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Responding Well to a crisis!
I attach my preach notes from Sunday that sought to digest the events of the past week when a valued and loved church member was rushed into hospital with a heart attack.
The preach considered Romans 8:28 and asked the question what good can we already see that God has brought out of this trauma? I contemplated how our faith might be grounded in a sound theology of the Kingdom now and the Kingdom to come. I also listed three areas where I believe we as a church we have grown in the past week and these can equally well be discussed in relation to your home group. These might prove helpful prompts for prayer. Here are my notes from Sunday:
Intro.
Ditched planned preach
2 Weeks Ago -
Resurrection
Last week quote about fight for faith
Describe events of this week
Romans 8:28 + co-operates with us
28And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (NASB)
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[a] who[b] have been called according to his purpose. NIV
5-8 this worldwide family is the true Israel and is therefore the true humanity and is therefore by the Spirit the people in whom God’s purpose for the whole human race will be fulfilled (LIFE) + the people through whom God’s purpose for the whole cosmos shall be fulfilled
suffering, hope, life in the Spirit as the people of God being glorified by God (even when it doesn’t feel like it!)
3 pointers
(Opportunities for others to share?)
Questions
Thanksgiving + response - type of church we want to be
A. Kingdom Theology
Tension of Kingdom now and Kingdom to come
Genesis: dominion given to man, given to the devil - warfare theodicy
Kingdom to come:
Revelation 21 1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
6He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." [NIV]
Kingdom Now
Commission of Jesus to his disciples to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead...
Things said this week can be two extremes...
Pray and he will definitely get better
Part of God's plan - understand in time
John 9 [The Message]
True Blindness
1-2 Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?" 3-5Jesus said, "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world's Light."
6-7He said this and then spit in the dust, made a clay paste with the saliva, rubbed the paste on the blind man's eyes, and said, "Go, wash at the Pool of Siloam" (Siloam means "Sent"). The man went and washed—and saw.
B. Three good things
1. Praying Church
James 5:13 ¶ Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.
James 5:14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
James 5:15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. [NIV]
Impact for Adam and his family/friends of the church praying
Answers to prayer
Future impact of NRC praying for members/families/friends/neighbours/enemies!/nations
2. and 3.
1Cor. 12:7 ¶ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
1Cor. 12:8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
1Cor. 12:9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
1Cor. 12:10 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.
1Cor. 12:11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
1Cor. 12:12 ¶ The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
1Cor. 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
1Cor. 12:14 ¶ Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.
1Cor. 12:15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.
1Cor. 12:16 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 cease to be part of the body.
1Cor. 12:17 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?
1Cor. 12:18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
1Cor. 12:19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?
1Cor. 12:20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
1Cor. 12:21 ¶ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”
1Cor. 12:22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
1Cor. 12:23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty,
1Cor. 12:24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it,
1Cor. 12:25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.
1Cor. 12:26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
1Cor. 12:27 ¶ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
1Cor. 12:28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.
1Cor. 12:29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
1Cor. 12:30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
1Cor. 12:31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts. ¶ And now I will show you the most excellent way. [NIV]
2. Togetherness
Church as body with many members
if one suffers, (pushed down or covered up) we all suffer, if one part is honoured (lifted up), we all rejoice
inc. other churches, inc. round the world
Feel left out? Want to be part of the ongoing prayer rota - sign the sheet at the back
3. Other Members Stepping Up
Adam knocked out leaves a hole
Determination that Satan’s strategy would be thwarted
Requires others to step up
Fruit of Adam and Brenda’s sowing
Response:
3 things - want to be part of a church like that? want to help shape a church like that?
Praise and thanksgiving to God
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Robin Plummer, 20/04/2010 |
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