Virginia District Teen Winter Retreat

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Romans 12:1-2

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

What God desires for us is a closeness to him. Closeness creates character.

God is more concerned with our proximity (to Him) than our performance.

When our faith is tied to our proximity, and not our performance. When our faith and our value are tied to our closeness to Jesus he won’t fail.

Are you living and looking and loving like Jesus?

There is nothing in this world that can hold the value that you are putting on it, except for Jesus.

Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

What Does God Want from Me? Gifts

What we do with what we’ve been given matters to God

Throughout this series we will seek to understand and answer the question:What does God expect of me?

We believe whole heartedly that it is only by the grace and mercy of God that we can be saved. There is absolutely nothing we can ever do to EARN our salvation.

But truths such as the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of God do not nullify the fact that He has expectations about how we are to live our lives.

Our teaching series is based on the parable of Jesus in Matthew 25 known as the parable of the talents.

What we do with what we have been given, matters to God. God expects his people to utilize what they have been given for the growth of his Kingdom. That’s exactly what Jesus wants us to see in this parable.

Within our teaching series we are seeking to understand what God expects with our time, our money, and ultimately our very lives.

Today we are focusing on spiritual gifts. Those abilities, passions, and strengths God has graciously given you, for the growth of his Kingdom.

1 Peter 4:10

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

Here this truth today friends: If you are in Christ, you have been given at least one spiritual gift.

So, the question is not “Do I have a spiritual gift?” God’s word says you do-the question for you today is this- What are you doing with the spiritual gift you’ve been given?

1 Corinthians 12:1-6

Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Where do spiritual gifts come from? They all come from the Lord.

The New Testament records some 20 spiritual gifts, while leaving the door wide open to include more. But despite their varied type and function, all spiritual gifts come from the Lord.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

Who has spiritual gifts? Each and every one who is experiencing life in Christ.

What are spiritual gifts for? Serving others in the body of Christ.

In the New Testament there are (4) lists that contain spiritual gifts.

1 Corinthians 12, also in Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4.

There are 20 or so different gifts mentioned in the New Testament.

Gifts like Faith and discernment. Giving and Administration. Healing and wisdom. Encouragement and leadership. Teaching and evangelism.

Let’s pause just a second to distinguish between natural abilities or talents and spiritual gifts.

Natural abilities or talents are certainly related to spiritual gifts and they often overlap, but they are in fact different. Natural abilities or talents are things that come naturally to us, through genetics or practice and refinement.

Spiritual gifts on the other hand come from God supernaturally- and they have ONE purpose, and that is serving the Kingdom.

Spiritual gifts are abilities and passions specifically given by God, to be utilized in the growth and flourishing of his kingdom through the church.

1 Corinthians 12:12-18

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.

Our gifts are going to be different, and that’s by design.

God has arraigned us together to form the body he has called to be on mission here in this community- for such a time as this.

If you are in Christ today, God has given you special gifts of grace-and he expects you to use them as part of the Church, as part of the Body of Christ.

Some here have gifts of helping, others have gifts of leading, others, gifts of administration, others gifts of healing, still others gifts of encouragement, etc.

Friends, what you do with what you have been given matters to God.

So, What does God expect of me in regards to my spiritual gifts?

First- God expects that you have a spiritual gift, because he’s given you one in Christ Jesus. If you aren’t sure about which of the 20 or so spiritual gifts mentioned in the Bible are yours, I would encourage you to explore the different spiritual gifts this week.

Second- God expects you to use the gift that He has given you, to serve the body of Christ, His church. Jump into serving now!

Begin a journey now to discover your gifts, and put them to work in his kingdom.

There is no one who is part of our church family who is expendable or unnecessary. He made you with a purpose. So you can obey him, serve him, and love others well.

That’s what he expects of you!

Updates on the new Waynesboro campus

God is inviting us to step out in faith to plant a Spanish-speaking campus in the Waynesboro community. Join us on the journey!

Check out the link below for more information and for frequent updates throughout the journey.

Waynesboro

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving

https://www.bible.com/events/49192298

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

What Does God Want from Me? Time

Live like the time you have is truly a gift.

What does God want from me?

When is the last time you considered that question?

That question matters, because it implies that God has expectations for us. He expects something of you.

We expect things from God, certainly. We are quick to remember those things:

God, help me

God, heal me

God, provide for me

God, bless me

God, lead me

We have expectations for God, but how often do we think about His expectations of us?

Throughout our series called, “The Talents”, we will reflect on one of the most well-known stories of Jesus to identify what God expects from each of us.

Matthew 25:14-30

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

-First we have to notice that the servants in Jesus’s parable are given their talents. The master wasn’t obligated to give them anything. This is a gift. This is grace. Each servant received his talents by the grace of the master.

-So the first implication is clear: none of us has any ground for boasting in our “talents.” They are gifts. We didn’t earn them. We can’t really ‘deserve’ them.

-Second, God values highly the gifts he gives us.

-Certainly “less talented” servants might have envied “more talented” ones. But in reality, each servant received something of great value.

-We must not undervalue what we have been given. Some are given more, some are given less, but all are given much.

This isn’t only a story of money, or wealth, it’s a story of stewardship. God desires for us to be faithful stewards.

The issue of being faithful stewards of what we have isn’t just a suggestion or a nice idea. It is a requirement of God with dramatic consequences one way or the other.

This is a hard word from Jesus, but the parable really isn’t about God being “hard” or cruel.

This is a story about urgency

Examining the text around this story, it is clear that Jesus is responding to this question: How should we live as we prepare for Christ to return?

The answer is: with urgency. By acknowledging that each of us have been given valuable gifts, skills, abilities, and resources. And we will be held responsible for how we use them.

Ephesians 5:15-16

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:11-16

Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ. Wake up from your sleep, Climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light! So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!

“Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!”

Just as Paul is admonishing the church in Ephesus, so we must be faithful stewards with our time.

The parable of the talents isn’t about doing more or achieving more. It’s about obeying more and loving more.

How often have you talked with someone on the telephone who seemed to be in a hurry and wanted to get on with more important business? Or visited with someone on the street and received that same hurried feeling? You’ve undoubtedly experienced it…and didn’t enjoy it. And, perhaps, you have also been guilty of this. If you have, why not decide to tithe time, save up chunks, bits and pieces of it, and give them away to people who interrupt your pre-established plans?

It is a great principle of love that people don’t interrupt, not really. Perhaps there shouldn’t even be such a word as interrupt; for when people come into your existence, even for a brief time, that is a wonderful moment of experience for both of you. Relish it. Probe it. Invest some of the time you have tithed. We can’t afford to indulge in the luxury of “being too busy and important” for another person.

We have time for such inanimate things as pieces of mail, vast sprawling shopping centers, the television program which starts at 7:30. But what about relationships with people? Isn’t that a great deal of what life is all about–loving other people? Remember Jesus? How he raced about, hurrying from one city to another, collecting great crowds on the way to give them a few minutes of hurried heaven-data, then dashing on to the next place?

No, that is not the picture of Jesus the New Testament gives. He had time for people. In a crowd, a woman touched his robe. Lots of people were probably pushing against him, touching his robe, but he discerned the urgency in this particular touch. He stopped, taking valuable time for this “interruption.” His disciples were full of fire and computer-like- efficiency. They wanted to get on with the task of getting something done, even if they didn’t always know what that “something” was.

Once a bunch of small, grimy-fingered kids came along and wanted to climb on the Master’s lap. “Get those kids out of here,” thought the goal-oriented disciples.

“No, let them stay. Let’s enjoy them and let them enjoy us,” thought the true-goal-oriented Man from heaven who knew and expressed the great worth of the individual.

The next time a person “interrupts” you, think not of your work and your deadlines; rather, think of that person’s needs, of his covert compliment in desiring to spend a few moments with you. Your meeting may be a significant point in each of your lives, because it is an encounter with another person God has created. you may impart something crucial to his fulfillment–or he to yours.

Paul prayed: “May God, who gives patience, steadiness, and encouragement, help you to live in complete harmony with each other–each with the attitude of Christ toward the other” (Rom. 15:5, TLB). Are you caught up on your time-tithe?

Monte Unger, NAVLOG, January, 1975.

Bottom Line:

Live like the time you have is truly a gift.

Verses for Further Study & Reflection:

Colossians 4:5

Luke 14:28

Psalm 39:4-5

John 9:4

Psalm 90:12

Updates on the new Waynesboro campus

God is inviting us to step out in faith to plant a Spanish-speaking campus in the Waynesboro community. Join us on the journey!

Check out the link below for more information and for frequent updates throughout the journey.

Waynesboro

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving