Minister: Rev. Olon M. Lindemood

October 22 & 23, 2011

1 Thessalonians 5: 17

12 But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters,^* to respect those who labour among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; ¹³esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. ¹⁴And we urge you, beloved,^* to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. ¹⁵See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. ¹⁶Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray without ceasing, ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰Do not despise the words of prophets,^{* 21}but test everything; hold fast to what is good; ²²abstain from every form of evil.

You want to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ?  Do you?  Really?

Well… this next few weeks we will be awakening the foundation of a life of discipleship…   Some of the focus may feel like it is about being a member of Sunrise Church … BUT … NO … this is about being a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ…

I want to be a follower of Christ!  (FOUR PARTS)

Believe,

Be baptized

BE A DISCIPLE

Be in Prayer!

BELIEVE:

Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart

Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart, 

Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart.

Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart, in my heart.

Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart, in my heart.

Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart, in my heart.

MARK 1: 17 :  “Jesus said to them: “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men…”  Follow me and you will fish for people … you will discover that Men / Women and Children are in need of the Lord… You can bring them with us!

Follow me … Jesus Said!  Are you ready to follow this Jesus, the Savior, Our Christ! 

Believer's Prayer

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

BE BAPTIZED:

Then there is a moment when we want to do some outward sign of the inward and spiritual grace that is our faith … BAPTISM!

As Christians we ask each other some questions at the moment of Baptism:

1.  Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sins?
2. Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, oppression in whatever forms the present themselves?
3. Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union with the Church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races?

REMEMBER YOUR BAPTISM AND BE THANKFUL!  ( I am serious… Remember your baptism and be thankful) … For some that is easy … for others… it is more difficult … if you were an infant … remember the innocent way your parents … stood with you and offered you to Christ until the moment you acknowledge Christ for yourself!.... REMEMBER …

BE A DISCIPLE

What’s it take to be a disciple of Jesus Christ?  At Sunrise Church we hold each other accountable to a vow of Membership … A vow of faith … I will be a disciple … I will be a follower of Jesus Christ … I will be a disciple of Jesus Christ as I participate in the ministries of Sunrise church with my Prayers/ Presence/ Gifts/ Service/ And Witness.

So you want to be a disciple … Well come along now … and discover The first of the five vows … the first step of the journey of faith accountability!

As these weeks continue, each one of us will be asked to do some serious reflection about what we will do … how we will be faithful to Christ’s claims on our lives…

Jesus Said MARK 1:14 … The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God has come near, repent and believe in the Good news.”

Today is the day to repent and believe in God’s rule and God’s kingdom … today is the day to offer your life anew into the hands of God.

Today… we hear Peter / James and John… Immediately they dropped their nets and followed Jesus

BE IN PRAYER

ONE OF THE KEY foundational places of faith is PRAYER!  To be a person of faith / to be a disciple is to pray!

PRAY… Please … don’t tune me out … when I use the word PRAYER… Oh … we sometimes think … Prayer … that’s church stuff… NO …

Think about being with God… A moment with God…

A significant moment with God is our commitment … the knowledge that our Relationship with God is grounded in in moments and time… Not the word prayer … but time with our Lord…

One person said, “I pray to God , I speak to God, I let all my thoughts go to God… It is as though the Lord can’t get a word in edgewise!”

Four scriptures to highlight:

1. Romans 8: 26:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes^* with sighs too deep for words.
2. James 5: 16: Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
3. Matthew 6:6  But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.^*
4. Matthew 6:7 ‘When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.

Soon, you will be asked to consider your own prayer life …

Listen to this as an example of one of our members:

• I will begin every day with prayer
• I will end every day with prayer
• I will set aside 15 minutes for a daily devotional time.
• I will keep a list of private prayer concerns, and use it daily.
• I will remember daily, the prayer requests shared in worship

OR YOU MIGHT CONSIDER:

Yes, I will pray daily

Yes, I will pray five times a week

Yes, I will pray about once a week, usually in Worship

Yes, I will pray but only when facing difficult times

No, I am not ready to make a prayer commitment.

Yeah,  There are specific things to do as we commit to prayer … But the most critical piece is not Prayer … it is GOD… Time / moments / prayer…  Pray without ceasing …

Yeah …. Pray without ceasing …

Please Jesus, change the light to green … Please Lord, open the heart of that mother / that child.

Please God, calm my fears about financial troubles.

Please, Holy Spirit, help me love you, help me love me, and help me love my neighbor…

Please Lord… help me pray...