What is a true Christian ?
Basic question, but many have made assumptions that are not necessarily Biblical.
Is it someone who believes In God ? – satan believes in God.
Is it someone who believes Jesus died and rose again ? – important but not the whole picture. Someone can believe that in their heads without it effecting their lives.
In terms of who will be welcomed into God’s Kingdom when they die or Jesus returns, do you know what the Bible says we will be judged by……..by what we did or didn’t do…..and by what we said.
Sheep and the goats – Matthew 25:31 onwards. Revelation 20:11-15. Matthew 12:33-37.

Why, if we are saved by grace through faith ?
Because our actions and words speak of what’s inside. Of what or who rules us. Of what motivates us, what’s important to us.
‘Faith without works is dead’ it’s not real.
‘If you love me you will obey my commands’ Jesus said. If you’re not seeking to obey God’s commands, you don’t truly love Him….it’s that simple. And if you’re deliberately disobeying God, watch out, there will be consequences.
If we know God, love God, and have surrendered our lives to Him, then He will be the focus of our lives and we will be seeking to do His will. In other words to be like Jesus.

Read John 4:34
John 6:38-40
Matthew 12:50
Matthew 7:21

The parable of building on the rock or sand.
Who’s life falls apart in the storms ? The one who hears God’s word and doesn’t put it into practice.
Who is it who stands firm and overcomes in life’s trials ? The one who hears God’s word and puts it into practice.
Which are you ?

Being a Christian is about relationship. Submitting to the God who loves us.
Otherwise the Bible is very clear, you’re in danger of hell.
As fallen humans, we often play games – pretending, manipulating, deceiving……God doesn’t play games.
He doesn’t just want your money, your possessions, your time…..He wants you.
All of you, not just a part.
If you see Christianity and your faith as just another part of your life, an add-on, then change your thinking please……Jesus wants to be central to your whole life, to infuse everything with His presence.

Read John 15:5-8.
That’s what Jesus calls us to, nothing less…..unless of course you don’t mind being thrown away and burned.

Being submitted to the Lord of the universe. Closely in relationship with the One who loves us completely. Listening and doing His will.

By the way, fatalism is not Christian – letting it happen.
Pushing doors until one opens – where is that in the Bible ? How is that different from someone in the world ?
Sometimes God let’s us go the wrong way to teach us , to discipline us as His children – I don’t want to spend 40 days in the wilderness, I want to enter the promised land, the fullness of what God has for me. If God hasn’t said it, don’t do it.

Assuming that we have given our lives to the Lord, because if you haven’t don’t expect to hear God clearly…..then how do we know Father’s will ?

We’re going to explore three things :
- The Bible – revealing God’s unchanging will and purposes.
– walking in the Spirit, living in close relationship with Him, having mind of Christ.
- specific guidance, usually on big issues (whether to get married, who to marry, changing job, moving house, moving church, starting a new type of ministry).

Don’t try to work things out. Common sense has some value, but sometimes what God says does make human sense (e.g. Jackie Pullinger, David Wilkerson).

Remember, you cannot serve both God and money. Sometimes going God’s way means that in worldly terms we may have nothing, but in heavenly terms will gain the riches of God’s Kingdom. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Read Psalm 146:3, Proverbs 3:5-8, Jeremiah 17:7,8, Psalm 37:3-7a.

God says trust Him and not our own understanding. So why don’t we sometimes ?

What gets in the way – maybe occasionally, or maybe you’ve never really experienced the Lord’s guidance ?

Pride – I’m going to do this my way. I’m my own boss.
Fear – Big one. Fear of letting go. Fear of what it might mean. Insecurity wanting to keep control of my life. When I wasn’t a Christian, I made such a hash of things I was more than happy for God to rule me and be Lord. Realise the mess you make when you do things your way. Don’t be afraid to hand over to an all loving and all powerful God…..He’ll do a much better job I can assure you.
Other sin – jealousy of others, persistent lustful thoughts and actions, addictions. Any ongoing sin will stop you from hearing God’s leading.
Lack of relationship – relationships take time, effort, commitment.

Many of you have heard these things before, but you’re not living in it.
Hear the word of God and put it into practice.

After all, who doesn’t want to hear God’s voice clearly and know more of His love and power at work in your life ?
So often we are waiting for God to do something…..most of the time…He’s waiting for us.

To hear God’s voice clearly there must be no interference, nothing between you.
You need to be submitted to Him.
You need to give Him the space to speak – be quick to listen and slow to speak.
You need to be filled with His Spirit, because it’s He who communicates God’s will to us.

Back last year we finalised a new Church Logo, and for a while now I’ve been seeking the Lord about a strap line, something that is short and communicates what we’re about. We came up with some really good ideas, but whatever I or others came up with, didn’t witness that it was right.
Then a few weeks ago as I was walking and praying about the Church, this came to me.
Three things tell me it’s what God wants us to use :
Firstly I didn’t think it up, it came to me, I believe from the Holy Spirit.
Secondly, I didn’t even like it.
Thirdly it wouldn’t go away and God kept confirming it to me.

‘Raising the Standard – Jesus’.

It’s a phrase that has grown on me as I’ve accepted that it’s what the Lord wants and as I’ve thought more about what it’s saying. I hope it will grow on you too.

As you probably realise, it works on different levels:

As followers of God….for whom nothing is impossible.
As those who are called to a high calling, to aim for perfection.
As those who Jesus has said to be salt and light in society.
As believers full of the Holy Spirit who take the Kingdom of God…His rule…wherever we go. As God’s people, ….we can have a dynamic, and dramatic effect on the places where we live and work.
Raising the standard – of care, of commitment, of truth and integrity, of morality….for the glory of the Lord.
Not settling for second best, or surviving, or plodding along, but being the best that we can be in Christ.
Jesus in us, is the One who does it, starting with us and then moving us out into our communities, as we co-operate with Him and step out in faith and courage.

Another important way to look at this, is raising the flag…that sort of standard…and that standard, that flag, that banner is Jesus.
Think of an army, particularly from the time of the Bible, or even the middle ages:

• The standard in an army is honoured and respected.
• The standard in an army says who they are, it is their identity.
• The standard is where they rally to, it is their central focus and point of reference.
• The standard is what is lifted up to be seen and known by others.

You could say that we have other standards too, the love of God, the Word of God, righteousness, and so on, and we will lift these up as God calls us to, …..but ultimately, Jesus is our standard. It is He who we honour, we look to, and who we lift up.

Jesus…Saviour, Healer, Baptiser in the Holy Spirit, and Coming King.

Last week we looked at love, but in a general way, the love of God shown to us in Jesus.
The love of God described in 1 Corinthians 13.
Picking up on our series on leadership, we’re going to look briefly at how this love of God relates to leadership and our relationships.
Whether you are a leader as a parent, husband, church leader, leader at school or work.
As a follower of Jesus Christ your motivation as a leader should be what ?………

If it’s not the love of God, you’ll in some way go off course – usually towards legalism or licence.
But if you love God with all that you are and want what He wants. If you love the people you lead with God’s love, then you’ll stay on track, and be walking in God’s way.

Here’s a short definition of love in our relationships with others, for you to think about :

Wanting God’s best for somebody else and doing what you can towards it.

Here’s another…..doing all that you can in Christ to meet another’s needs.

Put those into the context of being a husband or father, or wife or mother, a worker, a pupil at school. Think what that might mean. Does anything in your heart need to change ?

The focus is not on yourself but on the other person.
And love is not appreciating someone, or what someone else does for you.
That’s good but it’s self focussed.
Love is always other focussed. When we express love for God the focus is Him, just as when Jesus came and died for us the focus was on God the Father and on us who He came to save.
Jesus is our example of total selflessness.

So let’s abandon ourselves to God and to His will. Let’s die to self, to focussing on what we want, and let’s give ourselves in service of others as the Lord directs us…….in every aspect of our lives – home, church, work, school, wherever.

Remember God’s love is powerful.

Many of the things we’ve looked at so far are pre-requisites of good leadership – love, commitment, humility, servant-hood, integrity, honesty. You ideally need to already be demonstrating these things to some degree as you come into a leadership role.
Courage is different.
Courage is what is needed when we are called to lead.
You look at what some of the people in the Bible were like when God called them – Moses wanted to chicken out, so did Gideon.
Courage is necessary to lead people into God’s purposes, but it’s not always there to start with.
You may be a very confident, self assured person, ….but courage for most believers….as a parent, a husband, a church leader, a manager, ….comes when we realise God is with us, and what a powerful God He is. And obviously that’s true not just of leaders, but all of us in any situation.
When God tells us to do something hard, that needs courage to see it through.
It may be facing something from our past that need dealing with inside us…that can be just as daunting as being sent to preach to a hostile hill tribe in the Himalayas.
Don’t run as Jonah did, unless you want to face the equivalent of drowning, being half digested by a whale and thrown up on a beach.

Whatever you face……

‘If God is for us, who (or what) can be against us’

‘He that is within you (the Holy Spirit) is greater than he that is in the world’ – whether the opposition is human or spiritual.

‘God is with us and He is mighty to save’.

If we believe these things, everything becomes possible.
If we don’t then we get stuck in life. We don’t grow or move forward and actually can feel like we’re going backwards.
It’s because we don’t really know God as He is, someone who loves us and wants the very best for us….someone who has the power to make it happen…..or else we haven’t submitted our lives to Him.
We’re still focussed on ourselves – our problems, our wants, our agendas.

When I think of courage, I think of Joshua. Let’s have a look at what he faced and his call by God.

Read Joshua 1:1-11.

Moses had died. They were about to cross into the promised land after 40 years wondering in the desert because of disobedience and rebellion against God. They knew that it was a good land, but that the people in it were much bigger and better armed than they were. God had promised them this huge territory. It was a daunting task.
God had to say to Joshua several times be strong and courageous. It was important, to lead what was probably well over a million people into a new land.
Jesus said if we have faith even mountains can move, and that nothing is impossible for those who believe.
What seemingly impossible or difficult things to you face in your life…..particularly things which appear to be obstacles to doing God’s will….and becoming more like Jesus.

We’re not thinking primarily here of problems of our own making.
If we’re in trouble because we’ve sinned or been selfish or foolish…the answer in Scripture is to confess, repent, and turn back to God.

What we’re looking at here is the courage needed to do God’s work.

Abraham, to leave for a new place, Moses to challenge Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Nehemiah to go and build the walls of Jerusalem in the face of opposition, Gideon to lead a few hundred against tens of thousands, Jeremiah to speak God’s word to a people who wouldn’t listen, the Apostles to spread the Gospel in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth – to face beating, imprisonment, and so on.

Courage to become all that God wants you to be.
The Father, Mother, Husband, Wife, child, neighbour, work colleague, that He wants you to be.
The Pastor, Prophet, Evangelist, Teacher, Server, Giver, Healer, that God wants you to be. Courage to achieve what He has called you to do each day.

We recognise the need for courage, but what we need to consider is how this courage came to Joshua.

Firstly, he listen to God.
There are many voices in our lives. And although it’s good to listen to others, to seek to understand them, to show that you care……there is only one voice that we seek to guide us. The Lord’s.

It may come through others, through dreams, through creation…..but the best place to hear God, the main way He speaks to us, is in His Word and in prayer.

Learn to be a good listener. Clear anything that would get in the way – any fears, anxieties, wrong attitudes, resentments.
And come to the Lord without an agenda of your own…..just simply here I am Lord, speak for your servant listens, as Samuel the boy did.
His ways are not our ways, neither are His thought our thoughts. God has a bigger perspective, and knows what’s right. We just think we do !
Not my will but yours be done. That’s what we need to hear, God’s will, His agenda.
Be slow to speak and quick to Listen.

Secondly, trust. God assured Joshua that He would give him every place he set his foot. He defined the borders of the land that He would give to the Israelites, no-one would be able to stand up to Joshua….why……because God would be with Him. Present and active in His life.

‘Unless the Lord builds the house we labour in vain’.

‘Not be might or by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord’.

‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go’

and look at what God says just before that…..’have I not commanded you?’

The Lord says in His Word. Do not be afraid. Do not worry. Do not be anxious.
We therefore are not afflicted by these things over which we have no control….no…we choose. To be in fear, anxiety, worry…….or choose to believe God’s words and to trust Him.

And He is totally trustworthy – because of two great truths :

i) He loves you completely, knows you, and wants only the very best for your life.

ii) He can do anything. He is the all powerful God, for whom nothing is impossible.

If you believe those two things, you’ll have no trouble trusting God.
So, if you do have trouble trusting God……ask the question do I really believe that God loves me ? Do I really believe that He is all powerful ?
Put your trust in Him as Joshua did, then courage comes.

Thirdly, Joshua obeyed God.
God told Joshua how important it was to obey His word. And Joshua showed His faith and trust by His actions.
Jesus says, ‘if you love me, you will obey what I command’. If we really recognise who Jesus is, and that He loves us and is all powerful, then we will want to follow Him, to trust Him, to obey Him.
If we are not living the life with Jesus as Lord, obeying God, doing what He tells us to do……then our faith is not real, and we don’t really love Him.

If that’s you today, repent, come back to the God who loves you and sent Jesus to die for you.
Don’t live a lie, because when we stand before the Lord at judgement, everything will be laid bare, in His light nothing remains hidden.
Bow the knee today, submit yourself completely to Him as Lord of your life, give up fighting against God, surrender to Him.

For some of you Jesus is Saviour, and you confess Him….but He is not Lord of your life.
You are still the centre of your life, when it should be Jesus.

If we live God’s way, we see Him at work in our lives, we get to know Him in a deeper way, we grow as people, becoming more like Jesus (which is God’s desire for us).
All that God wants to do in our lives can then be accomplished.

Know the God who loves you and is all powerful.
Listen, trust, obey. And be courageous.

The principles of this leadership series are relevant to all of us – humility, servant hood, trust, integrity, honesty, perseverance, courage, and so on, but I want to talk specifically about leadership for a moment.

Firstly, apply these principles to any leadership role that you’re in already.
These are essentially qualities for a leader, whether as husband, parent, at work, whatever.

Secondly, make yourself available to God, for He may be calling you to some form of leadership in the Church. I’m particularly thinking of Cell Group leadership which is our most immediate need. It’s primarily a pastoral role with a bit of organisation. Be in prayer about that, come and talk to me and we’ll work it through.

God may have been speaking to you in other ways, perhaps clarifying that you’re not necessarily a leader but there is some other gift that God wants you to exercise. Again be in prayer, and in small ways start to use that gift. If you like, speak to Rich, Pam, or myself so that we can test the gift with you, and encourage what God has given.

Every person in the body of Christ, has something to contribute to the whole, and it’s as we discover and use what God has given that the body grows. It’s beginning to happen, but there’s much more to come. If you haven’t got a clue what your abilities and spiritual gifts are, then again pray and have a chat with one of us.
Take a step of faith.

Read Ephesians 4:1-16.

These are key verses describing what the Church is about, so let’s co-operate with God in making them a reality.

On to today’s topic.

A question for you, who is your head ?

All leaders are also followers, or should be. Some people don’t want to be accountable to anyone…usually because of overly dominant parents.
As a church leader I am accountable to someone – bishop, apostle, overseer, supervisor – whatever title you might want to give. But the head of the Church is ultimately Jesus Christ as Scripture makes clear. I am doubly under authority.
As a mother you are a leader to your children, but your husband is a leader to you.
Husbands you are head of your family in service and love, but Christ is head over you.

This is a subject very important to us as a church.

Something like a year ago, I preached on submission.
Because it’s a controversial subject, I was very careful to be solidly Biblical, and to preach out of an attitude of love.
But what happened was the most extreme reaction to anything I have ever preached at the River Church. It was clear that this is a major issue for many of you.
I tell you the truth, that if you find it hard to submit to authority which God has instituted, even though His word makes it clear that you should, then you with have problems to submitting to Him who instituted it.
Not convinced ?

Read Luke 20:9-18.

If you have disrespect and rebellion in your heart against authority and submitting to it, you will never fully submit to God.

Authorities of national and local government, the police and courts, church leadership, if your still under their care - your parents, if you’re a married woman - your husband, your boss at work…………….and hear this – non of these authorities are perfect or right all the time, but we’re still expect to submit to them.
There are of course extreme circumstances where a mother to protect her children may feel she has to leave an abusive husband and father, but that’s an exception.
Although Jesus did through His suffering and crucifixion, you don’t always submit to evil, especially when others are involved. God calls us to protect and speak out for the weak and helpless. We need to be wise.
When submitting to the authority of a person conflicts with the higher authority of God, we of course obey God…..but we need to be careful we don’t use that as an excuse.

‘Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves’ Romans 13:1,2.

This is not a law, because we’re not under law, this is to do with the heart and our attitude towards authority.
The main thing challenged by another’s authority is pride, and the right to govern our own lives.
Where does it say in the Bible that your life is your own ?
Where does it say you should stand up for your rights ?
Where does it say only submit to authority if you agree with it ?

‘You are not your own; you were bought at a price’ 1 Cor. 6:19,20.
The price of the precious blood of Jesus.

You see the problem is, if you only obey authority when you agree with it, there is no authority operating, you’re simply doing what you like, and sometimes the authorities might agree with you. When you don’t agree, that’s the test of whether you are truly submitting.

What happens when the Lord tries to say something to you that you don’t like ?
– do you say no, like Jonah did, or you pretend not to have heard, or you make some excuse,
or you say that it can’t be God that you heard.
If there is rebellion in your heart rather than submission, you will struggle to hear God and you certainly won’t be obedient to Him.

Read 1 Samuel 15:22,23.

Occasionally the Bible tells us of something that God hates. He detests pride and arrogance.
Why is it such a big deal ?
Perhaps it’s because it’s the sin of Satan, it’s how all the sin and damage in the world started. Satan the angel, chose to rebel against God. That’s how serious this is. That’s why it’s such an important issue.

We started this series very deliberately, with humility and servant hood.
Because if that’s not what’s in your heart, the rest won’t follow.
Why ?
Because when you’re proud, you’re not teachable, ….you think you know better, you don’t need to listen to anyone else…..including authority, and including God. If your heart is saying no to God, then you won’t grow.
We don’t’ generally say that of course outwardly, but if there’s rebellion in your heart you won’t be submitting to the Lord, even if you lips say that you are.

What I have said to you this morning I believe to be solidly Biblical and vital to our faith.
If in your heart, you’re uncomfortable with this teaching, if you’re reacting against what’s being said, then there is probably pride and rebellion in your heart.
Repentance and submission to God is the answer.

It’s a horrible, terrible sin, …but as we confess, the Lord forgives all our sin and cleanses it away. Humble yourself before Him, and He will lift you up.

Did you realise that Islam means Submission or Surrender, and a Muslim is one who
submits ?
According to that meaning I am a Muslim. I don’t’ call myself that because of the confusion it would cause.
But I have surrendered my life to Jesus, and seek to submit to Him each day.

To submit to Jesus is a joy, because He forgives us and He loves us. No-one knows you better or cares about you more than the Lord.
And if we know that someone loves us completely, it’s really not that hard to trust them and submit to them, …..but we have to die to pride and wanting to keep control of our own lives.

We have to let go of fear, fear of emotion, fear of losing control, fear of pain, fear of what others might think, fear of what submitting to God might mean.
Fear and insecurity is so often behind pride……pride and arrogance are our way of compensating for what’s inside.
But hear this…….don’t fear coming to God and submitting to Him……rather, fear staying away. Pride leads to destruction. To rebel against God lead only to disaster.

Either Jesus has died for you or He hasn’t.
Either you’ve accepted Him in your heart as Lord or you haven’t.
Either you are His or your not.
Either you’re in the Kingdom of darkness or the Kingdom of Light.
The Bible is very black and white on these issues.
We have the choice…..as Satan did, as Adam and Eve did, as Abraham, Moses, Saul, David, Samuel. God’s way, or our own ?

As those who have heard the message of Christ, it’s even more specific, will you follow Jesus, whatever the cost, whatever it means…..will you follow Jesus ?

As we thought about last week….to listen, to trust, to obey.

Jesus says, ‘If you love me, you will obey what I command’ ‘Whoever has my commands and obeys them, He is the one who loves me’ ‘If anyone loves me they will obey my teaching’ ‘He who does not love me will not obey my teaching’ all from John 14.

Whether we like what He says or not, whether we agree with it or not, if you love Jesus, you will obey Him. Look at your life, and asks yourself, do I ?

One of the tests as we thought about earlier, is to look at how you respond to authority…..is it in humility or in rebellion and pride ?

Jesus says, ‘come, follow me’.

Starting 1st May, the church has been called to a period of earnestly seeking the Lord in prayer and fasting. The following are the suggest topics for prayer :

Day 1 The complete Lordship of Christ in our lives. Our desperate need of the Lord. Submission. Surrender. Obedience.

Day 2 Complacency / apathy / laziness / fear – inside and outside the Church.
For the Church to wake up and become all she is meant to be. Release of gifts.

Day 3 Other spirits / deception – For opening of spiritual eyes to the truth of Jesus.

Day 4 Greater Church Unity – Both within The River Church, and with the local Anglicans & Methodists and other Christians locally.

Day 5 Long Term serious illness in The River Church – for complete healing.

Day 6 The River Church Leadership – current leaders and future leaders.

Day 7 Issues concerning money and the church – generous giving, freedom from debt, dying to materialism and greed, putting God first.

Day 8 Families, marriages, sexual morality and ethics – inside and outside the Church.

Day 9 Men.

Day 10 Women.

Day 11 Youth & children – Youth cell, Sunday School, crèche, local children and youth groups, etc. Blessings for the Scouts in whose hall we meet.

Day 12 Schools – local schools and those with whom we have contacts.

Day 13 Local Authorities – County, Borough, Town, Police, etc.
Local groups/organisations – Churchtown, Headway, Hephzebah, etc.

Day 14 The Nation, Tony Blair, the Government, Parliament, Queen, etc.

Day 15 World – Pray for an area of the world for which you have a burden or interest.

Day 16 Evangelism – bold proclamation of the Word, personally and the Church generally. Courage, wisdom, love, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.

Day 17 That the Lord will do signs and wonders and miracles, for His glory.

Day 18 Freemasonry, cults, witchcraft, and occult activity.

Day 19 Past history of the churches and our areas - repentance for sin, breaking of curses, forgiveness and reconciliation where needed and possible.

Day 20 Lostwithiel as place where Jesus is central and honoured.

Day 21 For the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in love and power.