"Carriers"

3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere.
- 1 Thessalonians 1:3-8

Four Evidences of a Carrier of Faith:

GOD CHOSE THEM

5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.
- 1 Thessalonians 1:5

IMITATE GODLY PEOPLE

6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.
- 1 Thessalonians 1:6

MODEL YOUR FAITH TO OTHERS

7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
- 1 Thessalonians 1:7

FAITH SPREADS EVERYWHERE

8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere.
- 1 Thessalonians 1:8

“Is it Well?”

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3  He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
- Psalm 23:1-6

Our souls need rest.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
- Psalm 23:2

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
- Matthew 11:28-20

Our souls need to be led.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
- Psalm 23:1,4

Our souls need hope.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
- Psalm 23:5,6

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
- John 16:33

"Faith Over Fear"

35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” 36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” 37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat. - Mark 5:35-43

CULTIVATE CLIMATE OF FAITH

36 “Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly.”  - Mark 5:36-38

6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. - Hebrews 11:6

SEPARATE AND ISOLATE THE CLIMATE OF FEAR

39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. - Mark 5:39-40

7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. - 2 Timothy 1:7 

INTERNALIZE THE PROMISES OF GOD’S WORD

 “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. - Psalm 91:1-6

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. - Psalm 91:9-10

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. - Psalm 91:14-15

OBEY THE CALL OF GOD TO GO

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matthew 28:18-20

15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. - Mark 16:15-16

"Pass the Salt"

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
- Matthew 5:13-16

50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
- Mark 9:50

34 “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
- Luke 14:34-35

You = The individual christian (together with the church)

Are = Right now!

The = One and only one

Salt = The key element 

Earth = The place that needs to be save

“Absent or Abiding?”

God wants us.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
- John 15:1-3

God wants us to abide in Christ and be fruitful.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
- John 15:4-5

What kind of “fruit” does God want us to bear?

1. Love (John 15:10)

2. Joy (John 15:11)

3. Other fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

4. New Disciples

35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.
- John 4:35-36

If we don’t abide in Christ, then we won’t receive the things that only Christ can give.

6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
- John 15:6

God provides us with a choice: abide in Christ and live, or be absent from Christ and slowly die.

How do we abide in Christ?

1. By reading the Bible, the Word of God.

7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you…
- John 15:7

2. By talking to God in prayer.

...ask whatever you wish…
- John 15:7

3. By obeying God.

10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.
- John 15:10, 14

If we abide in Christ, His fruit will abound and abide in us.

7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
- John 15:7

"Put a Ring on It"

 1 Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?
2 The one whose walk is blameless,
who does what is righteous,
    who speaks the truth from their heart;
4  who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
    and does not change their mind;
- Psalm 15:1-2, 4

FOLLOWING GOD REQUIRES 100% COMMITMENT

• We don’t commit because we’re afraid of missing out on something

• We don’t commit because we’re overcommitted to the wrong things

WHEN YOU COMMIT TO GOD YOU WILL NOT MISS OUT ON ANYTHING GOOD

11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
    from those who walk uprightly.
- Psalm 84:11

COMMITMENT IS CONSISTENT WITH GOD’S CHARACTER

• Jesus was sent as proof of God’s commitment to us

JESUS DIDN’T WAVER ON HIS COMMITMENT TO SAVE US

39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
- Matthew 26:39

"Living Large"

2 “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.
- Isaiah 54:2-3

Don’t wait for new resources. Use what you have now.

stretch your tent curtains wide
- Isaiah 54:2

Do not hold back

6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.
- Joshua 1:6

Live the life God intends 

lengthen your cords,
- Isaiah 54:2

Go deeper and draw closer to God

 strengthen your stakes.
- Isaiah 54:2

"Inviting Grace"

9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
- 1 Corinthians 15:9-10

GOD’S INVITING GRACE  STILL REQUIRES OUR EFFORT

GRACE THAT SAVES US ALSO CHANGES US

“But by the grace of God I am what I am”
- 1 Corinthians 15:10

GRACE EMPOWERS US TO DO HIS WORK

…”his grace in me was not in vain”
- 1 Corinthians 15:10

On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
- 1 Corinthians 15:10

"Enriching Grace"

Our needs, desires, and opportunities are unlimited - but our finances are limited.

Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints…
- 2 Corinthians 9:1-2

Every Christian needs to grapple with giving and generosity.

6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
- 2 Corinthians 9:6-7

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
- 2 Corinthians 8:9

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
- Matthew 6:19-20

Three Giving Postures:

1. Got to Give

2. Give to Get

3. Get to Give

God’s ENRICHING GRACE belongs to those who give generously and cheerfully.

8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
- 2 Corinthians 9:8-9

God wants us to be enriched for others and for ourselves.

10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.
- 2 Corinthians 9:10-11

"Sufficient Grace"

Pain and suffering come in different shapes and sizes.

12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.
- 2 Corinthians 2:12-13

24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.
- 2 Corinthians 11:24-28

7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
- 2 Corinthians 12:7

Pain and suffering come for everyone.

...a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me…
- 2 Corinthians 2:7

Who sends our pain and suffering?

a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
- 2 Corinthians 12:7-8

God’s sufficient grace transforms our experience of suffering.

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9

Our perspective and practical responses change in light of God’s grace.

10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
- 2 Corinthians 12:10