.

Reading the "Feeding of the Five Thousand" opens up a number of questions that encourages us to look at Jesus' heart for his people. When they see the problem of all the hungry people they turn to Jesus for help but, to their surprise, he turns the table and asks them to do something. They are compelled to present the only food they have. Though meagre, it is everything. For Jesus it wasn't about how much they had but how willing they were to give it. In contrast the Rich Young Ruler in Luke 18 is left sad because, even though he kept all the commandments and led a good life, Jesus asked him to give up everything in order to follow him. In this story it's clear that the young man didn't own money — rather the money owned him. Tithing suggests we give 10 percent but Jesus compels us to be faithful with 100.

In scripture we are encouraged to be faithful with our time, talent and treasure. The question that we all have cause to ask is: how do we steward our money and resources in the best way possible? Does it mean tithing a set percentage, or could there be more to it? In Genesis 14 we have the first introduction to the concept of tithing, and this concept set the pattern for Christian giving that is still used by many today. Abraham learned that giving had a lasting impact on future generations, the blessing of God was not just for him but to all who came after him too. As we consider our own giving and the legacy we are leaving behind, perhaps the question should be ​‘How can we be faithful with it all?’, not just our tithe, but all our resources. Is there a way we can raise the bar on stewarding our time, treasure and talent so the blessing will be on our future generations?

Life does not progress on a linear timeline, but rather it zigs and zags, perhaps even moving in circles sometimes! In Ecclesiastes our attention is drawn to the fact that our life is like a mist or vapour, which passes by quickly. So how do we acknowledge, accept and redeem that fact? Every moment in life could be pregnant with possibility, but we need to learn how to engage in the ordinary moments in between the extraordinary. Just like a couple dancing, one person must have an awareness of the other and awareness of the music in order to respond creatively. What would it look like for us to have an awareness of the extraordinary while living in the ordinary realm of everyday life?

Sometimes when we face difficulties and trials in life, we explore every avenue before we enquire of the Lord. In the stories of Nehemiah and Daniel we see that they acknowledged the turmoil their communities were in and they fasted. It is in these examples that we have a precedent of how to deal with the problems in our communities today. In order to bring ​‘Kingdom Solutions’ to these problems, we need to rend our hearts and align ourselves with the heart of the Father.

Stewarding our time well. Sometimes, in order to move forward, we need to be able to carry our past well. Writing a new chapter is not the same as starting a new book. What goes before shapes who we are today. However, we should never be defined by feelings such as shame. Life is not linear. Instead, it’s more like a spirograph.

The journey the magi took to visit Jesus was long and risky. Because of their knowledge, Herod sent them to find Jesus and report back so he could ​“worship him”. Of course, his real motivation was jealousy. For the magi, however, their encounter with Jesus changed them. So much so that they went back to their home country via a different path. It’s impossible to encounter Jesus and not be changed.

It’s the time of Ahaz, King of Judah. Jerusalem is under threat from Damascus, Syria and Samaria. The threat causes the people under Ahaz to become terrified. Isaiah has been sent with a word. He says, keep calm, don’t be afraid, don’t lose heart. This prophecy came true for Ahaz, but its effect was for a time. 700 years later a little boy, born of a virgin, appeared to fulfil the words from prophecies such as those in Isaiah. This time, the effect was going to be eternal.

The Gift of Waiting is that we quiet ourselves to hear what the Father is doing. There will be a time when the parched land will rejoice. There will be a time when the dry wilderness will blossom. The weak will be strengthened. The fearful will be comforted. The blind shall see. The deaf shall hear. The lame shall walk. We look forward to the time of John the Baptist: a time that Isaiah prophesied about. John was the voice in the wilderness, a voice proclaiming a new hope. In Matthew 11, John’s in prison as punishment for rebuking King Herod. Why he’s there he hears about the deeds of Jesus. He asks the disciples to confirm if this was indeed the Messiah. They are able to say, yes, Jesus is indeed fulfilling the vision given to Isaiah. The weak are strengthened, the fearful comforted, the blind get their sight back, deaf are able to hear and the lame are walking. Even more than that, the dead are being risen to life!

In Isaiah 11 we learn of the Branch from the line of Jesse, that would one day bear fruit. This prophecy was spoken at a time of great societal injustice, where hope was hard to find and oppression was rife. Isaiah is reimagining a world where the Messiah would come and rescue the oppressed, stand up for justice and love the widow and the orphan. Perhaps there is a call on us today, to also be that champion who raises the banner of justice, loving those within our community and bringing a message that Hope is here.