make us gutsy

preached this weekend in statesboro at abundant life worship center - great church. my family and i love going there. statesboro is a great town. it's got georgia southern university so it's got a bit of the athens-vibe to it (which i also love athens), but it also has some southern colonial feel to it - neat place. we stayed at the trellis garden inn - it's a little motel next door to my brother-in-law's church. again, nice, quant older motel, but in no way run down! we spent saturday at splash in the boro - "splash" is a small waterpark that is owned by the local parks/rec. dept - great idea for a town there size. it's got just enough features and fun to spend a few hours at, then pack up and enjoy something else in town (we had my niece's b-day party to attend). best of it all, it makes dave happy becaue the cost is reasonable for a family.

anyway, my sermon was "make us gutsy" - it was my contribution to the one prayer campaign...
here were a few of my notes and some scriptures...

1.) Right now, you have all you need to do all God wants

· Acts 3:1-8

· Your limited resources make room for God’s abundance

· Capacity trumps capability – 2 Kings 4:1-6

· Capacity creates room for God’s abundance

· Stop comparing yourself – You are not complete – the only comparison is to God.

· 2 Cor. 10:12 says “it’s not wise to compare yourselves with yourselves”

· Get set free from the fear of failure

· When you think of limits, you create them!

2.) Take your death sentence seriously –

· 2 Corinthians 1:9 - Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead

· The sentence of death was not actual, but perceived

· Playing it safe is risky – Parable of the Talents (Mt. 25:14-27)

· You have to understand that when you show up to serve, people will take advantage of you – they did this to Jesus – why expect anything else?

· Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ and yet it is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me”

· Biggest thing you must die to: SELF!

3.) Turn your world upside down

· Acts 4 – especially vs. 13

· The qualifications to turn your world upside down are pretty basic:

· Get with Jesus

· Hear His instruction

· Obey Him

· Acts 17:5-6 - But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too

· Backdrop :

· Chapter 17 – Paul shows up at the synagogue to teach

· It says he reasoned with them, explained to them and demonstrated

· Understand these things when you are the one turning the world upside down:

· Dislike - When you pray, “Lord, Make us Gutsy” (and start really following Him) –religious people will not like it

· Distraction - They will create a front to try to bring you down – in Acts 17 they staged a riot

· If they can’t find you, they’ll go after those close to you – they went after Jason

· Twentieth-century missionary, C.T. Studd, says, "Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell."

We need more Studds! (borrowed from mark batterson)