The Power of Hope!

Happy Monday everyone!

Easter is a reminder that there are no hopeless situations. Because God raised Jesus from the dead, He can raise hope in our lives regardless of what we may face!

Here are a few questions to consider this week as a follow-up to our wonderful Easter Weekend here at Albany First Assembly.

1.      In Luke 24, Jesus brings immediate hope to His conflicted and confused disciples by meeting them at their point of need. Describe a time in your life when you were struggling, stressed, or discouraged, and Jesus met you at your point of need. What was your part in receiving from Him? What does Jesus’ willingness to meet us at our point of need say about Him and His attitude toward us?

2.      Why are there times when it seems God is silent with regard to our needs? Is it possible He is seeking to deepen our trust in Him? Read 2 Cor. 1:8-11 & Heb. 12:7-12.

3.      A dominate biblical theme is to pass on to others what we have received from God so they may receive from Him as well (see, Matt. 28:18-20; 2 Cor. 1: 3-5). What causes many Christians to stop short of this directive? 

4.      There is a lot of truth to the axiom, “Always be a witness for Christ, and when necessary, use words.” What are some practical ways to “be” a dispenser of hope to others so that we may have the opportunity to share God’s ultimate hope with them?

Don’t forget to invite a friend to one of our Sunday morning gatherings (8:30am & 10:45am)...we’ll be looking at part two of our Hope Rising teaching series entitled, Hope for Families! Also, we’ll announce the combined giving from our church and community to Convoy of Hope’s One Day To Feed The World initiative!

Grace and peace,

Pastor Frank

Love's Got Everything To Do With It!

Tina Turner’s successful song, What’s Love Got To Do With It? debuted in 1993. Jesus answers that question as He washes the Disciples’ feet and shares the Passover meal with them as recorded in John 13. His demonstration of love that night shows that when it comes to fully following after Him...love has everything to do with it! Jesus demonstrated a type of love that evening that would identify His followers and impact the world. Then He said, Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other." John 13:34-35 (The Message). Such a command is intimidating to me! I know I cannot love like He loves without His love continually filling my life!

As I reflect on yesterday morning’s message, a few questions come to mind that I believe will be helpful as we seek to live out the command to meet needs with love.

1.      We learned yesterday that loving sincerely or loving without hypocrisy matters when it comes to serving like Jesus in ministry. Jesus goes to great lengths to demonstrate the importance of tangibly loving each other through acts of service. What are some wrong motives for serving God and others in ministry? What are some right reasons to serve? Why do you think Jesus put such an emphasis on this?

2.      Jesus is an amazing example of humbly serving God and others. His humility was born out of a secure identity...He knew His origin, His purpose, and His destiny. What are some things that will keep us from developing a secure identity as a child of God and follower of Christ? What are some ways to grow more secure in who we are in Christ? ...Some helpful Scriptures to ponder & discuss...Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 10:3-6; 2 Tim. 1:5-7  

3.      The word sacrifice in our culture is about as popular as the word submission! Yet, Jesus is clear that to love like He loves will require sacrifice. But Jesus is quick to point out that “blessing” accompanies the one who is willing to demonstrate sacrificial love (Jn. 13:17). Describe a time in your life when you sacrificed something in order to loving serve God and others (e.g., could have been money, time, possessions, energy, your rights, convenience etc). What did God do in your life as a result of your sacrificial love?

As we march toward Easter, we are given an opportunity to sacrifice in prayer and financially here at Albany First Assembly. Our One Day To Feed The World (ODTFTW) offering we will receive during our three Easter outreach services (see our website for details, http://www.albanyfirstassembly.org/) is an opportunity to partner with Convoy of Hope by setting aside one day’s wage to give away to feed needy and forgotten people in places like El Salvador, Haiti, the Philippines, and Japan. Such an offering will require sacrifice. Also, I am asking that we as a church family fast and pray this week for family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors and those in our community to experience the radical love of Jesus. This too, requires sacrifice; however, I can’t help but think how deeply rewarding our sacrifice will be. I believe these are sacrifices worth making because people’s temporary and eternal needs are near to God’s heart.

Have a great Monday!

Pastor Frank  

Making Room For Outsiders

As I reflect on yesterday morning's teaching concerning Jesus clearing out the Temple Courts I am struck again by His passion to make room for "all nations" to know and experience God personally. That is the big idea behind this scene recorded in Mark 11:12-17.
The following are some questions to consider in our small groups as we seek to live out the priority of making room for outsiders:

1.      Share a time in your life when you were invited to a gathering only to find out that those hosting it weren’t prepared for you. How did you feel? How would you feel? Now share a time when those hosting a gathering were ready and looking forward to your arrival. How did/would you feel? What was the main component missing in the first gathering that was present in the second?

2.      Yesterday I talked about the “winding down” affect living in an imperfect world can have on our passion for God and His mission. I spoke of several ways we cultivate and maintain right passions (i.e., prayer, Bible study, worship, giving, small group fellowship). Discuss some additional ways we can cultivate and maintain a heart for the things that are close to God’s heart.

3.      Dr. David Livingstone was a medical missionary who was dedicated to reaching people in Africa. He served the African people in a variety of ways including his stance against the slave traders. His commitment to show Christ’s love provided him with incredible opportunities (over time) to share Christ’s love with the African people. When He died, the African people removed his heart and buried it in Africa before his body was shipped back to Scotland. It was an incredible gesture that spoke of Livingstone’s love for them. What are some ways we can show God’s love so we may be presented with opportunities to share what Christ has done? And, what are some ways we can raise the level of our dedication to do so?

4.      The principle of elimination says that if our lives are like a pie (family slice, work slice, church slice, fun slice etc), then making room for outsiders isn’t another “slice” of the pie out of our lives but the “lenses” we look through to view all of life or the entire “pie”! This suggests that our relationship with God and our commitment to His mission, which includes making room for outsiders, is something we seek to demonstrate in all the “slices” of our lives. How does this principle affect the way we live our everyday lives? Share an example.

May our great God help us to make room for people who may be different from us but who are incredibly important to Him, as we invite our community to celebrate Hope Rising during our Easter weekend services (Sat. 4-23 @ 5:30pm, Sun. 4-24 @ 9 & 11am). I pray that through music, media, a message, and a One Day To Feed The World offering (ODTFTW), which will go to help feed and care for those suffering in Haiti, Japan, El Salvador, the Philippines and elsewhere that thousands will discover God's passionate love for them.  Make it a great week everyone!  

Grace & peace,

Pastor Frank

The Power of Compassion

Welcome to the inaugural post of my Monday Morning (afternoon?) Blog!

It was great to have Jeff and Kathy Swaim with us yesterday as we launched our One Day To Feed The World (ODTFTW) initiative in partnership with Convoy of Hope. What a great Sunday!  As I have reflected on yesterday, I was struck by the idea that compassion carries power. Sunday was packed with stories of transformation that occurred as a direct result of Jesus’ love “spilling” out of Christ-followers onto hurting humanity.

Jeff referenced Jesus’ words recorded in Luke 14:26 which say, If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. It’s a statement of comparison, that unless my love for Him is first and central, I cannot become the type of follower He asks of me. It was and is an invitation to die to everything else in my life (i.e., hate my father...mother...etc) so that I may gain a life that is directed by and devoted to Jesus Christ. Jesus speaks about this same thought in Mark 8:34-35.

Yesterday’s “big idea” is compassion flows from a life that is filling up with love for Jesus. All human love and compassion runs out, but compassion that stems from a life that is learning to be fueled by God’s love is sustainable.  

Matthew 9 records the familiar words about Jesus being moved with compassion over people who were “helpless and harassed.” Jesus concludes that scene by saying, The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Matt. 9:38

Here are some questions to consider as you seek to be a conduit of compassion this week:

1.      What are some ways our love for Jesus takes a “back seat” to other relationships, activities, or things? how does it happen?

2.      List the times in your life when you have felt full of God’s love. Why was that so?

3.      If compassion is love in action, then what are some ways to demonstrate compassion this Easter season?

4.      In Matthew 9:38, Jesus is moved not only by the need for compassion but also the shortage of compassion, which is why He asks us to pray people are willing to serve in His “harvest field” or world. What are some ways to pray for workers?

As we march toward Easter, I am praying the following ways: First, I’m asking what day/days God would have me work on behalf of the poor and forgotten around our world through our One Day To Feed The World initiative. ODTFTW is all about setting aside one day’s wage to give to the poor and forgotten in our world. During our three Easter weekend services (Sat. 4/23 @ 5:30pm, and Sunday 4/24 @ 9am & 11am) we will receive a special offering to do just that! 7,500.00 dollars buys 20 tons of food...20! I’m praying that we can send 100 tons of food to some of the most needy and destitute people on planet earth.
Second, I’m praying for people I will invite to our Easter services. We will have invite cards available this week for everyone to use. Finally, I’m praying that I will connect with God in fresh and meaningful ways as I consider once again His incredible demonstration of love (compassion!) toward me this Easter season (John 3:16-17) The power of compassion is this...it holds the potential to transform our world one loving act at a time.

Grace and peace,

Frank