“TRUTH AND TRANSFORMATION” September 4, 2005

John 17:17


This is an exciting time for our church. We have the opportunity to shape the future for years to come – in 4 inner-connected areas.

1st the shape of our vision. The elders are in process of clarifying the vision and direction of our church post-fire.

Friday morning we spent an exciting & stimulating time talking about creating a culture of discipleship in our church. Pray for us as we continue to seek God for his will.

2nd the shape of our rebuilding project. God has given us the responsibility of building something that will outlast many of us. What rises up from the ashes of the old building will be handed on to future generations.

Based upon our God-given vision, what kind of building do we need? What kind of facility will help us to realize our vision?

I was encouraged by our congregational meeting last Sunday. I heard you saying you would like to see a new sanctuary + youth space + coffee center/welcome area + user friendly office space + clearer entry way + security + facility for community use.

Process:
* Insurance money (mid-October)
* Design of building
* Architect
* Contractor
* Fund-raising

There is still time for you to share your ideas. Let us know what they are.

3rd the shape of our staff. Kim is new to our staff in the office. Ginny is new to our staff in children’s ministry. And the youth pastor search team is almost ready to bring their recommendations to the elders for. Be in much prayer about this.

4th (but not least) the shape of the people. I have said all along that I strongly believe God wants to rebuild us as a people. This is not just about a building. This is about us.
* Where do we need to repent?
* How do we need to change?
* What needs to be made different?

What an exciting opportunity! And what a call to prayer! Sign up this morning for our 48 hrs of prayer coming in 2 weeks.

I believe that the primary way God is going to shape & change us as a people boils down to our obedience to Scripture.

Our commitment to Scripture
My text this morning is a short one. Jesus prays to his Father "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." This prayer is embedded in Jesus’ heart for his followers.

He prays that his followers – us – would be protected from Satan (11,15). Why? Because like Christ, we are sent into the world, not taken out of it (15,18). The world is where Jesus & the Father want us.

Jesus becoming human, leaving heaven, and living in this world IS our model for ministry. You can’t save or transform or influence something from a distance.

We are not of the world (14) but we have been sent into the world (18). Not of but in. How do we live our lives in the world without being of the world?

The answer is found in vs. 17 – sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. This is how Jesus lived his life in the world. Turn to his temptation in the wilderness in Matthew 4. Satan tempted Jesus. Jesus met Satan’s temptations with the Word of God (4:4,7,10).

God’s Word sanctifies us. Sanctify has a double meaning. 1st to step back from something in order to 2nd commit yourself to something else. Our commitment to living our lives by Scripture will show us what to step back from (repentance) & what to give ourselves to (commitment).

This happens through our obedience to God’s Word. I want to take you through 4 steps for reading your Bibles. Read + meditate + pray + live.

Read
The Bible, old & new testament, is the written Word of God. God is present to us in language. Scripture is one way in which God is with us.

The written Word of God was inspired by the Spirit of God. The same Spirit brings these words to life when we read & interact with them.

The written Word of God inspired by the Spirit of God reveals the Living Word of God to us = Jesus. The written Word contains the Living Word.

We have here the Triune nature of the Bible – God’s written Word, inspired by the Holy Spirit, revealing the Living Word, Jesus Christ.

Scripture is a living Word, a living text. Scripture is the primary way that God reveals himself to us today. We start with reading. A chapter, paragraph, sentence, phrase or word.

Eugene Peterson "Every word in this Bible is God’s word to you, spoken to you personally by the Spirit, and is meant to be lived."

Meditate
Psalm 1:1-3. As we read we stop when a word or sentence or phrase jumps out at us. At this point we lay down roots. We camp out. We live it.

We take this word and meditate on it. We think about it. We let it address us. We let it speak to us. We suck on it slowly like a cough drop. We savor it. We let the words seep into the whole of our lives, let them drop from head to heart.

We might write them out in our journal. Or put them on a 3 by 5 card that we carry with us through the day. We might memorize them. Meditation & memorizing go hand-in-hand.

In July we spent some time in the San Juan Islands. The cabin we stayed at was 3 ½ miles from the town village. I walked to the village 2 mornings – instead of driving my car or riding a scooter or taking a bike. It was a whole new experience.

I saw & heard sheep that I’d missed when I drove. I watched the sun & clouds in the sky. I heard birds singing. I watched some hawks circling the sky high above my head. I came upon some wild roses growing on the side of the road. I noticed the crown of the asphalt and the banked corners of the road.

Meditation is like this. We slow down our reading of God’s Word. We stay present to the parts that are addressing us. We live with them. We don’t rush on to the next chapter. We give the Word of God time enough to become a part of us. When God is speaking through His word, stop and set up camp.

Pray
Scripture is the Word that God speaks to us. God’s personal word, his personal speech. We read it. We meditate on it. And then we answer God by praying. We turn the speaking voice of God in Scripture into our prayers.

For example, man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. I read this. I chew on it. I let it chew on me. And then I pray:
* confession – I’m not living by your Word
* thanksgiving – thank you for your Word
* petition – help me to live by your word, value it more, read it more, obey it more
* intercession – give our church a hunger to live by your every Word

You answer God’s Word with prayer based upon that word – for yourself, you mate, your family, your friends, your church, etc. I pray for you like this all the time.

Live
Read, meditate, pray, live. What happens over time is that we begin to “live” the words. We become like Christ. Obedience marks our lives.

Two weeks ago we were driving up I-5 headed to Canada. A small white Tacoma pick-up changed lanes and pulled in front of us. In a spilt second my eyes, my mind told me something was wrong with the truck – the frame had been bent & the rear wheels were not lined up with the front wheels. I knew that because of seeing 1000s of cars on the freeway whose frames were not bent.

This is how Scripture works in our lives. We read it, meditate on it, pray it, and begin to live it. The more it becomes a conscious & unconscious part of us, the quicker we pick up on the bent values, bent words, bent decisions, bent behaviors of our lives that are not in alignment with God’s revealed will.

The transformation of our lives by God’s truth takes time. It can’t be rushed. It can’t be done in a hurry. There is no such thing as a microwave follower of Christ. We’re embarked on a long obedience in the same direction.

Practice practice practice
For the next 3 weeks I’m going to preach on Ephesians 4 – Church: The Way Its Supposed To Be. I want each of you to begin reading Ephesians 4 this week – read it, meditate on the parts of it that are speaking to you, turn your meditations into prayer, and begin to live the Scriptures.

Beyond this, share with others what God is saying to you – family members, friends, small group, staff, elders.

The clarifying of our vision – rebuilding of our building – rebuilding of our staff – rebuilding of our people = must come out of our encounter with the Living God in his written Word.