Spirit of the Living God, we come to this place today with minds hungry for truth, souls thirsty for forgiveness, wills searching for direction, spirits that are yearning for power. In this hour of worship, we humbly, yet boldly, ask you to feed us, refresh us, forgive us, empower us, and send us on our way rejoicing. Amen.

 

 

 

Good morning, again. We’re glad you’re here. If you’re a first-time visitor with us, or if you’ve been away for a while, I want you to know we’ve been in a series for several Sundays focused on putting balance back into our lives. As you know, in today’s world, it’s easy to get out of balance. The results, as you also know, don’t play very well. That’s why, I believe, and I imagine you do the same, that God created God’s world on the God-given universal principal of balance.

           

Several weeks ago we looked at mental fitness – getting our minds in balance. Last week we talked about physical fitness. (It obviously did me a lot of good.) But it’s God’s call for us to take care of this wonderful body of ours. Since then, of course, some of you have been telling me about your exercise programs and your nutritional plans. 

 

I have one guy going to yoga boot camp. What is that? Another is doing a triathlon. I talked about that. Another is preparing for his third Iron Man. 

 

Jan and I are going to make it to the gym this week. We have! We’ve been adjusting some quality and quantity of our intake. Stay tuned, and let’s see what kind of sense of humor the Lord has.

 

Anyway, our text today says that physical exercise is good. Yes, but spiritual exercise is much more important. 

 

The question today: What are the exercises that keep a person spiritually fit? Today I want to look briefly at eight spiritual exercises. Let’s get started. 

 

Isaiah 40:31 says, “Those who wait upon the Lord…”

 

That’s what worship is. It is those who wait upon the Lord.

 

“Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.”

 

As you and I go through our week… As you live in today’s world… As you do whatever it is you do, you run down. If you watch the news, or if you follow the elections, you get depressed. If you’re dealing with problems, working to make a living, maybe invested in raising a family, you get tired. You get emotionally, mentally, spiritually drained. All week long, you and I have been doing what it is that we do, and we can watch that needle on the gauge move gradually towards empty. 

 

Folks, I want to ask you to think of worship more like a filling station. You put this sanctuary together… You put this music together… You put these people together… And you mix that with the Spirit of the Living God, things happen. I don’t know whether you know this or not. Things happen when we do these things together that don’t happen when you’re by yourself. 

 

So, that encounter the Church has witnessed for 2,000 years… That encounter with the Spirit of the Living God that happens in worship restores, renews, and re-energizes our spirits. It strengthens us to deal with the things we have to deal with. 

 

When you come to worship, and you encounter that Spirit of the Living God, you open yourself up to the One who loves you – the one the New Testament says only loves you. When that happens, your strength is renewed. It happens when we worship. It happens when we sing and pray. It happens when we give and embrace, when we listen, when we learn, when we laugh, when we cry, when we come to the Table together. Weekly worship, folks, is a spiritual exercise, and it renews our strength.

 

 

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

Folks, you know this. When things get tough, when you’re up against it, our peace of mind sort of goes right out the window. Doesn’t it? We wallow in worry. Panic sometimes sets in. The Bible says that is a good time to pray. It’s not the only time to pray, but it’s a good time to pray if you’re willing to act on the answer that comes. 

 

Over 20 times in the New Testament, the Bible says, “Ask. Pray. Ask. Pray. Ask.   Ask, and it will be given. You have not because you ask not.” 

 

What do you need? Not what do you want? What do you need? Do you need food on your table? We have several folks who do. Do you need a friend to relate to? Do you need a helping hand with some pretty serious challenges? We have folks that do. Do you need someone to talk to or pray with? Do you need direction, guidance, purpose? Do you need assurance? Confidence? Nerve? What do you need?

 

 

What do you need? Can you ask? Pray, ask, act, receive, and the Bible says you’ll find peace for your mind that will replace that worry and that panic, whatever it might be.

 

 

 

 

If there is a person who can benefit from connecting with one of our Stephen Ministers, I want you to know they just happen to be some of the most-caring friends – Christian friends – around. They’ve been wonderfully trained. They’re fantastically supervised. They’re highly motivated, and all you have to do is ask. Talk to me. Talk to Kim. Talk to Jacob. Talk to anybody. We can arrange it. 

 

Or, pick a small group or a Sunday School class. We have dozens of them. Do whatever you need to do to get together with other Christians. It’s considered one of the best spiritual exercises available, because, the fact is, persons who separate themselves from other Christians eventually wither and dry up. So, talk to us. We’ll get you connected.

 

 

Jesus said in John 8:31-32, “If you continue in my word then you really are my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

 

Our views can become pretty narrow. Sometimes when those views get defined by our problems, or by our experiences, or by our colleagues, or even by our culture. When we study, and we read, and we fill our minds with Scripture, it helps us to see things from a whole new perspective. You know whose perspective that is? It’s the Creator’s perspective. We get a larger picture. We get a global view, and the time line stretches into eternity. Fill your mind with Scripture. 

 

It’s soul food. Can you imagine how hungry you would get if you didn’t eat today or didn’t eat for three days in a row or, my goodness, in three weeks?   Your body would, literally, shrivel up. In time, you and I would die. If you go without the Word of God in your life, your soul will, literally, shrivel up as well. 

 

To be spiritually fit, you need a balanced diet. That means we must have an infusion – a daily intake – of reading and encountering the Scriptures. People, carve out that time, just as sure as you are going to take time out to have lunch later this afternoon. Feed your spirit.

 

 

First Peter 3:15 says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks, to give the reason for the hope you have within you, but do it with gentleness, and do it with respect.” 

 

That means, simply, learn to tell your story. Every Christian has a story. You have a story. I have a story. But we don’t tell it very often.

 

Have you ever been called to be a witness in a court of law? I have. I learned something there. It wasn’t my job to prosecute or defend. I wasn’t there to convince the judge or the jury. How that case came out didn’t rest in my hands. I was there for one simple reason: to tell what I knew. “I saw this. I saw that. This is what happened as I recall.”

 

Folks, sharing your story simply means, “This is what happened to me when I decided, on my own, to become a follower of Jesus Christ. I don’t understand it all. I can’t explain it. There’s a lot I don’t know, but I do know that something good happened, something foundational, something really important happened when I decided, on my own, to be a follower of Jesus.” 

 

Share your story. Bring a friend or coworker to church. It brings joy. One of the greatest things you and I can do is help someone else actually encounter for himself or herself the Spirit of the Living God in Christ.

 

 

Second Corinthians 8:7-8 says, “See that you excel in the grace of giving and prove the sincerity of your love.” 

 

All of you know this. You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. 

 

When I first fell in love with my wife, Jan, I was continuously broke. I was so much in love with that woman, I wanted to buy her everything I saw. I bought her snow skis, hiking gear, a fishing rod. I did. And a sleeping bag, and a tent. All the good stuff.   I also bought some beautiful clothes, and some jewelry, and a honeymoon to Switzerland. I was broke all the time. 

 

When you love, you want to give. Don’t you? That’s what God did, according to the Scripture. God so loved this entire world that God gave. Practice your love through giving. How? 

 

First Corinthians 16:2 says, “Systematically.” “On the first day of each week, each of you should set aside…”

 

What’s the first day of each week? Sunday. Right. It means you plan it out. You budget it. Jan and I have done that for 28 years.

 

“On the first day of each week, each of you should set aside a sum of money that you have earned and give it as an offering.”  

 

How much? A percentage. A portion of what you have earned. You make a lot; you’re supposed to give a lot. You make a little; you give a little. You didn’t make anything last week; you don’t need to be thinking about giving this week. It’s in proportion to what you have earned. 

 

Now, I have to tell you. I read, just yesterday, this month’s issue of Real Simple magazine. Anybody seen that? It’s sort of cool. I just picked it up, but the story is amazing. 

 

Four women, in this article, wrote down everything they spent in a money diary for one whole month. Four of them. From take-out to tuition, they wrote down every penny they spent for one month.

           

One woman, Lindsay, age 23, is a public-relations associate in Los Angeles. She makes a whopping $30,000 a year. In L.A., that’s pretty tight, but she has the personal discipline of a tri-athlete when it comes to spending. Lindsay, in this article, has $2,058 a month to budget. Her top four expenses are rent: $551; car payment: $301; her tithe to her church: $230 a month; and savings of $200 a month. 

 

Her goal is to save for a down payment on a modest house. Now, Lindsay is very frugal, needless to say. She manages on the bare minimum. It’s amazing. She packs a lunch most days. She rarely shops for new clothes. She rarely eats out in nice restaurants. She said, “I’m pretty financially stable, but I really want to get a down payment for a modest home.” 

 

She went to a certified financial planner. The woman’s name happens to be Peggy Cabanas, in Lafayette, California. You’re going to love this. She recommended that, in order for Lindsay to get her down payment faster, she needed to “reconsider tithing of her income that she gives to her church.” “Because,” the financial planner said, “it’s all about choosing priorities.”   

 

Oh my gosh! Is there any wonder why this country is in the shape it’s in getting that kind of advice? 

 

She is 23 years old. She is a tither who loves her God, and loves her neighbors, and loves her church so much that she tithes. She practices her love through giving, sacrificial giving.

 

I have just one word for Miss Financial Planner: “You’re exactly right, young lady. It’s all about choosing priorities. I think that 23-year-old has it all over you.”

 

And we all say, “Amen.”

 

Well, let’s move on. I’m not done yet.

 

 

Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if you are working for the Lord.” 

 

The heart of Christian living, as you know, is helping other people. Jesus said, “I didn’t come to be served. I came to serve.” 

 

If Jesus did, guess who else? That’s us. As far as I can tell, I look out at this congregation. We have been here for a long time. I see nothing but blessed people. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. The only thing I can find, biblically or theologically, why you have a blessing and other people don’t is because you have it to be a blessing to others. Got that? God gave you some amazing gifts, some talents and resources so that you can serve, so that you can be a blessing to other people’s lives. 

 

Now, here at Broadway that means essentially three things: 

 

(1) Every Christian in this house is a minister. Not everybody is a pastor, but everybody is a minister. If you decide to make this your church home, you minister. It’s what you do. It’s what we expect. It’s what you’re supposed to do.

           

(2) Every Christian has a spiritual gift. It’s a gift that has been given specifically for you that can be used in this congregation. 

 

Romans 12:6 says, “We all have different gifts according to the graces given us… Use them in proportion to your faith.” 

 

The question: Do you know what your spiritual gift is? Can you name it? If you can’t, find out by taking our Life Focus Seminar. Talk to Kim, or any member of the staff. I’ve been through it. It’s great. How can you use a gift if you don’t even know its name?

 

(3) Every Christian at Broadway needs a specific place, a specific way to serve.  I believe God has put you in this community of faith for a specific reason. It’s not for me to decide why that is, as opposed to being part of another community of faith. You’re here to play a role, to do something specific. Take part in some kind of ministry – Stephen ministry, Angel Food, Sunday School, Connections, youth work, music. It doesn’t matter. Develop the God-given talent that you have through service.

 

 

I could have used a lot of words here. That is probably not the one you expected. Risking is part of the Christian life, folks. Indeed, I think it’s absolutely essential. 

 

Mark 9:23 says, “Everything is possible for those who believe.” 

 

Matthew 9:29 says, “According to your faith it will be done unto you.” 

 

Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible for you to please God.”

 

Folks, I don’t think any of us can be spiritually fit if we don’t take some risks on a rather regular basis. It is something that can’t be done in our own power. It is something that can’t be done without God’s help. Too many Christians are living in the shallows. God says, “Count the cost and dive in. Get out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is – out on the limb. Risk. Risk.” 

 

I want to be around people who say, “Sure, we can do that. Let’s go for it. Let’s make the move. In God’s power, we can do this.” 

 

I don’t think anybody remembers people who say, “I don’t think we can do that. That’s too chancy.”

 

I want to ask you to find some way to step out in faith this week. Find some way to take a risk. 

 

I believe for some of you that is going to be simply deciding, maybe even this hour, to invite Christ into the center of your life. For the rest of us, it may be a time to do some things we haven’t really considered seriously. We thought they were a little too risky. I think our God calls us to do just the opposite.

 

And all the people say… “Amen.”

 

 

 

May we be a church strengthened and inspired by your Word. Help us to dedicate our energies toward spiritual fitness, that we might be continually prompted and inspired by what you are teaching us in worship, prayer, study, service, and community. Amen.