a drop of water

Sermon by Jamie Wilson – Acts 8 – April 22, 2007 – www.coastvineyard.org
I want to focus on a section of this sermon titled: Available for God (Acts 8:26-31)

(from notes)

1. God often gives us a direction without a destination.

2. God challenges us to accept mission without explanation.

3. Being available means a commitment to keep listening.

4. Faith requires a willingness to wait.

(my thoughts)

These ideas are bittersweet.

God gives us a direction without a destination. I like to know where we are going because I have the perspective that knowing where I am going will help me get there. But technically (and realistically), knowing the end point doesn’t necessarily help me get where I am going. Example: I know I need to get to City A and am currently at City B, but there are many paths to take, some more difficult than others. A direction would actually be more helpful than the destination. Then again, still, I want to know where I am going 8-P.

God challenges us to accept mission without explanation. I think this comes back to whether or nor God is Lord in my life. If God is truly Lord of my life, his will should require no explanation. Perhaps its not even a question of whether or not God’s will is right or wrong (though its rightness lends to its credibility), but whether or not I submit to the God who I call Lord of my life.

Being available means a commitment to keep listening. I often envision a commitment as getting a task and seeing it through, but this kind of commitment is more like a gmail thread instead of a traditional email. It’s a relationship commitment, where you send message back and forth often and not just a one time directive. I think I forget that a lot when I get an idea, I run off with it and forget to check my email…

Faith requires a willingness to wait. I do not like waiting, most of the time. I associate my worth and identity with what I accomplish so when I am waiting for something, I feel useless and out of control. So should I completely write of my worth and identity with what I accomplish? I don’t think so. Maybe I should redefine my worth / identity with what I “do” (for lack of a better term), where “do” includes waiting. Waiting on God speaks of submission to, authority under, and trust in God.

Sermon by Jamie Wilson – 2nd Timothy 1:1-14 – May 13, 2007 – www.coastvineyard.org
—

We need mentors to raise the bar for each other.

Mentoring means getting out of individualism and self sufficiency and into a posture of dependency and learning.

Mentoring Relationships

1. Mentoring is a commitment to love regardless of the circumstances (Paul most likely had been sentenced to death by Caesar Nero at the time that he wrote this letter to Timothy)

2. Regular prayer is the foundation for great mentoring. (Who is praying for you and who are you praying for?)

3. The healthiest mentoring relationships are open enough to share both joy and tears (not just a knowledge transfer).

4. At its best, mentoring is spiritual parenting. (parenting heart).

Mentoring Roles

1. Mentoring begins with seeing potential in others.

2. Mentors encourage others (and empower them by sharing God given resources)

3. Mentors have the ability to break fear (the cowardly type, not the fear of God type) in the next generation

4. Wise mentors help others depend on both God’s power and God’s love.

5. Mentors call others to mental discipline.

The Responsibility of the Mentor

1. Mentors have the responsibility to model courage for us.

2. We need examples of faith that stays focused.

3. Mentors challenge us to guard what God has given us. (“triumphant nonsense- don’t accept it just because it tastes good.”)

Moving forward as a Community of Learners

1. Who does God want us to learn from?

2. Who does God want us to invest in?

—

My Thoughts:
Often we don’t want to be involved in mentoring relationships. We don’t want to be mentored because we don’t want the responsibility of being held accountable to living the way we are called to live, instead of the way we want to live. We don’t want to be mentors because we don’t want the responsibility of making sure someone else’s needs are met. We ask questions, like…”how can I provide answers for questions I have not faced myself?” Well, mentoring is not about answers, instead its about seeking answers together from God. I really like how Pastor Jamie puts it, that the purpose of a mentor is to raise the bar. If we have no one sharpening us, expecting us to reach some lofty potential, we tend to stagnate in the comfortable status quo.