Giving It Your All

What does it mean to give your all? You have heard the expression for years,"you got to sell out if you really want it." Today we see the story of a lady that gave all she had. But is this really possible, can we really give all we have or is this even expected? This week we will investigate what Jesus meant by giving all that she had. Maybe this parable is more about sacrifice and less about the amount that we give. Jesus also stresses one of the most important lessons that we learn in life and that is the lesson of other's first. We live in a society that seems to think me first and others later. But this lady considered others first. It was not the value of what the lady put in the Treasury, it was the reasons behind why she did it. There were many others that were putting huge amounts of money into the treasury box but they were doing so for show. They gave in order to brag about what they gave. They also did it so that they could try to buy there salvation. They gave to have the "best seats in the synagogues" and the "places of honor at the banquets". Another thing that we will examine is the fact that Jesus was stressing that rather than this poor widow giving all she had, it should have been the others taking care of her. They were giving but were ignoring the real reason for giving. They did not give so that they could benefit but so that others could benefit. Let me ask you this question? Are you really giving it your all?

More than a Gift

2 Corinthians 9:6
“the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully”.

“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” We have borrowed that phrase for years and the question is where are we right now: "are we in the best of times or the worst of times?" This year has been a rough year for many people. The economy has taken a turn for the worse. There are people that have had to foreclose on houses and others that have lost employment. The reality is that if you asked most people they would probably say these may be the worst of times. The truth is that back in 2004 at the height of the prosperity some people would have said that these were the worst of times. Incomes were growing, housing was expanding, and people were getting healthier and living longer but so many people were feeling worse about their life. Maybe it was that they came to realization that money prosperity and things can not buy happiness. Maybe Paul knew the true meaning of happiness when he wrote to the Church in Corinth. Here he is teaching the church some valuable principles that can carry over to today's society. "God loves a cheerful ...giver". If you truly want to be enriched then you must exhibit great generosity. To glorify God you must show your brothers and sisters “the generosity of your sharing”. You see the key to stewardship is not what we have been given or earned but what we do with what we have been given. So this week we will examine the joy that we may receive from giving. Here is the question: are you a cheerful giver?

Is Jesus Dangerous?

Mark 10:17-22
17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 19You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'[d]"
20"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
21Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

When we see pictures of Jesus do we ever really think of him as being threatening or dangerous? Most of the pictures that we have of Jesus he seems like the gentle little lamb. The fair complected good old boy. But the truth is that following Jesus can be the most dangerous thing that one ever decides to do. Jesus is dangerous because he can change your values and your way of thinking. He is dangerous because he may call you to make decisions that are counter to cultural thinking. He may call you into situations to witness and to share the gospel that may be less than desireable. He may call you away from a profession or community. Yes, following Jesus is not as easy as it may first seem. Now believing in Jesus may be easy but following into the field of Battle may have a different slant. This Sunday we will look at someone who had the opportunity to follow Christ but chose not too. When you really look at the Scripture you see this man knows that following Jesus may leave him in uncharted territory. He may have to give up all that he has relied on and held tightly too. He will have to trade his comfort for uncertainty and his security for danger. Is Jesus dangerous? I think that this week we will investigate that very issue. But hang on because following Jesus just may be the ride of your life.

Do Something!

This week we will continue to look at why we exist as a church, here at Lakeview. Last week, we talked about vision and that those without a vision will perish. This week we will look at how we can get involved and how we can lead people to Christ. This week our key verse comes from Matthew 10. It is here that Jesus gives some hard teachings and then goes into telling the people that they must have a servant heart. "And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."-- Matthew 10:42 When I first read this Scripture I thought how hard could this be bringing a cup of cool water to a child. Then it dawned on me that in some ways this may be a greater task than first imagined. To live in the desert meant to draw the water from a well or from a cistern. This meant the water would be cool if the child you were taking it to was in close proximity or if you you hurried to get them the water. This meant that either way there needed to be some sense of urgency to get the cool water to the little ones. Do we look around our community with a sense of urgency to we see that there are those that need a place to worship?
Do we see that there are those who need Jesus? In order for a Church to grow and be healthy we must recognize the need of the little ones. In order to do this Christ calls us to not love anything more than him. Do we have a sense or urgency for our community do we really care that the walls are being tore down and that we have gotten use to it?

This week after worship we will eat together and then do some service together. This promises to be a great Sunday so come and join us.

Cast the Vision

Proverbs 29:18-21

18 Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint; But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
19 A servant will not be corrected by words; For though he understand, he will not give heed.
20 Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him.
21 He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child Shall have him become a son at the last.



What is the vision of your company or your life? We all have vision statements that we live by but what is the vision of our Church. I think from time to time we need to be reminded of why we exist and how we can all be a part of the vision. The real word for church or gathering comes from the Greek word "ekklesia". This means to be called out and set apart. Most people do not understand that a church lives out its vision with help of every member. Most people today think that a Pastor is hired to do all the work of the Church. The truth is however, that the pastor is really just to lead the people into ministry. The other thing that they are called to do is to constantly remind people of the vision and mission of the church. This week we start our yearly stewardship campaign. This year we are going to look at why we exist and how we can get everyone on board with our vision. So often during the Stewardship Campaigns the only thing we hear about is giving but giving really follows getting involved. We want to show every person why we exist and how they can get on board with vision of the church. Over the next four weeks we are going to look at who we are, why we exist, and how we are going to get more people involved.

Who Touched Me?

All of the sudden Jesus felt someone push up against him. He stops and asks,"who touched me". How could he possible know in this crowd that someone touched him. It is like entering the gates of Jordin Hare or Brian Denny Stadium, where everyone is pushing up against one another. How in the world could you possibly know that someone has touched you? After all, everyone is being herded-in like livestock. But Jesus not only realizes that someone has touched him but that they have been healed by his touch. He then realizes that what has happened is that a woman has touched his "tzit tzit", the edge of his prayer shawl where strings hang from the corner. It was these knots and strings that Jesus held each day when he prayed. The lady had in a way went right around Jesus and to the direct source of Jesus power. You see when the Jewish people prayed they did so by going into there prayer closet. This was a place where they could be alone and one on one with God. They believed that their pray shawl was not only a way to get to God but gave them power. The women that touched Jesus beleived that by touching him that she would be healed. The truth is that not her touch but her faith in the touch was what healed her. This week we will all see how our faith and combined with God's touch can heal us. Join us Sunday for a different kind of healing service.

God's Time

“Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.”

What do you do with time? It is a question that we all ask. We all wish that we could add time to our day. Then other times we ask why we did not take advantage of the time that we were given. We also have those things and people in our lives that are time stealer's. But what happens when we realize that all time given is God's time. We are all only given a certain amount of time and it is alooted by God. So why do we waste so much of our time on things that do not build up or glorify God. In the Scripture there are two words for time. One is "kairos" which is known as a moment or a specific opportunity. The other word is "Chronos" which refers to the time like on a clock or in a day. But what happens when we use our "chronos" to enhance our "kairos". This is what Paul was referring to in today's scripture. So are we using our moments(kairos) to share the gospel and what God has done for us. When we really get to the end of our time (chronos)which is shorter than we realize have we utilize our time the way God planned? This week in worship we will look at how to better use time and opportunities "to take risk and change lives".