Focus
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What’s it about
What’s it about
Morning, so what is today about? A new direction? NO, New things for the Church to do? Maybe to move on with, follow through on what God’s word says.
At Christmas time 2020 God gave me a word for 2021 which was breathe, we have talked about it all year through different themes & books of the Bible. That is spend time with Him, put God first, above everything else. Take time over your reading of the Bible. Take time when you pray, in fact spend more time in His presence. Breathe & move to His rhythm, not your own. You are not what you do, that is not your identity. First & foremost you are a Child of God. I think i can honestly say we are not there yet, we are all still working through that. Sometimes it means just breathing & being instead of speaking, you know those times of silence that make us feel uncomfortable, time listen, hear God, what He wants to say. It’s really important that we get this, it’s why we have two ears & one mouth, it’s so we can listen more.
Knowing that you are a Son or Daughter of God, knowing who you truly are will bring freedom,part of that freedom is that you will find out that it’s not all about you, that everything is not your burden to carry & definitely you don’t have to live like it does.
So we get to this new year 2022. there are things that the church started or continued in 2021, we have continued to grow numerically & as i said working on our Spiritual growth & our obedience to the word of God.
We now have 4 houses, 17 bedrooms, we are nearly full & our staff work hard to meet the needs, some unfortunately don’t make it with us. restore Kitchen is out 6 nights a week, giving great food to help those in need. Our staff paid & volunteers are true heroes.
seriously when it’s warm, cold, wet, windy or snow that van goes out, this year we have been doing this for 9 years.
We do need volunteers, even if it’s once a month. The Pantry has been open since December 2020, just over a year, Numbers are .............Jan - Dec 2021. manned by volunteer staff Monday, Wednesday, Friday. 12-2pm as i said last week see Darren if you want to volunteer.
OK, so lets get to it.
God gave me this word for 2022 about a month ago, i never look for a word or theme for the Church, it’s to much pressure. Tammy was asking me, so whats the for 2022. I felt pressured & answered abruptly i don’t know, don’t pressure me, the next few days while i was isolating with Covid watching another Pastors sermon it struck me, it wan’t his subject but this word focus just kept coming. God was like this is it, focus don’t miss it. What i want is for the Church to breathe, spend time with me & focus.
So focus:
What’s your focus? What do you need to have your focus on? What do you need to stop focusing on?
You see when our focus is in the wrong place, we miss the point of life, we are so fearful that we might miss out on that Job, money, house, car if we are looking out at everything at this level, here & not looking up, which is where our focus should be, we miss the very thing that could change our lives forever, a deeper relationship with God.
God wants us to sharpen our focus, we need our eyesight corrected, some may say i need a Bible study to grow deeper in the things of God, learn more scripture, the Greek, the Hebrew. It will give me greater understanding.
The problem is most Christians are educated above the level of their obedience.
Going deeper is not knowing more but loving more, giving more to the people around us who do not know how loving our God is & the problem is that not enough Christians show them through their lives.
What do i mean, how are you doing with the information you already have, have you ever read 1 John 4:11-12
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
So what we need to go deeper is do what the word says. Luke 11:28
But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Focus:
What do you focus on?
The news & complain about it. The Government have done this or that, but the Bible is clear we should pray for our leaders
for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
Vaccinate, don’t vaccinate, wear a mask, don’t wear a mask. I have seen some atrocious behaviour on line by people who call themselves Christians attacking people, using the Bible as a weapon. iv’e seen it, been on the receiving end of it.
Why do they act this way? it’s because their focus is on this kingdom & not Gods kingdom, they have believed the lie & thrusting it into the faces of others, again read 1 John 4:11-12
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
God calls us to get right with Him & with others.
What shall be our focus, these are the bear bones, maybe with some muscle of how this word will work out in the life of us.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
It’s not just about money, if your treasure is your kids, wife, husband, money, job, Pastor, how you feel, then that is where your focus will be. Matthew 6:25-34
Everything else is a distraction from seeking God, He must be first. What has grabbed your attention? What is your focus on?
Focus doesn’t necessarily mean do something new, look when you are tired & driving & in no way am i saying that’s a good thing but its useful for my point, or reading while tired, both have different consequences, one is drop a book, two is possibly kill yourself or others. But apart from the obvious sleep, what are you lacking? Your lacking focus or the ability to focus.
What you need to do is breathe which is what you won’t do if you continue driving tired. Breathe, spend time in God’s presence, let Him refresh you, take time from your day to rest in God Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
It’s come find out who you are through knowing who i am, when you do that you will be able to breathe, to focus on the things of God Isaiah 58:6-14
fasting & religious rituals will not manipulate God into showing favour. He is more concerned with the motivation of the heart than the outward act of showing observance to traditions. God says if you want to fast the way that pleases me begin with getting right with others, stop being mean to one another & reach out to help others.
I go back to what i said earlier, some are educated above the level of their obedience.
Still pushing forward as a church, Sanctuary will happen, we are just in a waiting phase again. Houses & Grimsby sanctuary are making headway, maybe some houses in Louth. Restore kitchen & Pantry continue & improve, we need people to get involved,.
Listen God is not a 3 day or a 6 day a week God, He is an everyday God.
So i suppose it comes down to how are you going to live, you see Jesus paid for every Sin that anybody could ever could do or would do including your future Sin.
Focus: It will have a bearing on how you love. maybe your focus is that you live with a Sin conscience instead of God conscience which means that you live focused on what you or others do instead of what He’s done.
Where is your focus?