Why on earth am I here?

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Let’s start with a little personal history. To get to school I used to catch the 164 bus which at the time looked something like this:

On these ancient buses there was a wonderful design feature – a footplate that was completely open to the elements – Health & safety? What health and safety?!

The scenario that played out went something like this:

• When the school bell went at the end of the afternoon, those who were real athletes ran like the clappers and caught the bus – and easily got the best seat, upstairs, at the front (or at the back depending on whether you were meeting your girlfriend)
• those of us who were athletically average also managed to catch the early bus but we were breathless by the time we got there, although we managed to get on before the 164 moved away
• But for the school kids who had overdosed on chips and chocolate also wanted the early 164 bus life was more of a challenge.

that’s where the fun started!

• they would heave and pant and would just about get to the back of the 164 bus as the conductor was giving two dings to his bell – the international signal for red buses to start moving,
• These lads would catch hold of the back rail and hang on for dear life, and as the 164 picked up speed you could see their legs and arms flailing as they tried to jump on board.
• Sometimes another kid would give them a hand up
• sometimes they would throw their bag on ahead of them (very risky)
• More than once this scenario took place: Some portly kid would just about get on the 164, wheezing and panting, flop into the nearest seat and and say to the world around them “This is the number 53 isn’t it?”

If you want to get to where you’re going you need to be on the bus that’s going there!

I want to share with you what is on the front of Victoria’s bus – and what I hope and pray will be on the front of each of our lives as we walk with Christ.

Victoria Baptist Church has a goal, a purpose, a vision.

• It’s a concept that motivates and fires my heart –
• It’s a God-given objective that is higher than any other program or service or organisation

It is still as true today as it was when the church was founded and we highlight it in one succinct sentence

The purpose of VBC is to transform people into fully committed followers of Jesus Christ

That’s the direction we’re heading in!

• that’s where the bus of Victoria Baptist Church is going.
• It represents the overriding aim of our church – to develop people so they become increasingly like Jesus Christ, people radically committed to following him, whatever life may throw at them.

and only the church can do this. Nobody else in society can even come close!

• police can’t
• local authority can’t
• social services can’t
• commercial enterprise can’t

This new series of Sunday morning sermons is designed to help each of us become whole-life disciples of Jesus Christ.

And I want to start by looking at Paul’s prayer at the beginning of Colossians – here it is:

Colossians 1:9. Since the day we heard about you, we (Paul & Timothy et.al) have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, … joyfully

12 giving thanks to the Father ….

It comes in two halves – some things he is praying that God will achieve and some things we are to do.

• Discipleship is a joint venture between us and our heavenly Father.

God’s aims in our lives:

Colossians 1:9. Since the day we heard about you, we (Paul & Timothy et. al) have not stopped praying for you and asking God …

There were certain things Paul knew God, and God alone, could do in the lives of these believers – so he prays that they will come about.

to fill you (plural, the church)

…we have not stopped praying for you and asking God … to fill you with the knowledge of his will

To ‘fill’ implies there are no empty spaces! (E.g. Victoria Last Sunday – packed out!) when we’re filled our lives no longer contain gaps.

• Now Paul is very specific as to the nature of the filling – and I’m glad he was

Because if we just talk about being ‘filled’ (as some people do) we run the risk of reducing the Christian life to a set of subjective experiences that might gloriously happen on a Sunday, or in prayer in a group or in private – but have little basis in the objective reality we hit on Monday morning.

• And that’s sad – and it’s not whole life discipleship because Monday morning is not directly involved in my spiritual life – it’s all ‘feelings’ – lovely as they are.

What is more, if we make a particular subjective experience the benchmark of success or spirituality – then anyone can fake it!

• That type of Christianity lacks objectivity and solidity – and it doesn’t last when times get tough –

So Paul prays that the Lord will fill us with the knowledge of his will

• … knowing what the Lord wants for us.

Paul is praying (as I do for you) that you will know, discover and become daily aware of God’s will for your life.

• And that His will will fill you!

give you understanding

…we have not stopped praying for you and asking God …to fill you with the knowledge of his will … through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

The route into knowing God’s will for our our lives is wisdom and understanding

• understanding is the ability to understand the facts and the events that surround us all the time – to be spiritually observant
• and wisdom is the Holy Spirit inspired ability to weigh or asses what we see around us to arrive at God-glorifying choices and decisions!

If the benchmark of Christian maturity is not a subjective experience, then neither is it rampant activity!

What matters to God is not that we are busy! Too many people fall into the trap of thinking that a successful church is a hyper-active church

… that a thriving Christian is one who is hyper-active in Christian activity

Mary had a little lamb

’twas given her to keep

and then it joined a Baptist church

and died from lack of sleep!

no way! – a successful church is one where the Christ-followers become more and more like Christ – reflecting the character and love of God increasingly year-on-year. That is a successful church.

And it is impossible to do it alone. We need one another to support, encourage and validate our one another’s walk with God.

People like this are very attractive people – and together we form a very attractive church – other people will want to be in on God’s action – because there is a deep spiritual emptiness and hunger in society today that only a deep and meaningful encounter with God can satisfy.

My dear friend – when did you last intentionally ask the Lord to fill you with himself

fill you to overflowing with the knowledge of his will and to release the Spirit in you so you have a godly wisdom and understanding?

Our calling to discipleship

“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

This is a startling statement from a Christian thinker who well understood how radical true discipleship was.

When Christ calls you, he calls you to take up your cross and follow him.

The concept of being a ‘disciple’ was well-known in Jesus’ day. The word meant

• to be an apprentice, to follow the working practice of your the person you were assigned to assist, and in so doing to develop a skill of your own.
• to be a student of a subject
• or a pupil of a teacher.

Moses had disciples, the Pharisees had disciples, John the baptist had disciples and when Jesus called people to be his disciples (Incidentally, both men and women, although the inner circle were men)

• it was a call to whole-life commitment to him personally.
• A commitment which only death could break.
• Not every Christian is called literally to martyrdom
• So when we view ourselves as having been personally called by Jesus, this should radically alter our whole attitude towards him.

So Paul

Live a life that is worthy

10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord

… ‘that’s my boy!”

Conversely politicians and some bankers – esp this week >>>

What does this sort of life look like?

Here is the key to thriving! To whole life, joy-filled, God inspired, Holy Spirit strengthened life!

Please the Lord

and may please him in every way:

bear fruit for the Lord

bearing fruit in every good work,

talk is one thing, rhetoric is inspiring

but the test is always in the fruit.

Many of you have worked and given and sacrificed and brought Victoria to where it is today – that’s fruit!

grow in the knowledge of the Lord

growing in the knowledge of God,

knowledge is vital! >>>

Don’t need to become a theological expert! >>>

to be strong in the Lord

11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, …

Life will throw all sorts of curved balls at you!

be joyful and grateful to the Lord!

Joyfully giving thanks to the Father …

What does whole life discipleship look like?

This is a framework of our morning series of sermons

Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’

I want you to imagine a prism. When a beam of light hits it, it is diffracted into a whole spectrum of colours. So what happens when the light of Christ impacts our souls?

Breaks out into several domains of discipleship

• Grace >>>
• Growth >>>
• Group >>>
• Gifts >>>
• Generosity >>>
• Gospel >>>