Demonstrating Spiritual Fruit - January 20, 2019 sermon

By Pastor Greg ...

For most of my younger years, I grew up surrounded by orchards.  That part of Mainsville (called “Frogtown”) was filled with all kinds of fruit trees.  I spent many summers picking cherries, peaches, pears, and apples.  We had a few apple trees on our property, and so did my grandpa Burkholder.  One spring, when the apple trees began to blossom, grandpa took me out to the trees and started trimming branches; he broke off some of the blossoms as well.  And I remember asking him why he did this; you see, where there was a blossom, an apple would soon begin to form.  I thought it a bit odd; he was keeping some apples from growing.  So, he explained to me that to produce really healthy apples, the tree needed to be thinned.  Too many apples would overload the tree.  He said, the tree might produce more apples, but they would be small and not as sweet.  So, we trimmed in the spring to have better fruit in the fall.

Guess what?  It really works.

While serving in Iowa, the church provided us a home, and there were two apple trees at that old farmhouse.  When we arrived in August, those two trees looked horrible!  It appeared as if they had never been trimmed.  Folks from the church said they loved those apples; I thought they looked sickly.  So… in the spring I did as my grandfather had taught; I trimmed branches and snipped lots of blossoms.  The folks from the church thought I was killing the trees.  I told them just to wait until next year.  Sure enough, the next year that tree produced incredible Yellow Delicious apples.  I brought them to a church meal, and folks wondered where I had purchased such amazing apples.  They were shocked when I told them they came from the trees at the parsonage. 

A little trimming did a lot of good for those trees; A little trimming is what God does with us.

Last week we talked about how the Holy Spirit reveals things in our life that are unhealthy; He shows us things that need to be removed.  Removing these things from our life will help create a healthier relationship with the Lord.  And the Spirits intent is to help us become more like Jesus.  He is helping us to become transformed.  According to the Apostle Paul, what we permit in our life affects our mind and our spirit… which, in turn, affects our actions and our attitudes (Romans 12:1-2).

According to Jesus, God “prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more”^[1] (John 15:2).  God reveals certain things in our life that are keeping us from maturing as a Christian and become healthier.  In the end, the “fruit” we produce will be abundantly better.  By removing the things in our lives that hinder our spiritual growth, we are transformed from the inside out.  Our thinking is guided by the Spirit, not by the world.  And when we are transformed, what the world sees and hears and feels and tastes from us is the fruit of God, not the fruit of the world.

Now, if you’re like me, you’re probably wondering, “What does this fruit look like?  How will I know if I am “bearing fruit?”  Well, the Bible gives us a description of this fruit.  Through the Apostle Paul (a first-century evangelist), God spells it out, plain and simple.  ²² But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!  ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. ²⁵ Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives” ^[2] (Galatians 5:22-25).

This is the fruit we gain through a relationship with God.  Because of the Holy Spirit’s presence within us, we receive these attributes from God.  However, if we examine the words of Jesus in John 15, you’ll notice He has instructed Christians to “bear fruit.”  In other words, a mature Christian is to demonstrate this fruit through their actions and attitudes, and this fruit can be seen and heard and felt by the people all around us.  In biblical terms, “bearing fruit” could be described as “The effect we have on others.”

These verses in Galatians 5 provide an opportunity for us to do a “self-evaluation.”  As Christians, we look over this list and need to ask, “what fruit is in my heart,” AND we should also consider what fruit others receive from us.  When someone spends time with us, how do we make them feel?  What do our actions demonstrate?  What effect do our words have in their life?  After all, this is what it means to “bear fruit.”

Looking at the full list from verse 19 and on, we can hold our lives up to these things and examine ourselves, but also evaluate the impact we are having in this world.  As we look at those around us, we need to consider if our presence among friends produces peace or hostility.  Are others moved to gentleness or to quarreling when we are near?  What lasting impact do we have on those around us?

As a Christian grows in the faith, their transformed mind transforms their attitudes and behaviors…which, in turn, helps transform the way they interact with the world around them.  And rather than growing the “fruit of the world” (Galatians 5:19-21), they grow the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23).

This pruning process, or this “transformation” as Paul describes it in Romans 12, is not always easy.  God will challenge us to pluck certain things from our life.  And in our eyes, it will not make sense.  But he is doing this so our fruit – our love, joy, peace, patience, and other traits – fully impact us AND the world around us.  The Lord does this so that as we change, we can change the world around us.

If you are new to the Christian faith, this idea of being an influence in the world can be quite overwhelming.  Actually, it feels overwhelming to all faithful Christians.  I mean, when we look at the world right now, it’s difficult to imagine that our kindness and goodness will make any difference.  How will our “fruit” overcome all the anger, hostility, jealousy, and selfish ambition in this world?

I’m reminded of a story I once heard about a young boy who was walking along the beach one morning, picking up starfish, and tossing them back into the sea.  A man came along and pointed out that the sand stretched for miles.  He asked, “What difference will it make?  There are so many starfish that nothing you do will matter.”  As the boy picked up one more starfish and threw it into the sea, he quietly replied, “It matters to this one.”  The fruit of your transformed life may not change everyone, but it will change someone.  And that’s all God is asking you to do: bear the Fruit of the Spirit so someone might be changed.

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^[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Jn 15:2). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

^[2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ga 5:22–25). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

Renewing Your Mind - January 13, 2019 sermon

By Pastor Greg ...

A woman is sitting at her deceased husband's funeral when a man leans in and asks, "Do you mind if I say a word?"  "No, go right ahead," the woman replies.  The man stands and clears his throat, then says "Plethora" and sits back down.  "Thanks," the woman says, "that means a lot."

I always say there is nothing like a good joke… and… I know what you’re thinking; in your mind, that was nothing like a good joke.  Oh well; to each his own.

I have always found that my outlook on life improves when I take time for a chuckle or a laugh.  I have been collecting jokes and funny stories since I was a child.  I tend to be happier when I focus on happier things.  Focusing on negative things will make me a negative person.  In Christian circles, this is called “counting your blessings.”  Our outlook in life tends to be brighter when we are thankful for what we have, instead of everything that is negative.

Now, before I get too far into today’s message, I want to make sure we both understand something.  When I say, “Someone is a Christian,” I’m talking about a person who has realized their relationship with God is broken, admits their sin is the problem and trusts that Jesus is the solution.  In biblical terms, these people were broken, felt convicted, and have confessed Jesus as their Savior.

Christians are people who have been spiritually reborn (see John 3).  So, when God says He expects Christians to mature in the faith, He is speaking to those who have given their lives to Jesus.

I wanted to make sure we were all on the same page here; I think it’s crucial we realize who God expects to mature.  A person who has never received God’s Spirit is certainly not equipped to change.

It is to Christians equipped to change that the author of Hebrews writes, “let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us” ^[1] (Hebrews 12:1).  And, as I mentioned last week, we must work at removing the things in our life that keep us from growing as a Christian; we must remove those sinful actions and thoughts from our life - things that cause us to stumble and fail in Christian living and Christian witness.  However, what must we do to remove these stumbling blocks from our lives?  How do we stop sinning?

I’ll answer that question in a moment, but first, let me remind you of something every Christian needs to know: when we feel convicted about sin in our life, it is evidence that God is lovingly calling us to be transformed.  When a Christian feels remorse for the sinful things they have done, that’s God working in their heart; He is pointing out to one of His children an area in their life that is not holy; not Christ-like.  So, please, please, please hear this: when God reveals sin to a Christian, it’s not condemnation or judgment; God has not reached the end of His rope.  He is a loving Father who is pointing out areas that need to change.

With all that being said, the Next Step in our journey with Jesus is to respond to what the Spirit is saying.  When the Spirit convicts, our response is to take steps to remove that sin from our life… which brings us back to the original question: how do we remove these sins from our life?

This whole discussion is actually covered in the New Testament book of Romans.  And Paul, the first-century evangelist, suggests it begins in the mind.  According to Paul our actions and behaviors follow our thoughts.

(Romans 12:1-2 New Century Version).  “So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship. ² Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect”.^[2]

Rather than condemn us, God has offered to show us grace and mercy (which is: not receiving what we deserve).  And Paul says our proper response is to offer Him our life (or “bodies” as some translations read).  Our lives become a pleasing offering to God when we stop being shaped by the world.  Paul says we are to “sacrifice” our worldly habits, attitudes, and addictions; and we do this by renewing our mind.

Earlier in the letter to the Roman Church, Paul wrote, “⁵ Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. ⁶ So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace” ^[3] (Romans 8:5-6).  Just as the wrong kinds of food can damage the body, so too can the wrong things damage our mind and damage our spirit.  And, speaking from personal experience, Pauls’ words are quite true.

Early on, when I first started walking with Jesus, I fell in love with what He had done for me.  God had rescued me from a life dominated by sin, so I began to ask the Lord how to respond; I started asking God what he wanted from me.  It was in that time of prayer that the Spirit began to show me I was still being influenced by the customs and behaviors in this world.  My steady diet of destructive music was influencing my mind.  And when these destructive, angry, and hurtful words stopped pouring into my mind, I noticed a significant change in my relationship with God and with other people.  My angry and hurtful nature was being influenced by songs filled with anger and hate; I was an angry person because I had allowed angry words to fill my mind; my thinking influenced my actions.

Paul’s words are so right; “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”^[4]  And this whole renewal process begins in honest prayer.  God has given you His Spirit to guide you.  He speaks to your heart and reveals the things in your life that are keeping you from being transformed.  And the Spirit doesn’t show us these things to condemn us; He reveals these things, so we might remove them from our lives and become more holy.

Maybe you don’t feel as close to God as you did at the beginning.  You feel like you are drifting away from the Lord.  You are finding yourself drawn right back into that same old sinful life from your past.  What can you do?  How do you take that next step in your relationship with God?  Let me tell you how.

You need to pray; you need to spend significant time getting to know God and His word.  You need to respond to what the Holy Spirit shows you; you need to be honest and admit the world is attempting to conform you.  You need to honestly evaluate what you permit in your life.  If you find that social media makes you angry, then choose to remove it from your life.  Maybe it’s the news, perhaps it’s music or the people who are influencing your life.  It could be any number of things.  But you need to honestly evaluate the things which fill your mind; according to Paul, what fills our mind is what directly influences our spirit.

I share this with you knowing full well that you have it much harder than I do.  I spend almost all of my time around Christians or in church-related activities.  But a great deal of your time is spent out in the world… which means you will need to be even more diligent in filtering what influences your mind.  You will need to work even harder to maintain a life that honors God.

No.  I’m not telling you to go off somewhere and live like a monk; you don’t need to live in a secluded monastery.  You can still live in the world.  However, to mature in your Christian faith, you must resist the temptation to be conformed by the world.  And in your situation, that takes a lot of work.  It involves making sacrifices.  It means stepping away from things or removing things from your life.  I had to literally take that stack of records and throw them in the burn barrel.  Radical, yes, but it was the sacrifice I needed to make.

I don’t know what is causing you to stumble; I have no idea how the world is conforming you.  But the Spirit knows.  He knows what is influencing your mind and your actions.  In love, He will reveal these things to you.   And please remember that I am committed to helping you live a victorious Christian life.  I will do what I can to help you be transformed instead of being conformed by the world.  Let me know how I can help.

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^[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Heb 12:1). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

^[2] The Everyday Bible: New Century Version. (2005). (Ro 12:1–2). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

^[3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ro 8:5–7). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

^[4] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Ro 12:2). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Maturing in Your Faith - January 6, 2019 sermon

By Pastor Greg...

Two years ago, I replanted a small sapling in a different section of the yard.  It’s a sugar maple that started growing on the north side of the house too close to some other trees and shrubs.  Since I had recently removed a Sweet Gum tree from the south side of the house, I decided to replant the little maple tree rather than pull it out and throw it away.  I hope that this little tree will grow and provide some shade during the long, hot days of summer.

Last year’s rain was good for this tree.  It’s nearly four feet tall at this point; it seems like it will do well in that spot.  Had I allowed it to grow where it had first sprouted, it would certainly not grow into a very healthy tree… if it would have even grown at all.  And I know what I did for that tree has made it healthy; I can tell this because of the growth.

I wonder… if that little tree could talk, what would it have said to me as I uprooted it from where it was and transplanted it to its present location?

Isn’t this what the Lord God does for us?  From a spiritual perspective, He lifts us from where we are and transplants us to a better place to serve a greater purpose.  He did this for the Hebrew slaves living in Egypt.  Through Moses, God lifts them from captivity and transplants them into the land of Canaan. 

Because of God’s love, care, and protection directed toward these people, He expected to see evidence of growth; God expected Israel to “bear fruit.”  In other words, He expected the people of Israel to demonstrate the same love, care, and protection toward all the other nations of the world.  But instead, the descendants of Jacob never changed; the children were just as stiff-necked and stubborn as their fathers.  Even after God did all those wonderful things for them, they gave God bitterness in return (see Isaiah 5:1-4).   God expected them to change… to show signs of growth.

God has always expected people to be changed by their encounter with Him.  Through the prophet Isaiah, God says, ¹⁰ “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. ¹¹ It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it” ^[1] (Isaiah 55:10-11).

What God has said here is deeply important; we cannot glance over these words without seriously considering their implication.  God implies that when He sends out His word, it will accomplish everything He has planned; things will change.  And, according to the author of the new Testament book of Hebrews, when God sends His Spirit, He will also accomplish God’s plans; where the Spirit of God resides, there will be change… there should be change.

(Hebrews 6:1-8) “So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. ² You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. ³ And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.

⁴ For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come—⁶ and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.

⁷ When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing. ⁸ But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.” ^[2]

God expects the same with you and me.  When we become a Christian, God expects us to grow; He expects us to “bear fruit.”  Jesus told His followers, “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more”^[3] (John 15:1-2).  And what Jesus means is that God expects you and me to show signs of growth.  We need to become “healthy Christians.”  We are expected to mature.

This answers the question new Christians often ask; “What does God expect from me?”  The answer is, “show signs of spiritual growth.”  God expects you to be transformed from the person you used to be into a Christian who is a blessing to others.  But, how do we mature?  How do we grow in our faith?  The answer is simple; we make changes in our life.

To mature in our Christian faith, we move ourselves away from the things that hinder our spiritual growth and place ourselves in an environment that promotes spiritual growth.  We make changes in our life.  It’s difficult to hear from God when the sinful influences of the world drown out His voice.  If you want to mature as a Christian it means you turn away from certain music, movies, and habits that fight for your attention.  In order to grow into a strong, healthy Christian, you will need to make time for God in your life.  You will need to spend time in His word; you will need to spend more time studying the Bible than the standings.

To grow in our faith, we must “strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. ² We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” ^[4] (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Listen, it’s this plain and simple: if you want your life to change, then you will need to take the initiative and make some changes in your life.  If you want to grow closer to God then you will need to move yourself away from your former life and start spending more time with God, with other mature Christians, and in the Bible.

Or…

You can stay where you are; you can choose to remain the same, and not make any changes.  And you are certainly free to make that choice, you know.  That’s the way God works; He doesn’t force Himself upon us; He gives us a choice.  However, if we refuse to make any of the necessary changes in our life that move us closer to God, we may soon find ourselves right back where we started; feeling lonely, unloved, worthless, and hopeless; overcome with worry and living in fear.

Listen, maturing as a Christian takes time and effort on our part; it doesn’t just magically happen.  Therefore, if you want to see yourself grow as a Christian, you will need to make a choice; you will need to make changes in your life.

So, what will your next step be?

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^[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Is 55:10–11). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

^[2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Heb 6:1–8). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

^[3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Jn 15:1–2). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

^[4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Heb 12:1–2). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

The Cranky Donkey - December 24, 2018 Christmas Eve service

The Christmas Story through the eyes of a donkey

By Pastor Greg...

Oh, hey there.  How’s your day?  Boy I tell ya, mine aint so hot.  I haven’t had a good night’s sleep for two weeks.  I walked here all the way from Nazareth.  What’cha mean “Where’s that?”  It upstate in Galilee, up in the hills from Lake Tiberias. 

What?  Oh, yeah.  I always thought it was called the “Sea of Galilee” too, but some smart-aleck seagull acts all know-it-all and says, “Oh no.  It’s named after the Roman Emperor.”  I don’t even know what that means.

Whatever.  Dumb seagulls anyway.  What do they know?

Anyway, about two weeks ago my master comes out to the stall and throws a bunch of stuff on my back; mutterin about some dumb census, or something, and how it couldn’t have happened at a worse time.  I thought we were making another practice run to the birthing house.  My master’s wife was going to have a baby pretty soon.  I remember thinking, “buddy, you’re packing an awful lot of stuff just for a trip into town.”  That’s when I realized this wasn’t going to be any ordinary trip.  No siree bob.  We would be going on a long journey.

He puts all these supplies on my back and THEN, then he gets Mary to hop on my back as well.  And she was definitely expecting real, real soon.  I tried to tell Joseph, but he just wouldn’t listen.

Sometimes I think most humans don’t understand what we animals are trying to say (well, I did hear about this one guy who could talk to the animals…).

Oh, I know; it sounds like I’m complaining.  I sound like some cranky, lanky, winky, wanky, donkey.  Hey, don’t get me wrong; I don’t mind quick trips to the market, but this trip took a long, long, time.  We were walking for a whole week!  It’s 90 miles from Nazareth to here, and I had to carry all this stuff.  No wonder my bursitis is acting up.  And have you ever seen the road that comes up out of Jericho?  I was huff’n and puff’n by the time we reached Jerusalem.  Then we had to make our way through town, late at night, mind you, and find our way to Bethlehem.  I started getting a little impatient toward the end.  I kept asking Joseph, “HEE HAW, Are we there, yet?  HEE HAW, Are we there, yet?”  But he got a little impatient with me.  I think we all were getting a little cranky, but he didn’t have to whack me on the head.  I just wanted to know, you know?

When we finally do get into Bethlehem there’s no place to stay.  I mean, it’s like everyone came at the same time.  I couldn’t even find a good spot at the watering trough.  All the rich donkeys from Emmaus were hoggin all the water.  Like, they had a long walk!  We ended up spending the night in a shed outback.  I didn’t mind too much, but I thought, “this aint no place for Mary”; and that baby was coming real soon, you know what I mean?

I was tired.  So was Mary.  Joseph looked worried.  A bunch of ladies showed up with blankets and water.  That’s the last thing I remember for a while.  I fell asleep.

I remember having a nice dream about a land far, far, away where there were dragons and princesses and talking cookies.  All of a sudden, a bunch of sheep wake me up.  Sheep really get on my nerves; they have an opinion on everything… and it’s always baaad.

Well, these sheep keep going on and on about what they had just seen.  Seems some angels woke them up and starting singing something about a Savior being born right here in the City of David.  Dumb sheep.  I kept trying to tell them they were in the wrong town; this is Bethlehem, but you know sheep.  They won’t let you get an word in edgewise.  It’s all “baa, baa” this, and “baa baa” that. 

Everyone was looking over at the feeding trough.  And I remember thinking, hey, Mary must have had her baby while I was asleep.  And I remember thinking “finally,” but the shepherds kept saying these wild things about my master’s new son.  And Joseph is standing there with this shocked look on his face while Mary was beaming from ear to ear.

The kid was kinda cute… for a human.  Their ears are waaay too small.

I remember wondering why everyone was just standing around marveling at this kid.  What made him so special?  I asked the sheep and they kept going on and on about how the angels appeared to “them.”  Oh, la-de-da; like that makes them sooo special.  If there was something special about the baby, then I could brag about carrying him here all the way from Nazareth.  But you know what it’s like trying to talk to a sheep.

Anyway, that was last week.  Well, today Mary and the baby climbed on my back and I brought them here to the Temple.  Joseph says today they will give the baby a name.  I think they plan to call him Jesus.  That’s what I overheard.  But here’s the really wild part.  We’re walking into the city when this old guy stops us and says, “At last, at last, I have seen the Savior.”  And he’s pointing at the Baby.  He looked at the baby and said He would help the Gentiles come to know God (whatever a “Gentile” is; I don’t know), and how this kid was the one God promised to the people of Israel.  It was kinda like what the sheep were saying a week ago; I guess they were right… but I’ll never tell them that!!

So, I don’t know what to think.  I know I’m tired.  I know I’ve been away from home for a long time.  I can’t wait to get back to my own bed of straw.  But still…

There’s something special about that kid; I just know it.  Things seem kinda different now.  I mean, when I look at this Baby Jesus, something inside of me changes; it’s like He takes away my worries and my fears.  And even my hooves don’t hurt as much.  And, wow; those eyes.  He looks at me with those tiny eyes and it’s like He can see even into my soul.

And to think… I got to carry Him all the way here.

Not that I’m braggin, or anything.

(see Luke 2:1-33 for more information)