SERMON EXERT OCTOBER 28, 2012

SERMON EXERT OCTOBER 28, 2012 YOU WERE MADE FOR CHEERFUL GIVING Bicentennial Halloween Party Day By the Rev. John Donnelly According to Rick Warren, one vital aspect of ‘serving God’ is our financial giving to God. Rick Warren says, “Materialism is the third barrier that keeps us from being available to serve. Jesus said, “No servant can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:13). They key word here is “cannot”? He didn’t say, “You should not serve both God and money.” He said, “You cannot serve both God and money.” You’ve got to decide whether you want to be rich or you want to be blessed.” Now, what is he saying? Is he saying that rich people are bad? No. Rather he is cautioning us to beware of the temptation, which is often unconscious , of giving money more undue importance in our lives, than God. Now, this is often unconscious, which is why God’s stresses, “You shall have no other Gods but me, you shall NOT value material things, more than you value me.” Most Christians are confused about financial giving to God, not because they are greedy, but because they do not know the Bible. Read that last line at the bottom of the page with me: “If there is a willing mind, give according to what you do have, and not according to what you do not have.” Paul says this in another way, too, which is a guiding principle of our Annual Pledge ministry. Paul says, and please repeats after me, “Everyone should do what/He has purposed in his heart/not grudgingly/not under compulsion/ for God loves/ a cheerful giver. What does God love? A cheerful giver. I want to tell you about some cheerful givers I know. They are spiritual ancestors of you and me, saints from the history of Christ Church, who later today will be featured in our haunted church tour: The first man was a local, named Cyrus Perry. Can anyone tell us about him? In 1812, the organizing committee for CCQF held a CONTEST. The first person to bring in a beam for the construction of the church would win 5 gallons of Jamaican rum. Cyrus Perry won the contest, but apparently never collected his prize. So, there has been a great mystery for the last 200 years, and that mystery is why didn’t Cyrus Perry claim his prize of the Jamaican rum? There is no record that he received it, and there has been suspicion as to whether or not he was cheated out of his prize. Well, I did some research: It turns out that Cyrus Perry was not only the contest winner, but he was also one of the 40 first members of CCQF. His name is listed with all the other founder s that made pledges , or subscriptions as they were called, to provide the money and materials to build this church. So, here’s my theory: Cyrus Parry didn’t secure the lumber to win a contest. He donated his lumber as a gift to God, as his contribution . He shared the faith and the vision of this church, and was grateful to offer to Gad whatever he could. So, he never claimed his prize, because he was grateful for the prize that he had already received by being forgiven and loved by Jesus Christ. If he had claimed his prize, then there would have been a record of it, like there are records about everything else. So, because of Cyrus Perry and the other cheerful givers , we have inherited this church so that we can show God that we love him through worship. Our second cheerful giver is The Rev. William Soule, served CCQF from 1948-1959. As some of us heard last week in Marilyn’s history presentation, Dr. Soule was responsible for securing our organ back in 1951—the very organ that Rob Simon so wonderfully plays for us today. This organ, originally built in the 1800s, and was donated by a local Lutheran Church, which was purchasing a newer instrument. But back then, the “new-to- us-organ” cost a fair amount of money to disassemble, clean, repair, refurbish,& transport to Quaker farms. Also, carpenters had to remodel the organ loft and literally trim the organ, in order for it to be installed. In 1951, this was an unbudgeted expense. But, Dr. Soule and the rest of Christ Church made monetary pledges to cover these expenses, which were paid off in the year. Because of those Cheerful givers, you and I are blessed with the organ that we have all inherited. Finally, my last Cheerful Giver is the late/long time parishioner, Mabel Lum. During her talk, Marilyn informed us that Miss Lum was the chief advocate and fund raiser for the construction of our current Parish Hall. She worked for years building support, securing donations, and ultimately bequeathing the funds necessary to construct our building. For the past 50 years, that building has provided space for hundreds and hundreds of our own parishioners for Sunday School, parties and dinners, Youth Groups gatherings, Scouting programs, and for our own pre-school. Also, CCQF has been very generous in sharing this space with countless community groups. Because of Mabel Lum and the other cheerful givers who supported her work, we are blessed with the building which we have honored to inherit. Cyrus Perry, William Soule , Mabel Lum and all the cheerful givers of our past made generous donations to build a physical church, and we are grateful to them. You and I , we are called not being called to build a physical building. Rather, you and I are being called to up build what the Bible calls a spiritual building, a building where together we can express our love of God through worship, where we can love and serve one another, and spiritually grow as disciples of Christ. Over the next several weeks, your Vestry would like for you to reflect upon the many gifts that we have received, so that in 2013 we all can be what Rick Warren calls “Kingdom builders.” For the past 200 years, cheerful givers have done their part, giving us what we have today. As you pray about making your pledge in 2013, I pray that the gratitude and love of Christ would guide you, too.

PDL Week # 5 Oct. 21, 2012 Abridged teaching by Rick Warren

SHAPED FOR SERVING GOD By Rick Warren The Purpose Driven Life 1.Worshp—Expressing our Love to God 2.Fellowship—Lovng God’s Family 3. Discipleship-Becoming like Jesus in our character 4. Serving God by serving others—Cheerful service Sermon Notes 1. “Elvis never came to terms with who he was meant to be or what his purpose in life was. He thought he was here for a reason, maybe to preach, maybe to serve, maybe to save, maybe to care for people. That agonizing desire was always with him and he knew he wasn’t fulfilling it. So he’d go on stage and he wouldn’t have to think about it.” --Priscilla Presley 2. “Let your light so shine before people, that they may see your good works, and give glory to your father in heaven.” Matthew 16 “ 3. MY 4th PURPOSE IS TO _______ God by _________ __________. 4. Jesus: “Your attitude must be like My Own, for I did not come to be served, but to serve...” Matthew 20:28 (LB) LEARNING TO SERVE LIKE JESUS 5. Serving others requires giving our TIME. • Barrier to serving: SELF-CENTEREDNESS “Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” Philippians 2:4 (MSG) 6. SERVING LIKE JESUS MEANS BEING GRATEFUL. “Serve the Lord with gladness.” Psalm 100:2 (KJV) 7. “It is he who saved us and chose us for his holy work not because we deserved it but because that was his plan...” 2 Timothy 1:9 (LB) 8. “'Well done, good and faithful servant!...Come and share your master's happiness!” Matthew 25:21 (NIV) SERMON TRANSCRIPT If you look closely ths Halloween, you wll probably see the Kng walkng around. Ths time I am not referring to the King Jesus. No, I am talking about Elvis. Even after he’s been dead for 30 years, you will see his impersonators walkng around in their sun glasses, combing their greasy hair, just like he taught them. Now in spite of enormous success, Elvis was, according to friends, an unfulfilled and unhappy man. He died of obesity and drug dependency at 42. And in an interview with his wife, Priscilla Presley, she said this about her husband. If you would take out your sermon notes, and follow along at point # 1, Mrs. Elvis Presley said “Elvis never came to terms with who he was meant to be or what his purpose in life was. He thought he was here for a reason, maybe to preach, maybe to serve, maybe to save, maybe to care for people. That agonizing desire was always with him and he knew he wasn’t fulfilling it. So he’d go on stage and he wouldn’t have to think about it.” Elvis didn’t have a clue where to begin to look. In a sense, he was lost. I don’t want you to make the same mistake. And today we’re continuing our 40 Days of Purpose, and we’re going to look at God’s fourth purpose for your life, there on the top of your outline…you were “Shaped to Serve God.” Jesus said to his disciples what He says to us. Let’s read power point # 2 together, saying, “Let your light to shine before people, that they would see your good works and give glory to your father in heaven.” You and I were made to do Good works. God made you to make a difference. To be a true Christian, not a fake one, your beliefs and convections must be reflected n your deeds of serving others. We’re all meant to give something back. We’re all meant to make a contribution. The Bible says we’re created to serve, we’re saved to serve, we’re gifted to serve, we’re commanded to serve God back. So looking at point # 3, “My fourth purpose in life is to serve God by serving others.” You want to know why you’re alive. That’s why you’re alive. You weren’t put here just to take up space, consume and get a free ride through life. You were put here to serve God and the way you serve God is by serving other people. Now the good news is that God not only created us for service, he gave us a model. He came to Earth himself as Jesus, who came to serve you and me. Notice the next verse at # 4. Matthew 20:28, “Jesus said, ‘Your attitude must be like My own, for I did not come to be served, but to serve.’” So, how do we do this? Well, if we are growing n discipleship, which as we heard last week, is growing to become more like Jesus in our character, then serving others is not optional. And if serving others s not optional, then, the logical conclusion, as we see in pt. # 5 “Saving others requires giving our TIME. Time, that precious treasure for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Inside your bulletin, you wll find a deep blue insert, which I encourage you to take home and read. If you would please take that out, you wll see that it challenges you to Let your love of God guide you in your use of time. Please turn to the white side, and let’s read together the 3rd paragraph from the bottom: Everybody needs a helping hand, at one time or another. There are needy people n my neighborhood, community, & church. Also, my church needs my help, because other people serve to make CCQF run, and I want to do my part. Now, a lot of people think, “O, just don’t have the time.” Now, I can sympathize with that. Some of us n ths church family may have a surplus of time, but others of us feel like each day is an exhausting rush. But let’s get serious here. If I am always, always, always making excuses as my rationalization for not serving , then maybe serving really is not very important to me. There are times God confronts me with this truth, and I have to ask myself,” If serving is not important to me, then am I being a little self centered?” Can’t I help others, the way have been helped? Now, many of us work hard at work, work hard in our homes, and feel like we are always doing something for somebody. But the service that Jesus is talking about is where we go beyond our nuclear families and immediate circle of friends. The Bible says, “Forget yourself long enough to lend a helping hand.” (Phil. 2:4) You see, we can make the time to serve others when we are grateful for the way that god and others have helped us in the past. To serve like Jesus, we have to serve with grateful hearts, BUT ALSO BENGGRATEFUL THAT WE HAVE THEHONOR to serve. And the Bible talked about our attitude of gratefulness in Psalm 100:2. Let’s read this verse “gratefully” together: “Serve the Lord with gladness.” You did sound grateful in that! CHHERFUL SERVICE Why do we serve God with gratefulness? We serve him with gratefulness because he’s given life, and hope and forgiveness & love to us through Jesus Christ. You see, if God never did another thing else for me, and I lost everything I have, would still have the greatest gift of all times—His eternal love. Now, I am going to interject own thoughts here—these are not from Rick Warren. I find that there is another important reason we serve God with gladness, and that is this: When we do something nice for someone, or help out at church, it makes us feel good. It feels good to make a contribution. It feels good to help someone out. It feels good to know that we have gone out of our way, putting aside our own agenda, to be kind and helpful. Now if you feel compelled and coerced into serving someone, you may or may not feel good about that. But when you serve you feel good, because your Father in heaven feels good about you. The goodness you feel is that your are fulfilling one of the purposes for which you made. I remember the thrill I felt when I figures this out. It motivated me to go and do more. To this day, it motivates me to be less self centered in my family, in my relationships, and here at church. Now, if you get thanked for serving, that’s all the better. But if you don’t, God thanks you. Please look at point # 8. I want you to hear from God , himself, the thanks that He gives to His servants, which you can experience on earth and in heaven: Let’s read it together “Well done good and faithful servant! Come and share your master’s happiness.” Returning back to Rick Warren: You know, that this message began in talking about Elis, A curious fact about Elvis – the only Grammy award he won for an album out of 250 million sold, was for a religious album that he recorded called, “He Touched Me.” Now, you are going to have the opportunity to hear this song as today’s “Offertory.” But , in this song, Elvis describes his desire to hear God speak the very words that we just read. Looking at # 9, it reads: After the last bell has rung, I want to bow down before Jesus And hear him say, “Well done, my son.” He is my reason for living, He is my everything. AMEN. **

PDL week # 4 YOU WERE CREATED TO BECOME LIKE JESUS--abridged teaching of Rick Warren, Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012

Sermon Transcript Everybody needs a purpose and that’s why we’re spending 40 Days of Purpose, looking at God’s purposes for your life. Now, Week 1 we looked at “You Were Planned for God’s Pleasure.” Your first purpose is to express love to God. That’s called what? Worship. And last Sunday we talked about how “You Were Formed for God’s Family.” God wants you to learn to love other people and get along in His family, and the Bible calls that what? Fellowship. Now would you please take out your sermon notes on your blue insert from your bulletin, and pass and please pass out the pens at the end of your pews. Today, we look at the third purpose that God put you on this planet for, and we find it power point # 1--in Romans 8:29. Let’s read this one together: “For from the very beginning God decided that those who came to him – and he knew who would – should become like his Son.” So, looking at point # 2 --Now God’s plan has always been, this is the third purpose, to make you like Jesus. His plan from the very beginning has been to make human beings like himself. (Pcture) Now, that doesn’t mean you have to grow a beard, long hair, and wear a robe. No, God s talking about developing your God-given potential for character, as we see lived out in Jesus Christ: the way he thinks, the way he acts, the way he feels, his values, his moral character. God wants to make you like Jesus. Let’s look at point # 3-- We neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. We are God’s masterpiece in Christ Jesus. Now, like me, you are a work n progress. This doesn’t happen overnight. It’s not like one day all of a sudden – ZAP – you’re just like Jesus. It’s a process, and this process is called “discipleship”, and it takes an entire lifetime. It’s going to take the rest of your life for God to build character in you, the character qualities of Jesus Christ. Now, to illustrate today’s message, we are now going to see a sermon video, which illustrates some of Rick Warren’s thoughts on discipleship. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now, let’s imagine for a moment that each of us here today decided to cooperate with God as he chisels away at us to form the character of Jesus in our lives. As we heard in today’s Gospel, some who claim to be followers of Jesus just turn away from him at this point. “No thanks, God. I like myself the way I am.” But others of us, like Peter and the real followers of Jesus, choose to let Jesus help us spiritually grow. What might that look like? Well, here’s just one aspect of what that would look like: It looks like listening to Jesus’ words of life from the Bible, and seeking to personally apply them to our lives. It looks like recognizing that we need to acknowledge and confess our sins. It would look like confessing to God our anger, pride, laziness, & self centeredness. Some of us, like me, would confess that too often we compare ourselves to others, when we should be comparing ourselves to Christ. Some of us, like me, would confess that too often, we give undue importance to what others think of us, and not enough value to what God thinks of us. It would look like seeing ourselves and others as God sees us---as His masterpiece. It would look like believing and receiving God’s forgiveness and comfort. The master piece is the greatest, most defining work for an artist or composer. This one work is the total culmination of a life time of devoted work. You are God’s masterpiece. And God s working to complete His masterpiece n you. Pont # 3, let us read that together. In all things, God works for the good for those who love him, who have been called according to his purposes.. He asks that we do our part. Our part s simply to let God soften, shape, and change our hearts to accept and embrace God’s good work n our lives. I know that this s the desire of many of you. So now, I invite you to express this desire to God. Today we will sing our creed, our statement of belief, which you will find on page 5. “Change my heart, O God. Make t ever new. I want to be like you.” AFTER SONG: AMEN. So, singing is one way that God can change our hearts. The other s personal alone time with God in prayer. Rick Warren has written a wonderful prayer guide, which describes a simple way to spend alone time with God. Look at the bottom of your blue sermon notes to find out how you can obtain this prayer guide. But now, let us together, as God’s family, offer our prayers to him. And if you pray them with conviction, God will immediately begin to change your heart . Prayers of the People are on page 5 of the bulletin.

The following article was written by RICK WARREN

BEING DISCIPLES--Next Step to Spiritual Growth:

BEING DISCIPLES--Next Step to Spiritual Growth: How to have meaningful time with God By Rick Warren Once you’re convinced that a daily quiet time is necessary for spiritual growth, then how do you go about having one? You may be motivated to do it but may not know how. You need to consider four essentials elements of a good quiet time: (1) Start with the proper attitudes; (2) Select a specific time; (3)Choose a special place; (4)Follow a simple plan. START WITH THE PROPER ATTITUDES In God's eyes, why you do something is far more important than what you do. On one occasion God told Samuel, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) It is quite possible to do the right thing but with the wrong attitude. This was Amaziah's problem, for “he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord but not wholeheartedly.” (2 Chronicles 25:2) When you come to meet with God in the quiet time, you should have these proper attitudes: 1. Expectancy - Come before God with anticipation and eagerness. Expect to have a good time of fellowship with him and receive a blessing from your time together. That was what David expected: "O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You." (Psalm 63:1) 2. Reverence - Don't rush into God's presence, but prepare your heart by being still before him and letting the quietness clear away the thoughts of the world. Listen to the prophet Habakkuk: "The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him." (Habakkuk 2:20; see also Psalm 89:7) Coming into the presence of the Lord is not like going to a football game or some other form of entertainment. 3. Alertness - Get wide awake first. Remember that you are meeting with the Creator, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, the Redeemer of men. Be thoroughly rested and alert. The best preparation for a quiet time in the morning begins the night before. Get to bed early so you will be in good shape to meet God in the morning; he deserves your full attention. 4. Willingness to obey - This attitude is crucial: You don't come to your quiet time to choose what you will do or not do, but with the purpose of doing anything and everything that God wants you to do. Jesus said, "If anyone chooses to do God’s will he will find out whether My teaching comes from God or whether I speak on My own." (John 7:17) So come to meet the Lord having already chosen to do his will no matter what. SELECT A SPECIFIC TIME The specific time has to do with when you should have your quiet time and how long it should be. The general rule is this: The best time is when you are at your best! Give God the best part of your day - when you are the freshest and most alert. Don't try to serve God with your leftovers (leftover time). Remember, too, that your best time may be different from someone else's. For most of us, however, early in the morning seems to be the best time. It was Jesus' own practice to rise early to pray and meet with the Father: “Very early in the morning, while it was Next Step to Spiritual Growth, Rick Warren © 2004 Page 2 still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." (Mark 1:35) In the Bible many godly men and women rose early to meet with God. Some of these were: • Abraham - Genesis 19:27 • Moses - Exodus 34:4 • Job - Job 1:5 • Hannah and Elkanah - 1 Samuel 1:19 • Jacob - Genesis 28:18 • David - Psalms 5:3, 57:7,8 (See also Psalm 143:8; Isaiah 26:9; Ezekiel 12:8.) Throughout church history, many Christians who were used most by God met with him early in the morning. Hudson Taylor said, "You don't tune up the instruments after the concert is over. That's stupid. It's logical to tune them up before you start." The great revival among British college students in the late 19th century began those historic words: "Remember the Morning Watch!" So we need to tune ourselves up at the start of each day as we remember the Morning Watch. If Jesus is really in first place in our lives, we ought to give him the first part of our day. We are to seek his Kingdom first (see Matthew 6:33). Doctors tell us that the most important meal of the day is breakfast. It often determines our energy levels, alertness, and even moods for the day. Likewise, we need a "spiritual breakfast" to start our day off right. Finally, in the morning our minds are uncluttered from the day's activities. Our thoughts are fresh, we're rested; tensions have not yet come on us, and it's usually the quietest time. One mother sets her alarm clock for 4 a.m., has her quiet time, goes back to bed, and then rises when everyone else in the household gets up. Her explanation is that with kids around the house all day, early morning is the only time when it is quiet and she can be alone with God. It works for her; you need to select a time that will work for you. You might even consider having two quiet times (morning and night). Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators, used to have code letters for his night quiet time: HWLW. Whenever he was with a group of people at night or home with his wife and the conversation seemed to be ending, he would say, "All right, HWLW." HWLW stood for "His Word the Last Word;" and he practiced that through the years as a way of ending a day with one's thoughts fixed on the Lord (Betty Lee Skinner, Daws, Zondervan, 1974, p. 103). Stephen Olford, a great Christian and minister in New York for many years, said, “I want to hear the voice of God before I hear anyone else’s in the morning, and his is the last voice I want to hear at night.” David and Daniel even met with the Lord three times each day (see Psalm 55:17; Daniel 6:10). Whatever time you set, be consistent in it. Schedule it on your calendar; make an appointment with God as you would with anyone else. Make a date with Jesus! Then look forward to it and don't stand him up. A stood-up date is not a pleasant experience for us, and Jesus does not like to be stood up either. So make a date with him and keep it at all costs. Next Step to Spiritual Growth, Rick Warren © 2004 Page 3 The question is often asked, "How much time should I spend with the Lord?" If you've never had a consistent quiet time before, you may want to start with seven minutes (Robert D. Foster, Seven Minutes with God, NavPress, 1997) and let it grow naturally. You should aim to eventually spend not less than 15 minutes a day with the Lord. Out of 168 hours we all have during a given week, one hour and 45 minutes seems terribly small when you consider that you were created to have fellowship with God. Here are some additional guidelines: • Don't try for a two-hour quiet time at first. You'll only get discouraged. You must grow in this relationship as you do in any other. So begin with a consistent seven minutes and let it grow; it's better to be consistent with a short time than to meet for an hour every other week. • Don't watch the clock. Clock-watching can ruin your quiet time faster than almost anything else. Decide what you can do in the Word and prayer during the time you have selected; then do it. Sometimes it will take longer than you have set aside and sometimes less time. But don't keep looking at your watch. • Don't emphasize on quantity, emphasize on quality. There is nothing super spiritual about have a two-hour quiet time. It's what you do during your time - 15 minutes or two hours or anything in between - that's important. Aim for a quality relationship with the Lord. CHOOSE A SPECIAL PLACE The location where you have your quiet time is also important. The Bible indicates that Abraham had a regular place where he met with God (Genesis 19:27). Jesus had a custom of praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. "Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him." (Luke 22:39, emphasis added) Your place ought to be a secluded place. This is a place where you can be alone, where it's quiet, and where you will not be disturbed or interrupted. In today's noisy Western World, this may take some ingenuity, but it is necessary. It ought to be a place … • where you can pray aloud without disturbing others; • where you have good lighting for reading (a desk, perhaps); • where you are comfortable. (WARNING: Do not have your quiet time in bed. That's too comfortable!) Your place ought to be a special place. Wherever you decide to meet with the Lord, make it a special place for you and him. As the days go by, that place will come to mean a lot to you because of the wonderful times you have there with Jesus Christ. Next Step to Spiritual Growth, Rick Warren © 2004 Page 4 Your place ought to be a sacred place. This is where you meet with the living God. Where you meet the Lord can be just as holy as the place where Abraham met God. You don't have to be in a church building. People have had their quiet times in their cars parked in a quiet place, in an empty closet at home, in their back yards, and even in a baseball dugout. Each of these places has become sacred to them. FOLLOW A SIMPLE PLAN Someone has said, "If you aim at nothing, you are sure to hit it!" To have a meaningful quiet time, you will need a plan or some kind of general outline to follow. The main rule is this: Keep your plan simple. You will need the following three items for your planned quiet times: • A Bible - a contemporary translation (not a paraphrase) with good print, preferably without notes. .. A notebook for writing down what the Lord shows you, and for making a prayer list. • A hymn book - sometimes you may want to sing in your praise time (see Colossians 3:16). 1. Wait on God (Relax). Be still for a minute; don't come running into God's presence and start talking immediately. Follow God's admonition: "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10; see also Isaiah 30:15; 40:31) Be quiet for a short while to put yourself into a reverent mood. 2. Pray briefly (Request). This is not your prayer time, but a short opening prayer to ask God to cleanse your heart and guide you into the time together. Two good passages of Scripture to memorize are: • "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24; see also 1 John 1:9) • “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law [the Word]." (Psalm 119:18; see also John 16:13) You need to be in tune with the Author before you can understand his book! 3. Read a section of the Scripture (Read). This is where your conversation with God begins. He speaks to you through his Word, and you speak with him in prayer. Read your Bible … Slowly. Don’t be in a hurry; don’t try to read too large an amount; don’t race through it. Next Step to Spiritual Growth, Rick Warren © 2004 Page 5 Repeatedly. Read a passage over and over until you start to picture it in your mind. The reason more people don't get more out of their Bible reading is that they do not read the Scriptures repeatedly. Without stopping. Don't stop in the middle of a sentence to go off on a tangent and do a doctrinal study. Just read that section for the pure joy of it, allowing God to speak to you. Remember that your goal here is not to gain information, but to feed on the Word and get to know Christ better. Aloud but quietly. Reading it aloud will improve your concentration, if you have that problem. It will also help you understand what you are reading better because you will be both seeing and hearing what you are reading. Read softly enough, however, so that you won't disturb anyone. Systematically. Read through a book at a time in an orderly method. Do not use the "random dip" method - a passage here, a chapter there, what you like here, an interesting portion there. You'll understand the Bible better if you read it as it was written - a book or letter at a time. To get a sweep of a book. On some occasions you may want to survey a whole book. In that case you will read it quickly to get a sweep of the total revelation. Then you need not read it slowly or repeatedly. 4. Meditate and memorize (Reflect and Remember). In order to have the Scriptures speak to you meaningfully, you should meditate on what you are reading and memorize verses that particularly speak to you. Meditation is "seriously contemplating a thought over and over in your mind." Out of your meditation you might select and memorize a verse that is particularly meaningful to you. 5. Write down what God has shown you (Record). When God speaks to you through his Word, record what you have discovered. Writing it down will enable you both to remember what God revealed to you and to check up on your biblical discoveries. Recording what God has shown you is the way of applying what you see in the Scripture that pertains to your life. 6. Have your time of prayer (Request). After God has spoken to you through His Word, speak to Him in prayer. This is your part of the conversation with the Lord. CONCLUSION What if you miss a day? Don't worry about it if it only happens occasionally. Don't go on a guilt trip. "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1, NIV) Don't get legalistic because missing one day does not make it a flop. BUT don't give up. If you miss a meal, it does not mean that you should give up eating because you're inconsistent. You Next Step to Spiritual Growth, Rick Warren © 2004 Page 6 simply eat a little more at the next meal and go on from there. This same principle is true with your quiet time. Psychologists tell us that it usually takes three weeks to get familiar with some new task or habit; it takes another three weeks before it becomes a habit. The reason why many people are not successful in their quiet times is because they have never made it past that six-week barrier. For your quiet time to become a habit, you must have had one daily for at least six weeks. William James had a famous formula for developing a habit (Selected Papers on Philosophy, E. P. Dutton & Co., 2000, pp. 60-62): 1. Make a strong resolution (vow). You must always start with a strong initiative. If you begin halfheartedly, you'll never make it. Make a public declaration by telling others about your decision. 2. Never allow an exception to occur until the new habit is securely rooted in your life. A habit is like a ball of twine. Every time you drop it, many strands are unwound. So never allow the "just this once" to occur. The act of yielding weakens the will and strengthens the lack of self-control. 3. Seize every opportunity and inclination to practice your new habit. Whenever you get the slightest urge to practice your new habit, do it right then. Don't wait, but use every opportunity to reinforce your habit. It does not hurt to overdo a new habit when you are first starting. To these suggestions I would add one more: 4. Rely on the power of God. When it is all said and done, you must realize that you are in a spiritual battle, and you can only succeed by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. So pray that God will strengthen you and depend on him to help you develop this habit for his glory. If you have been convinced that this is what you need to do, would you pray the following: A PRAYER OF COMMITMENT "Lord I commit myself to spending a definite time with you every day, no matter what the cost. I am depending on your strength to help me to be consistent." Next Step to Spiritual Growth, Rick Warren © 2004

Teachng # 3 Purpose Drven Life--YOU WERE MADE FOR GOD'S FAMILY

Sermon Outline Notes FORMED FOR GOD’S FAMILY by Rick Warren 1. “God is the one who made all things, and all things are for His glory. He wanted to have many children share his glory...” Hebrews 2:10a (NCV) 2. MY 2nd PURPOSE IN LIFE IS ________________. “The person who loves God must also love other believers.” 1 John 4:21 (GW) 3. FELLOWSHIP is ___________________. 4. I’m writing… so you’ll know how to live in the family of God. That family is the church...” 1 Timothy 3:14-15 (NCV) TWO INITIAL LEVELS OF FELLOWSHIP 5. LEVEL 1: MEMBERSHIP n the Church is CHOOSING TO PARTCPATE. 6. “...You are members of God's very own family... and you belong in God's household with every other Christian.” Ephesians 2:19 (LB) 7. “In Christ we who are many form one Body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:5 (NIV) 8. LEVEL 2 of Fellowship: FRIENDSHIP 9. “Let us not give up the habit of meeting together. Instead, let us encourage one another...” Hebrews 10:25 (TEV) 10. “Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are My disciples.” John 13:35 (LB) “ Please note: The sermons/messages for ‘CCQF’s 40 Days of Purpose’ were written and provided by Rick Warren, to be used on Sundays to complement the program. Each pastor s free to adapt them for local use. The Rector takes no credit for their authorship. Copies of the CCQF PDL sermons/messages may be found online at: www.urimportant2god.blogspot.com Sermon Transcript Last Sunday we heard that one of our 5 purposes in life is express our love for God. The Bible calls that “worship.” And today, we're going to look at the second purpose, which is that ---YOU, you were formed and designed and created to be a part of something larger than yourself—to be a member of the family of God. God wanted a family. That's why we're here. He wanted children. The entire Bible is the story of God building a family. That's what it is all about. God says to me, you, and the whole world wide church, “I want you to practice now learning to love other believers.” So would you write this down at point # 2, “My second purpose in life is Fellowship.” That's the word that the Bible uses to describe loving each other. Fellowship is loving God's family. The Bible says this in 1 John 4:21, "The person who loves God must also love other believers." We have to love other believers…and those other believers are known as the CHURCH. The church is family. It is not a building; it is not an institution; it is not an organization; it is not a club. It is a family. A lot of people say, “Well, I’m going to go to church,” as if church is a place you go to. That's not correct. Church is not a place you go to. Church is family. Now, in God’s family, the church, there are two initial levels of fellowship : The first is joining. Looking at POINT # 5, Level one of fellowship: Membership the church is "Choosing to participate by making the choice to belong. That's the most basic level. That means you find a church family and you choose…. you choose to get connected to it. The Christian life is not just a matter of believing. It is matter of belonging, and you and I must choose to belong. You know, you hear some people say, “Well, I’m a Christian, but I don't want to belong to any church.” That just doesn't make sense. The church is where you live out what it means to be a Christian. That's like saying, “I’m a football player, but I don't want to be a part of any team.” It doesn't work. A Christian without a church family is an orphan. The Bible says this in point # 7. Let’s read this together:“In Christ we who are many form one Body, and each member belongs to all the others." Through this decision that we make, you belong to every other Christian as part of what the family of God, which is the Church There is a symbol of that, of the fact that we belong together and that s called??? “Baptism." Baptism is the picture that we belong together in the Body of Christ. It is a public way of saying, “My child and my family are part of the Family of God.” So, the first level of fellowship is choosing to belong. The second level of fellowship is a little bit deeper, which we call “the friendship level.” You were made for relationships in the family of God. Now within our church family here at Christ Church, there are some people that have really deep friendships; they have long-term friendships, 20, 30 years, or more. And they value those friendships. Then there are others of us, like me, who have started attending here within the past 18 months or so, and we want to build friendships, too. To build new or renewed friendships , each of you needs to commit to putting time and energy into building relationships; and Christ Church provides some opportunities for that to happen. Our Small Groups are such opportunity, which I hope will become a regular part of our church experience n the future, just as it s now. Today, I have asked two people to briefly speak about their experiences in making friendships in small groups. The first is Tyler Sharron, a member of our youth group. Tyler, what has t been like to make new friendships in Youth Group? Tyler----I have made new friends in Youth Group. WE spend time together each Thursday, where we play games and have discussions. We all have something in common, and that is learning about God. It is easier to make friends when you share a common belief, unlike school , where kids do not have too much in common. If I didn't show up at school. most people might not notice. But if I miss Youth Group, they people will inquire about you. So, I feel valued by my Youth group friends. Now our second speaker s Tammy Borkowski, who has participated in Small groups for years. Tammy, why do you do Small groups? Tammy---“The reason why I choose to participate in small groups is for the fellowship of friends and the making of new relationships. I find that when working with small groups other people help me look at things in a way I had not looked that them before. They are able to give me insight into situations and a new perspective. It has always been a positive experience for me and one that I cherish. I find small groups to be a safe place to really open my heart to the Holy Spirit and what God has in store for me. Mostly I find that I need those other people to help me see the path God has for me. Looking at something through someone else's eyes always seems to bring new light to the situation or experience.” So, small groups are one way to make friends at church. Also, lots of people make friends by taking the time to serve with others in a church ministry. We’ll hear more about that in a couple weeks. But spending time with one another is key to fellowship. Jesus speaks about this, as we see at point # 10. Let’s read that together, saying, “Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” It wasn't too long after Jesus said this that the Roman Empire was throwing Christians to the lions in coliseums. They weren't very hospitable to Christians for several hundred years. They were putting them up on stakes and burning them and they were crucifying them and throwing them to lions and all other kinds of things. And in that period of time, one of the most famous secular historians, not a Christian, wrote this about Christians: “Behold, how they love each other." You see, what we want Christ Church Quaker Farms to be known for is not our size, We want to be known for our LOVE. We want people to say, “That's the place where they love each other,” because that's what Christianity is all about, loving God and loving each other. I’ll tell you why, When people find a church, a place, where there is genuine love, you'd have to lock the doors to keep people away, because people are not looking for religion, they are looking for a family. They are not looking for doctrine; they are looking for love..and so are we.