“A JOURNEY TOWARDS GENEROSITY”

Text: “Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do. So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving. Since you excel in so many ways―in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us―I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.” (2 Corinthians 8:1-7) [NLT]
    
Personal Comments:
     

What would you say that you excel at? As I look back on my life, I can think of many things I used to excel at. I was an average football player. Yes, I played for the BEST high school team in the region, Las Cruces High School! I wrestled several years without loosing a match and, I did go all three years of high school to state competition, where I placed in the top 5 in the javelin. So, I would say that I excelled at wrestling and throwing the javelin. But, that was in my past.
     

As I look at 2 Corinthians 8, I notice that Paul highlights some things that the church in Corinth excelled at: “Since you excel in so many ways―in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us―I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.”
     

So, in comparison with this list, what do you excel at? As I review it, I am reminded of just how much work the Lord has to do in me! There is a key ingredient to their success and it’s found in the middle of the passage above: “... their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.”

Biblical Background:
     

During his third missionary journey, Paul had collected money for the impoverished believers in Jerusalem. The churches in Macedonia- Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea had all given money even though they were poor, and they had sacrificially given more than Paul expected. Although they were poor themselves, they still wanted to help. The amount we give is not as important as why and how we give! God does not want us to give grudgingly. Instead, he wants us to give as these churches did–out of dedication to Christ, love for their fellow believers, the joy of helping those in need, as well as the fact that it was simply the good and right thing to do. How well does your giving measure up to the standards set by the Macedonian churches?          
     

The Kingdom of God spreads through the believers’ concern and eagerness to help others. Here we see several churches joining to help others beyond their own circle of friends and their own city. Explore ways that you might link up with a ministry outside your city, either through your church or through a Christian organization. By joining with other believers to do God’s work, you increase Christian unity and help to grow the Kingdom of God!
    

The Corinthian believers excelled in everything– they had great faith, gifted speakers, knowledge, enthusiasm, and love. Paul wanted them to also be leaders in the area of giving. Giving is a natural response of love. Paul did not order the Corinthians to give, but he encouraged them to prove that their love was really real!  When you love someone, you want to give that person your time and attention and provide for his or her needs. If you refuse to help, your love is not as genuine as you say it is.

Apply:
*How would you define generosity in a single sentence?
*In addition to finances, what are some areas in which believers should demonstrate generous giving?
*How should a Christian use his/her money when it comes to giving to the church and to the poor?
*What insight do you gain from Paul’s instruction to “give from what you have”?
*What person could most benefit from your generosity this week?
*Have you given yourself totally to the Lord yet? If not, don’t wait: do it now!  “... for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.” (v. 5)

Pastor Ruben & Gayla
November 23, 1974

"ARE YOU THANKS-LINVING?"

Ortega's at the pyramids in Giza

I often get frustrated listening to our Office Administrator deal kindly with people coming in from the streets asking for help.  As I listen to the conversation, I quickly pickup on what I call an “entitlement attitude”. Too often, people feel they are entitled to whatever we can give them. It is not uncommon for Emily to provide them with what they have asked for without getting as much as a thank you. I know that you have observed the same across our city.
     

As Christ-followers, we should make a focused effort each and every day, not just one day a year, to appreciate ALL the blessings God has blessed us with. Our lives should be filled daily with a spirit of “Thanks-living”. Psalm 92:1 reads, “It is good to praise the Lord and make music to His name to proclaim his love in the morning and his faithfulness in the night.” Did you catch what the verse said? Day and night we are to praise God and thank Him!  The apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 2:7 that our lives are to abound in thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2 reads that we are to be devoted to giving thanks. Philippians 4:6 says we are to do everything with prayer and thanksgiving. In Psalm 116, we read that we are to make our lives a thanksgiving offering before the Lord. The book of Hebrews says we are to serve the Lord with thanksgiving. And our lives as Christ followers are to be filled with a spirit of thanksgiving and gratitude towards the Lord for all He has done.
     

In Luke 17:11-19 [NLT], we read of ten lepers who stood at a distance and cried out to Jesus as He was traveling along the border of Samaria and Galilee. These diseased lepers cried out, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us.” Jesus heard them and said promptly, “Go show yourselves to the priest.” And Luke 17:14 says, “And as the lepers went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him.” And v. 17 records the response of Jesus to the one leper who returned. “Were not all ten healed? he said. Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”
     

Jesus' emotional response to the ingratitude of the other nine lepers gives us a look into the heart of God. Obviously Jesus was disappointed that only one person cared enough to express any gratitude. William Barclay writes, “No story in all the gospels so poignantly shows man's ingratitude like the lepers in Luke 17. The lepers came to Jesus with desperate longing. He cured them and only one came back to give thanks. So often once a man has got what he wants, he never returns.” Doesn't that sound just like us? We take God's goodness for granted as these nine lepers did. We’re blessed beyond what we deserve and yet, rarely do we go back and give God our gratitude and thanksgiving, recognizing the very source of our blessings.  Psalms 103:2 reads, “Blessed be the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his blessings.”

So, how can we develop an attitude of gratitude;

an attitude of thanksgiving?

1st: Remember that gratitude please God.

“... and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD, and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever,” the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.” (2 Chronicles 5:13-14)

2nd: Avoid complaining – at all cost!

“Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God] and questioning and doubting [among yourselves]”

(Philippians 2:14) [AMP]

3rd: Make a personal choice to rejoice!

“Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].”

 (1 Thessalonians 5:18 [AMP] 

4th: Decide to live thankfully everyday!

We read in Daniel 6 that Daniel got down on his knees three times everyday and prayed- giving thanks to his God.

Regardless of how small or large your blessing is, learn to search out the positive amidst the negative and give thanks for what you do have!

Here are a few questions to help you personalize this study:

1. Who do you know that expresses gratitude to God for everything?
2. Why do you think Jesus sent the lepers to the priests rather than healing them instantly?
3. Why do you think all but one of the lepers failed to come back and thank Jesus?
4. What was significant about the man who returned back to thank Jesus?
5. Who do you need to thank for something they have done for you?
6. How has Jesus healed or “cleansed” you in the past? How do you need healing or “cleansing” now?

Ortega's with "Old Jersualem" and "Dome of the Rock" in the background

May you’re Thanksgiving be filled with blessings and gratitude!

~Pastor Ruben and Gayla and staff

"CELEBRATING MISSIONS"

A warm welcome in Kathmandu

As we conclude this series on missions, preparing for this week’s sermon has caused me to stop and reflect on past mission trips we have taken. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think the Lord would use us and Sierra Vista in the way that He has by sending us to places that previously we hadn't even heard of!
     

I thought back to one of those very places: Nepal. God brought a Nepali family, Jit and Tara Baral, to NMSU and into our lives. A deep friendship was formed and they accepted Christ and became a part of our church family. They invited us, as their American family, to join them for a trip “back home” to meet their Nepali family. After much prayer, God made a way for us to go in 2007. Of course, Gayla and I were excited to meet their family.  However, God had already impressed upon our hearts to go to Nepal with open eyes to see how we could have Sierra Vista partner in reaching that part of the world for Christ that we had already grown to love through the Barals and several other Nepali friends.
     

We arrived in Kathmandu for our month long visit, warmly greeted by Jit and Tara’s family and friends as they placed wreaths of fresh marigolds and silk scarfs around our necks while bowing and saying “namaskar”. The following day, Tara's brother took us to the world’s most famous Buddest temple at Swayanabath (“Monkey Temple”) and to the Nepal National Museum to share with us the history, the culture and the religion of Nepal. This is an ancient culture, steeped in much war and conflict and religion! As we glanced in all directions, we saw religious icons permeating everywhere!  Gayla and I soon began to experience sensory overload and sadness.
     

This is exactly how Paul must have felt when he walked into Athens, (Acts 17:16) [ESV] “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.” This is exactly what we were feeling!  The Holy Spirit was telling us to pray that the one true God, Jesus Christ, would be made known to these people who worship either Budda or the 330 million Hindu gods.
     

Paul also made another statement that hits home with us in Acts 17:22-23 [ESV] “So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said to them “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: 'To the unknown god.'”   

That’s also describing the Nepali Hindu's who, in their effort to find “the one true God”, worship many gods eliminating the possibility of leaving one out. We also learned these people are actually not opposed to “adding” one more god to their deity list...just in case!  But, this poses a problem!
     

Paul addressed this same dilemma with the Athenians in (Acts 17:23-28) “... this I proclaim to you: The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us, for 'In Him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we are indeed His offspring.'”
     

From reading the scriptures above, we can learn from Paul’s example:

1. Be tactful. (v. 22)
2. Build a case for the one true God, by using examples and language they understand. (v. 23)
3. Establish common ground by emphasizing what you do agree on about God. (vv. 24-29)
4. Move them toward a decision about Jesus (vv. 30-31) Offer them a chance to respond.

Here are some questions to stimulate your own personal growth:

• What distresses you spiritually about the area in which you live? What specific needs do you see? What do you feel God is personally calling you to do about it?
• Who do you know who has very little, or no background, in the Gospel? Could you share the Gospel with someone without quoting Bible verses? Why or why not?
• Paul uses culture, history and religion in the form of idols and poetry as points of contact  with these people. What could you use as a point of contact and commonality with people  in your circle of influence in efforts to relate the Gospel with them today?

*(Romans 1:16) “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” “Gospel” is the English word used to translate the Greek word for “good news.” We, as Christians, use the word to designate the message and story of God's saving activity through the life, ministry, death & resurrection of God's son, Jesus.

The "Monkey Temple"

A resident from the Temple.

“REACHING PEOPLE CROSS-CULTURALLY”

Egyptian Women at the Community Training Center

Scripture(s):
(Matthew 28:19-20) [NASB] “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 




(Acts 1:8) [NASB] “... you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” & (John 4:1-26)

Open: 

What type of group of people make you most uncomfortable? Xenophobia is defined as an intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries or of people who are different than you are. Would you consider yourself as xenophobic? Be honest!

Personal comments: 

As you may already know, Gayla and I spent ten days in a part of the world that we had never been before. We were put in situations where all our prejudices and biases would be put to the test.
     

We visited several orphanages: a boys, one for disabled kids and finally an all girls one. We also got to visit a Community Training Center that is a Buckner International supported ministry. This was an awesome experience. However, I was put to the test. I was in an unfamiliar place, looking into the eyes of people who spoke an unfamiliar language and who the majority of worshipped an unfamiliar deity.
     

The food was different. I’m sure you heard already that I spent a day and a half in bed with terrible diarrhea due to a “wonderful” dish, according to the locals, that I ate.
     

The sounds were different and the smells were definitely different.
     

Yet, in the midst of all the differences in Egypt, Israel and Palestine, I found myself strangely comfortable with these people who looked so much like me. There were even times when I would hear a word that I recognized and sounded like Spanish to me. You see, there are a couple of thousand Spanish words that are the exact word in Arabic and another several thousand Spanish words that have Arabic roots. No wonder I felt comfortable. In fact the day I started feeling a little better we were ordering lunch and I asked the waiter if they could make me a cheese sandwich. I had a grilled cheese in mind thinking my selection would not upset my stomach. As the waiter approached the table another Hispanic pastor from Texas and I started laughing as we looked at my plate. Simultaneously we both said, “Quesadilla.”
     

Oddly enough, as we were a world apart from what we know as familiar, we found ourselves understanding, connecting and relating to these people better as we learned about their culture, their history and their religion. Our bridge to sharing the gospel with our Muslim friends through this priceless experience has now been shortened.

Back ground comments: 

In John 4 when Jesus approached the Samaritan woman there was a lot at stake for Him. You see no Jewish man would ever have anything to do with a woman in public who was not his wife and especially a sinful Samaritan woman.
     

Instead of avoiding Samaria as Jews often did, Jesus intentionally passed through this area that Jews considered inhabited by spiritual and ethnic mestizos (half-breeds). Not only that, but Jesus stopped to talk to a woman of questionable reputation.
     

This woman tried to distract the real issue by trying to take Jesus off track. She wanted to discuss her culture, she wanted to discuss her history and she wanted to discuss religion. Yet, Jesus in His all knowing wisdom redirected her to the real issue. Her need for “living water”. You see, we need to learn from the Master. Don’t be afraid of people who are from other countries or are different than you. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all the nations!” Are you?

Explore:
How would you translate the word Samaritan in Acts 1:8 and the verse into your own contemporary paraphrase? Write it down.

Get it:
How would you describe the Samaritan woman’s response for most of her conversation with Jesus? What most convinced her to believe that the man she was talking to was the Messiah? What convinced you?

Apply:
Jesus overcame social and cultural differences to reach this woman. How can you overcome those same barriers? Would you take a moment and pray that Jesus Christ the Savior of the world be made known to all nations?

It speaks for itself!