1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Sometimes we decide not to do the work of the church because we expect someone else will take care of it. Sometimes we hesitate to do good because we don’t see any results. We need to realize that we will often not see the good that results from our efforts. Don’t let discouragement over an apparent lack of results keep you from working.

As Christians we do not work to be saved, we work for the Lord because we are saved! If we truly believe that Christ has won the ultimate victory on the cross, then He did all the work for you. So, do the good that you can do, knowing that your work will have eternal results not because of what you will do, but because of what Jesus did, what He is doing now, and what He will do!

 

 

Joshua 1:9 – Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

 

Merriam Webster defines courage as, “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” We tend to think of courage in terms of big, bold acts like David standing before Goliath, Moses going before Pharaoh and leading his people out of Egypt, or Joshua leading his people into the Promised Land.

 

I prefer the definition, “being afraid of what you have to do, and doing it anyway.”  In this way, we see that it requires courage to do anything that takes us out of our comfort zone.  Maybe it is teaching a class for the first time. Maybe it’s talking to a stranger, or inviting a friend to church.  Maybe it’s calling a friend to comfort them in a time of need when you have no idea what to say. As my coffee cup wisdom reminds me, “courage doesn’t always roar, sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”

 

Jesus told his disciples to go “make disciples of all the nations” in Matthew 28:18-20.  And then he said, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  When we are striving to do God’s will, He will be with us.  We must be of good courage and not be afraid. Paul told Timothy, in 2 Tim 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

 

On Sunday, April 15, 1979 I was a 6-year-old boy when the first worship service of the Summit church of Christ was held on this hill.  I have been blessed to be part of this family from that day down to today.  If you ever get me started talking about those men and women whose faith moved them to start this work, you should plan to sit down and stay for a while.  I have unwavering respect and admiration for the adults who were my elders, deacons, teachers and mentors.  I can’t imagine a richer environment to grow active, deeply rooted faith in a young man than right here during the early years.

Summit’s purpose has been to be a fountain of God’s love, grace, and truth for the world.  With our members engaged in the holy purpose of being Christ in their world   Members have joined our lives together to support and amplify our impact.  God is still counting the lives that have been touched by all the faithful service down to today.

As wonderful as those early days are in my memory, I am convinced that the best is yet to come.   If this generation of believers will reject passivity, invest in the eternal, and prune our lives for service, this hill will very soon be overrun by people seeking to know Jesus.

 

We only get one life to live and it is oh so brief.  The theme for 2018 is COURAGE.  Please consider how you can take up the 3-fold challenge:  1) reject passivity, 2) Prune our lives for service, 3) Invest in the eternal.  Doing so will usher in another golden generation at Summit and allow our children to grow up in a faith enriching environment.

 

Today is the first Sunday of 2018.  Have you made any new year’s resolutions? Are you planning a diet or a change in eating habits?  Have you lined up a new exercise program or joined a gym?  Are you planning retirement, increasing your saving and reducing your spending?  Is this the year you make those upgrades on your house?  Will you go for that promotion or change jobs?

We put a lot of thought into improving our everyday life but how much thought and planning do we put into our spiritual life?  What are your Spiritual Resolutions?  Do you plan to improve your prayer life? Prayer is so very important to living a Christian life.  Visit the prayer bowl in the foyer and pick a name of someone to pray for this week.  Are you going to read your Bible more?  You can put an app on your phone that will remind you to read, or we have a list of daily readings on the welcome table that you can take and use. Is this the year you will talk to that coworker, neighbor or family member about your Lord?

2017 was a very good year at Summit.  The Lord blessed us with eleven souls who were saved through baptism.  We have prayed for the Lord to continue to send us new families who want to work for His kingdom, and he has.  They have talents and gifts that will be used to help glorify God here at Summit.

May He make all your plans succeed.  Ps 20:4 For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you says the Lord.  Jer29:11

 

Brothers and sisters, let’s make 2018 a great year for you personally, and for the Lord’s work at Summit.

If you have not been baptized why not make this the year?

If you have not been living the life of a faithful Christian, make today the day to rededicate your life and have one of the Elders pray with you.

If you have not been the Christian husband, wife, parent, or grandparent that you need to be, make the changes to make 2018 the best year yet.

 

Forget what is behind and strain forward toward what is ahead.  Phil 3:13

 

Don’t look back – Look forward to 2018

 

Early one morning Jesus led three disciples, Peter, James, & John up a high mountain (Mt.17:1). The highest mountain in the area was Mount Hermon (9,232 feet). Even the steep climb could not prepare them for what was about to happen.

On the top of the mountain the changes start:

• Moses and Elijah join them.
• Jesus is engulfed in a very bright light.
• Peter is even forced into silence.
• God speaks.
• And scripture is created as Jesus is glorified.

2 Peter 1:16–20 (ESV) — 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.

Friend, are you paying attention to God’s prophetic word? Are you reading the word through every year? Are you allowing its holiness to penetrate and transfigure your soul? Are you shining as a lamp in a dark place?

I hope you and your family had a great Christmas! What was the best reaction you saw from someone who received a gift they really wanted? I am sure there was a few happy screams, probably some jumping up and down, maybe even a look of stunning disbelief?

What about the best reaction you saw from someone who received a gift they really did not want? I am sure there were fake smiles, a half-hearted thank you, or a superficial hug?

Now compare those reactions to how you perceive your own response to the gift of eternal life through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Are you jumping up and down in excitement, or are you superficially showing up on Sunday mornings?

As we approach 2018 and pursue to be more courageous in our Christian walk, I encourage you to think back to when you first decided to follow Jesus and to recommit yourself to Him.

Romans 6:23 (NLT) “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Philippians 3:13-14 Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

 Happy New Year!  As we pass from one year to the next, we often pause to reflect on where we have been and where we are going in our life.

First, we look at where we have been and where we are right now.  At any given time, we are the sum of the choices we have made in our life.  We are the product of every experience that we have had, both good and bad.  We should consider all of these things to be the training that we need to be better people moving forward. However, we should be careful that we do not let the past define us or prevent us from realizing our God-given potential.  As Charles du Bos once said, “the important thing is this: to be able at any moment to
sacrifice what we are for what we could become.”

Where we are going is based on the choices that we make from now on.  Isaiah 28:10 says, “precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”  Each choice we make builds us and shapes us into the people we want to be.  Harvey Spencer Lewis said, “I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today.  I am today, what I established yesterday, or some previous day.”

The Hebrew writer instructs us to “Go on to perfection” in Hebrews 6:1, that we should strive for greater understanding and enlightenment and to be more Christ-like.  The Apostle Paul, in I Timothy 6:11, said, “pursue righteousness, Godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.”  Paul also instructed us to “make the best use of our time” in Ephesians 5:16.

As the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:13-14, forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead.