Click Here to Listen to the Sunday, March 13, 2011 Sermon by Pastor Rodger S. Loar
Click Here to See the Slide Show of Urban Myth Pictures from the Sermon
Scripture References: Ephesians 4:11-16 and 1Corinthians 13:11
Don't Believe Everything You Hear!
It’s easy for kids to believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. Adults tell them the story as truth and so they believe it. There has to come a time when they start growing up and not longer believe in these types of stories. There is a time when they need to apply thought and question the things that people tell them.
It would be nice if that were always true, but we all know it’s not. Marketers make lots of money by convincing adults to believe things as easily as they did when they were kids. Of course you’ll lose weight just by taking this magic pill. Of course we’ll give you a good deal on a car if you’ll just come to our dealership. Of course you can afford that house with no money down.
Believing these types of lies can hurt you, but there are even worse ones. There are plenty of cults and false teachers out there who prey on those who aren’t mature in their faith. People like Dan Brown of The Da Vinci Code fame present fiction as fact. Televangelists sell phony miracles for money. Athiests such as Richard Dawkins repackage tired old ideas as seductive new ones to sell you on their faithless faith. Let’s not even get started on the twisted truths and outright lies that come out of politicians on a daily basis.
As Christians, we are called to grow up. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:11-16 that we aren’t supposed to be like infants who believe anything that we are told by crafty and deceitful people. We are supposed to be grown up. We are supposed to be able to make the right choices.
How do we learn how to make good choices?
How do we grow up in our faith?
How do we become mature believers?
Well, first of all, you just gotta do it! You can't just hope it will happen. You can't sit around waiting for some one else to do it for you. One of the first things an infant learns to do is feed themselves. As a Christian, you can't expect the pastor to be the one feeding you. His job is to equip you to feed yourself and others. There is no magical message from the mountaintop, it's just a set of simple steps that you just keep doing:
Step 1: Read, read, read, read, read. Know your Bible. God provided His Word to us for a reason. Make this a part of your daily routine. If you don’t have a copy of the liturgy book that we use at MVCC, you can purchase one in the lobby on Sunday or get one at the local bookstore. Then, read it each day so you begin to know your Bible.
Step 2: Ask Questions. We are called to love our God with all of our Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength. That third word there is ‘mind’. Use your brain. Ask questions. Struggle with your faith. Question what you are taught and study yourself. Never stop learning.
Step 3: Apprentice Yourself. Walk alongside more experience believers. Learn what they do. Visit people in the hospital, serve at a homeless shelter, volunteer to help others. Begin applying your faith by putting it in action.
Step 4: You gotta ask someone: Find a friend, a mentor, an accountability partner or small group. Begin purposely opening up and inviting them to open up to you. Encourage each other to grow. Ask for help in areas where you struggle. Pray for one another and be willing to speak the truth in love to help each other in your growth.
Step 5: Rinse, lather, and repeat. That’s right, keep doing these things. Growing up is a process, not an event. Whether you were just baptized or you’ve been a believer for fifty years; keep reading, keep studying, keep questioning, and keep serving. You still have places to grow.
Our memory verse this month comes from 1 Corinthians:
When I was a child,
I spoke like a child,
I thought like a child,
I reasoned like a child,
When I became an adult,
I put away childish ways.
I spoke like a child,
I thought like a child,
I reasoned like a child,
When I became an adult,
I put away childish ways.
It’s time to put away childish ways.
It’s time to grow up.
I agree with you Rodger. I know that I for one have some work to do to get better at reading my Bible. I restarted a Bible reading plan that is a 90-day plan. It's helpful for me to have a daily time that I set aside to get into God's word...then God does the rest :)
ReplyDeleteGood stuff! :)