Review:
So far in this study we have talked about the commitment that we need to have to God in sharing our faith. It doesn’t just happen on its own! We have to work at it. We have to be prepared for it just like Peter points out in 1 Peter 3:15, “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”
Last week we looked at the idea that we need to warn everyone and teach everyone with all wisdom. We can’t just sit back and wait for people to ask us and then start figuring out what we would say. We need to be prepared to teach them, to know our information inside and out. To really know what we believe.
We also discussed what your warning looks like. Is it this hidden message that you kind of slip into a conversation? Or is it a bold proclamation that they will clearly see and understand?
Introduction
*Colossians 1:28-29, “28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
You are probably going to get tired of hearing me say that verse. You know how I ask you over and over again how you see God at work in your lives? This is where I see God at work right now. He is reminding me about proclaiming His name. He wants me to be bold in sharing my faith in Him. He wants me to have confidence in who He is and in what He is doing.
You may be thinking that this is all well and good, but what does it mean for you? What is God showing you right now?
What is something that energizes people, something that gets them excited or pumped up? What makes it fun to go to a football game or an amusement park? There is an energy that you feel because people all around you are excited about what is happening. You start getting excited because other people are. You see the expression on their faces and the way they talk. Then you want to experience what they are experiencing!
What are some things that totally suck the energy and fun out of a room? Have you ever been over to a friend’s house having a good time then all the sudden your friend gets into a yelling match with their parents? Awkward. You just want to hide and get away from that situation.
How about those people who just walk around looking like they spent their morning drinking pure lemon juice? They have a scowl on their face! You don’t want to get near them, you avoid them.
Attitudes are contagious! If you don’t believe me, just pay attention the next time you wake up on the wrong side of the bed. See how your family members react to your sour attitude. You will notice that it spreads to others.
Fortunately this is true of a good attitude as well! This is what I am talking about. I started this study with telling you what God is showing me. It is exciting! I am pumped up about it and I want you guys to get excited about how God is at work in my life too. Why? If you are not experiencing God in a vibrant way in your life you might be walking around spreading a very bland sort of Christianity.
Is there anyone here that gets excited about bland things? Nope. No one wants a bland dry hamburger. You want a mouth watering juicy cheeseburger that explodes with flavor!
The “in” thing for Christians right now is to talk about “Radical” living, but how many of them do you see that are excited about God? I have to say that even I have fallen into the rut a few times. I have gotten comfortable with bland. But you know what God has shown me? He has shown me how excited He is about the way He wants to use each and every one of us.
God’s excitement is pretty contagious! Let’s take a look at how we can get excited about what God is doing.
Excitement in Christ Leads to Confidence in Christ
*Colossians 1:28-29, “28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
Jesus doesn’t want us to get overwhelmed with the task ahead of us. He wants us to get so excited about the work that He is doing that the job ahead of us becomes a joy. Does that language sound familiar? James said that I count it all joy no matter what you are going through:
*James 1:2-4 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Jesus doesn’t just leave us empty handed in doing His work. He equips those that He calls. Paul said that he toils, struggling with all God’s energy that He powerfully works within me. God gave Paul His energy to accomplish the task before him!
Have you been called to follow Christ? Have you been equipped to do His work? The answer to both of those questions should be yes if you are a Christian. God calls you to Himself for salvation and then calls you to be a missionary. You have to take that step in believing God’s provision to equip you for the job ahead.
If we looked at the work that God wants us to do without knowing that God would give us the ability to carry it out, it would be mind numbingly overwhelming! Think about Noah for a second. God asked Noah to do the simple task of building a massive ark that would hold the surviving population of the world and all the animals that God would keep. Oh, and all their food and water for 40 days and 40 nights.
That is an intense job description! What God calls you to do will be out of reach of your abilities. That way He can show Himself faithful to provide you the skills necessary, or just the supernatural provision to accomplish it. Then you will get excited about God’s work!
I love how God would proclaim Himself in the Old Testament. He would say, “I will do this and then they will know there is a God in Heaven.”
Confidence in Christ is Rooted in Quality Time with God
There are two things that you need to remember here. God will call you to something that is out of reach of your human abilities, it is up to you to step forward and say, “Lord, I trust you to provide.”
How have you seen this in Scripture? Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 6 steps up and says, “Here I am Lord! Send me!” Moses was called to be the spokesperson for the Lord to Pharaoh. Did He feel up to the task? Nope. Did he step up to the plate? Sure did. What other examples can you see in scripture that prove this fact?
The second thing is this; God doesn’t just hand out His energy to anyone. You may say, “Hold up Kevin! He gave us His Holy Spirit so we already have His power at work in us!” Yes, that is absolutely true. But have you seen people who have more confidence in God, or people that seem to have more faith, power, understanding et... in Him? Yes you do see that. Why? Is it that God hasn’t given all of us the same Holy Spirit to fill us, guide us, and give us powerful energy to carry out what He wants us to do?
We, as Christians, have the Holy Spirit at work in our lives to varying degrees. People who are on fire for God have the Holy Spirit working in mighty ways in their lives. People who seem to be limping along in their walks with God are not experiencing the fullness of God’s Spirit.
What do you think the difference is? Why would there be a disconnection between the two if they are both Christians? If you listened to the pastor on Sunday he really nailed this issue to the wall. You get your eyes off of Christ and things start to fall apart.
Let’s look at it this way. Do you think that a Christian who seldom reads his bible, maybe attends church 3 out of 4 Sundays, falls asleep in the service or spends most of their time texting/writing notes, is going to have a strong infilling of the Holy Spirit?
On the other hand, if a Christian makes it a priority to spend time with God every day, shows up to church ready to hear what God is going to say, takes notes in service so that she can remember what is being said, and does her best to be a good witness at school and at home, do you think they would have a weaker or stronger filling of the Holy Spirit?
Which person is going to be more excited about what God is doing in them and around them? Which person is going to have a closer walk with God? Following God isn’t a joke. If you want to get results working out, do you go to the gym and watch other people sweat? No! you get in there and work hard! Do you get good grades when you don’t study for a test? No! You have to work on it.
Then why is it not a priority to work on the most important relationship that you will ever have? Why do we think that we will just one day turn into a John Piper, or Francis Chan? It is illogical! What does happen by living a Christian life in “limbo” is that you get bored with it and eventually walk away from God because “He didn’t live up to your expectations.”
I am not trying to say that a person who takes notes in church is more spiritual than you, but I want to challenge you to understand something. If you do not pour your life into chasing after God, you will turn into the sour faced boring Christian that will miss out on so much joy and excitement that can be found in God.
Confidently Sharing Your Faith
*Colossians 1:28-29, “28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
What do you think will attract people to Christ? A person who walks around with a sour expression on his or her face talking about a faith that leaves them bored out of their mind? I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t get me interested in following anyone!
We need to have a faith that is rooted in Christ so that we can confidently and with excitement tell those around us about God and what He is doing in our lives. If you can’t tell me what God is doing in your life right now, then why are you following Him? However, if you can point out to me how you have seen God move in your life you will convince me that there is a God in heaven! People today want something real. Is the life you live in Christ real?
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