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Saturday, January 30, 2010

1 Corintheans 12:1-31

You Are The Body Of Christ

1 Corinthians 12:1-31a Lesson 12
Key verse 12:27 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 1-23-10

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

Well, here we are, at the end of January. Winter is half over. We are looking forward to holidays like Valentines Day and Easter. We are also looking forward to our God’s Love Bible School. But now that January is almost over, we have to put things pertaining to the New Year’s behind us. It is time dig deep back into our study of 1 Corinthians. This upcoming section of 1Corinthians Paul begins to talks about gifts. We all like to receive gifts, right? Yes. But these are not the type of gifts that we normally receive. They are much more valuable and precious. For you see, these are spiritual gifts. In chapters 12-14, Paul talks about the work of the Holy Spirit in giving spiritual gifts to the Christian church. In chapter 12 Paul explains the general principles in regards to the gifts of the Spirit. In chapter 13 he will teach the way of love, which should motivate the exercise of spiritual gifts. And in chapter 14 he deals with the gifts of prophecy and tongues which points of contention with many. In the Corinthian church, the use of spiritual gifts had become chaotic. Some people were proud of their gifts and wanted to show off and boast. Other people did not use their gifts and let them atrophy in their silence. Most of the Corinthians did not know why they had received gifts or how to use them properly. So Paul instructs them. As we study together, we should realize that God has given us spiritual gifts. We should discover them and learn how to use them fruitfully. When we do so, we can be really useful to God. We can be a blessing to others, and we can be happy.

Part I: The Basis Of Receiving The Holy Spirit (1-3)

Before knowing Christ, the Corinthians were lost in their idol worship. Look at verses 1-2, "Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols." Idol worship had been going on since the dawn of time, in a myriad of different forms. The Christians in Corinth were surrounded by the idols of the day. These idols had led the masses astray. How could these elaborately decorated statues lead anyone astray? Idols are nothing--they are mute; they cannot speak. However, it was not the idols themselves but behind idols there were demons who invade and torment idol worshipers, making them ignorant and lost. So, before meeting Jesus, the Corinthians were miserable. But God, in his great grace, sent the Holy Spirit to deliver them. The Spirit of God drove out demons and opened their eyes to the living God. The Spirit of God led them to Christ crucified who forgave their sins, and to the Risen Christ who gave them victory over death and living hope in the kingdom of God. The Spirit of God set them free to worship and serve God in holiness and righteousness. (Lk 1:74) Now, the Corinthians proclaimed, "Jesus is Lord!" instead of the name of their idol.

Let’s think more about this confession, “Jesus is Lord!”. Look at verse 3, “Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.” Those who confess "Jesus is Lord", sincerely, from the heart, are Christians (Ro 10:9-10; Mt 16:18). The Holy Spirit works in them and gives them gifts to bless others according to Jesus' leading. We may not understand how it happens. We may not experience some kind of spiritual ecstasy. But when we confess "Jesus is Lord" from our hearts, God gives us the Holy Spirit. Let’s confess Jesus is Lord all together in Spirit and in truth. OK… “Jesus is Lord!”

But despite of their commitment to Christ, there were soothsayers and idol priests who confronted the Corinthians each day. The Corinthians could be confused. They needed to differentiate work of the Holy Spirit from sneaky demons. Experience alone was not enough. They needed some kind of criteria. Paul tells them that the basic test of spiritual origin is how one sees Jesus. Those who speak ill of Jesus, that is curse Jesus, are speaking from a devilish spirit. Those who confess "Jesus is Lord" from their hearts are children of God and instruments of the Holy Spirit.

Part II. The Same Spirit; Different Gifts (4-11)

God's salvation work is rooted in who God is. Look at verses 4-6. "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." Knowing who God is very important. In these verses are inferences to the Trinity…Spirit, Lord, God. Our God is the Triune God, rich in diversity, yet one in being, identity and purpose. The Holy Spirit gives gifts. The Lord Jesus serves and teaches his people to serve. The Almighty God works to create, sustain and redeem. Though there are different kinds of gifts, service and work, the same God works all of them in all people for his own purpose.

We can find a progression in these verses. Those who confess “Jesus is Lord” receive the Holy Spirit and a spiritual gift. They are to use their gift or gifts to serve others as Jesus did. Then God weaves together the ministries of service to accomplish his own purpose of world salvation. UBF focuses on campus mission through evangelism and discipleship. We pray to raise men and women of God from among college students who can be a blessing to the world. However, there are many other works of God, such as ministries of street evangelism, providing clean drinking water in poor countries, achieving social justice, and so on. The same God is working in all of them through his people who confess that Jesus is Lord. We should broaden our hearts and minds to embrace the great diversity in the work of God. We should also hold firmly to the God-given purpose of our own unique ministry.

God concerns over each individual person. Look at verse 7. "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." The words "to each one" are important (11). Each person who confesses Jesus as Lord receives a gift from the Holy Spirit. This is not just natural talent, which may be common to most human beings, including non-Christians-things like intellectual power, artistic sense, or athletic ability. No, these gifts are different. They are spiritual gifts that come from the Holy Spirit. Only God's children have these gifts. For example, Jennifer, my daughter, has a natural talent in singing. She has had this since childhood and lately God is training her through school choirs. But this is not what moves our hearts when she sings. We are moved because she is a committed Christian and has a spiritual quality to her singing that only a child of God can have. The Holy Spirit gives gifts to make each person a blessing to the body of Christ. It is for the common good. Therefore when we come together as a church, we should have an attitude of giving and of serving. We should be ready to use our gifts to be a blessing to others.

In verses 8-10, Paul describes some gifts of the Holy Spirit. There are more than these, as passages like Romans 12:6-8, Ephesians 4:11-12 and 1 Peter 4:10-11 make clear. There are at least 18 specific gifts of the Holy Spirit described in the New Testament. However, Paul mentions only nine here. Let's read verse 8 to find some of them. "To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit...." The message of knowledge teaches us who God truly is, based on the Scriptures. The message of knowledge corrects our wrong ideas about God and Christian living and roots us in the truth about God. The message of wisdom teaches us how to apply this knowledge to lead us to salvation and God's blessing. Through the message we can understand the deep meaning of the gospel. UBF has traditionally been strong in the message gifts, due to the disciplined practice of preparing Bible notes and writing and sharing Bible testimonies every week. Many UBF members have struggled hard to have "one word of God" in their hearts as the basis for whatever they do. Those who have trained themselves in this way for ten years can deliver messages very powerfully, even if they had not gone to theology school. We should continue to develop our message gifts through faithful testimony writing. We should share God's message in Bible schools, and even one to one. Then we can experience spiritual victory and heavenly joy.

The next gift is that of faith. Look at verse 9a. "...to another faith by the same Spirit...." Of course, all believers have saving faith which is from God. Most can exercise some faith in their daily challenges. But the gift of faith mentioned here is special and extraordinary. It produces miracles. In giving this faith, God makes history through people. In Hebrews 11 we find the Faith Hall Of Fame. There are people with the gift of faith. We find Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Barak, Jephthah and so on. God began great works of deliverance through them, even though they were weak in many ways. Faith in God made them strong enough to conquer fierce enemies. One person's faith is very important in the sight of God. We should continue struggle to establish the 1:1 discipleship ministry on our campus’ by faith. If we can bring one soul to Jesus by faith, it is a great miracle of God. If we can raise one Bible teacher it is a miracle of faith.

Let’s think about some other gifts that Paul mentions. Look at verses 9b-10. "...to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues." Clearly the Holy Spirit empowers some people to heal others, both physically and spiritually. The Holy Spirit enables some to work miracles, such as driving out demons. There are gifts of prophecy and distinguishing between spirits. The last two gifts are related to tongues, both in speaking and in interpreting tongues. We will deal with these gifts more in detail in chapter 14. Here, let's recognize that some gifts are intended to be used together. Without an interpreter no one can understand one who speaks in tongues. This teaches us that the Holy Spirit wants us to work together. For example, one who evangelizes well through outreach ministry should work together with one who disciples well, and vice versa. Then they can raise many disciples of Christ for the glory of God. The church is built through co-working.

In verses 8-10 the words "to another," or, "to still another," are repeated eight times. The Holy Spirit does not give all of the gifts to one person. The Holy Spirit spreads out the gifts among the believers so that each one will have something to contribute. This challenges the members of the body to respect one another and use their gifts for the common good.

Though the gifts and service and works of God are so diverse, he gives them with a common purpose. Look at verse 11. "All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one just as he determines." We may not always understand the depth of God’s wisdom in distributing his gifts. But we must recognize God's sovereignty in giving them. We do not choose our own gifts. The Holy Spirit gives us our gift, or gifts, as he determines. We must discover what these gifts are. To do this, we must pray and we must learn to see things from God's point of view. We should be willing to step out in faith, according to the need, to find out how God will use us. Before coming to Jesus I had no idea how to be a shepherd and a Bible messenger. I used to have a severe stammering problem that even speech therapists could not remedy. But God still gave me the gift to be a Bible messenger. He used the Canadian missionaries for four years and then Pastor Teddy for seven years. Then I received three years of Bible memorization and testimony writing training at the Chicago UBF Church every Monday under Pastor Ron Ward’s leadership. (2003-2007) They all gave me many chances to speak in order to develop this gift. Shepherd Teddy gave me counseling and feedback. He taught me how to take care of Bible students. It took many years to refine and sharpen the use of this gift. It is still in the development stage. In the course of struggling to exercise this gift, I could grow in inner character. But it has not been easy to bear this blessing. It has meant sacrifice for me and my family. Yet, I can only thank God for his grace and goodness and mercy to give me such a precious gift. We can trust God that he knows what is best for each of us. God knows how to build us up and how to make us useful in his work. May God help each of us to discover our gift from God, thank God for it, sharpen and refine it and use it for his glory and the common good.

Part III: Unity And Diversity In The Body Of Christ (12-31)

In these verses Paul explains the work of the Holy Spirit in the church by using the metaphor of the human body. The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts. These parts have different functions, but they are interrelated. The parts cannot function by themselves and they cannot function outside the body; they need each other. So it is with Christ.

Though we come from many different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, and though we have different gifts, we have the same spiritual Father. Look at verse 13. "For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." Here, to be "baptized" means to be regenerated or born again by the work of the Holy Spirit. We have the same Lord. We drink daily from the same Holy Spirit. So we are one body joined together by the one Holy Spirit. Sometimes we feel distant from Christ and our dear brothers and sisters. We don't know what to do. But when we drink deeply of the Holy Spirit, unity is restored in our hearts. We are one with God and with our dear family members. We can drink of the Holy Spirit when we confess our sins and accept Jesus' grace.

In verses 14-20 Paul develops his body metaphor to deal with the problems of inferiority feelings that easily creep into our hearts. First, he tells us that feet should not despair because they are not hands. The feet are very important. With our feet we can walk and dance and play basketball. But if the feet compare themselves with the hands, they can feel inferior. After all, the hands can play the piano, write poetry, draw pictures, weave hemp bracelets for Haiti relief, and wave a greeting: "hello." If the feet begin to envy the hands, they can be discouraged and say, "I am not part of the body." Still, however, they are part of the body. Their discouraging words only discourage themselves and the body. Paul also compared the eye and the ear. People usually value their eyes most. They beautify their eyes and cover up their ears with hair. So the ears may feel inferior. But without ears we cannot communicate. We lose our balance. We can’t tell where the sound is coming from when someone yells, “Look out!” This damages the whole body. The point is that the body has many parts. It cannot be all one part, like the giant eyeball in "Monsters, Inc." It is made up of diverse parts and each part must accept its place in the body. Look at verse 18. "But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be." We must accept our God-given place in the body of Christ.

In verses 21-26, Paul deals with the problem of despising others in the body of Christ. For example, the eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" They are absolutely interrelated and interdependent. So it is with the body of Christ. We absolutely need one another. So we must learn to honor one another. Those who seem weaker are really indispensable. We must treat them with special honor for through them we are given opportunities to reveal the love of Jesus. When we honor one another properly, we can develop an atmosphere of mutual respect and love. Then we can exercise our spiritual gifts fruitfully for the sake of mutual encouragement. Interestingly, some parts of the body are unpresentable and need to be treated with special modesty. They are still vital parts of the body. There are people, whose gifts mean that they should not be exposed to public scrutiny. Still, they can be very useful to God, working quietly behind the scenes. Some church members are like the hand and the feet of the church. They were always there when there were guests to serve, errands to run, repairs to be made, and so on. Without them no church could function properly.

There are other principles to be gleaned from the metaphor of the body. Verse 25b says, "...but that its parts should have equal concern for each other." The members of the body must put aside position, such as elder, pastor or deacon and show equal concern for each other. Look at verse 26. "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." When Missionary Elijah Kim of Moscow recently passed, UBF members around the world felt the pain. Many are making the long journey to his funeral and contributing generously for his wife and four boys. By the same token, when Tim was passed to the next semester and Andrew tasted much victory in school or when Jenn helped raise $500 for Haiti relief, we all rejoiced with them. As members of the body of Christ, we are very closely related to each other. So we should have a sense of unity and respect and love one another. Look at verse 27. "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." No one who calls Jesus Lord is outside the body of Christ. Someone may think, "I don't belong. I am not important." But it is not true. We are the body of Christ and each of us is a part of it.

Look at verses 28-30. There is a progression here. The church begins with apostles, ones who are sent to plant the word of God in new areas and new hearts. The church grows as prophets provide spiritual vision and direction, and teachers patiently instruct with the word of God. Then the Holy Spirit raises up a body of believers and gives them enough spiritual gifts to transform their community or even their nation. It is God who appoints his servants and gifts them according to his purpose and plan. It is not church leaders, but God himself who does this. If you confess Jesus is Lord you have been appointed by God with a gift and to be part of a ministry.

Look at verse 31a. "But eagerly desire the greater gifts." Though Paul has emphasized God's sovereignty in giving gifts to his people, we should not be fatalistic about this. If we really want a greater spiritual gift, we should ask God for it. God is pleased when we have a burning desire to serve the body of Christ in a way that builds it up.

Today's teaching that we are the body of Christ challenges our selfishness and American individualism to the core. But let's accept Paul's teaching with repentance. Let's discover our gifts and use them for the glory of God and the good of others. Then we will be really happy.

* THE SAME SPIRIT; DIFFERENT GIFTS (1–11)

1. What new topic does Paul introduce here? (1) Who led them astray when they were pagans? (2) What was the evidence that now they were led by the Holy Spirit? (3) How is this the basis for being a member of Christ’s body and for having spiritual gifts?

2. What are different, and what are the same? (4–6) How would this help them solve their problems of division?

3. For what general purpose does the Spirit give gifts? (7) List the different gifts Paul mentions (8–10). From whom do all these gifts come? Who determines the giving of these gifts? (11) How does this help us properly exercise our own gifts, and, recognize the gifts of others?

• THE BODY OF CHRIST (12–31a)

4. What metaphor does Paul use? (12a) How does it help us understand the church? (12b–13) How could such racially, culturally and socially different people be one?

5. In verses 14–17 what different body parts are mentioned? What is the function of each, and why does a body need all of them? How does God’s wisdom in arranging the parts enable the body to work? (18) Instead of competing with or envying others, how can we find our unique identity and purpose in the body? (19–20)

6. If the eye and the head became proud, what would happen? Note how Paul describes the indispensability, interdependence and coordination of all parts of the body (21–26).


7. Read verse 27. How did Paul apply this metaphor of the body to the community of
believers? Read verses 28. What are the different church roles mentioned here, and
where do they come from? Read verses 29–31a. How can we not compete, but
instead, work well together?

Monday, January 11, 2010

John 1:19-24 New Years!

The Voice Of One Calling In the Desert

John 1:19-24 NIU UBF 2010 Key Verse
Key Verse 23 Shp Kevin Jesmer 1/10/10

“John relied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

I thank God for helping us to make Christian New Year’s resolutions for 2010. Few and fewer people make New Years resolutions. If they do it is to loose weigh, exercise more or stop smoking. Those who make them 68% make it part way through the year. Of those, 38% don’t even make it out of the gate. I wonder how many people make spiritual New Year’s resolutions. Not many. But we make it main part of our lives in our ministry. I am happy about that. Do you remember our 2009 Key verse? It was Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Our 2010 prayer topics 1) Acts and Jonah messages 2) 30 1:1 Bible studies 3) 20 regular Sunday attendants 4) two 1 Samuel Bible Schools 5) 12 disciples of Jesus in 2009 6) Double our ministry by 2010. 7) Participate in world mission. They weren’t all answered in obvious ways but in so many other ways they were answered. That is the discussion of another message. This year we chose John 1:23 as our key verse. It was so important that we could find clear identity and clear purpose on our lives of faith, based on the word of God. John the Baptist is an excellent example of such person. May God bless us with a clear identity and a clear mission based on the Bible.

Before Jesus appeared on the scene as the Savior there was another man, whose name was John the Baptist who captured all the people’s attention. The eyes of all Israel were on him. People rallied to him to listen to what he had to say and to ask for his blessing.

But not everyone in Israel was happy with John. There were a group of religious leaders who suspected that John was a fraud. Look at verse 19, “19Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.” These were the religious leaders of the time. They were not necessarily spiritual. For most, it was a job where they enjoyed prestige and authority in that theocratic society. John was drawing people away from the Temple and he was exposing their hypocrisy. If John became too popular they would be out of a job and they and their children would have to compete like everyone else in the midst of a national recession. John was a threat to them and their nationalistic pride. So they hated him passionately.

But John did not care about such things as popularity and power. If he did he surely could have grabbed it at this time, for ten’s of thousands of people thought that he could have been the Christ. But John’s heart was fixed only on God and he spent his life preaching the word of God to people who had been starving to hear it. Let’s see what kind of man, John was.

Part l: A Humble Man

First, John was a humble man. Let’s read verses 19-21. “Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, ‘I am not the Christ.’ They asked him, ‘Then who are you? Are you Elijah?’ He said, “I am not.’ “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, ‘No.’” These verses reveal that John was humble. He tried hard to not bring glory to himself. John’s humility is described in many ways in the Bible. For example, John taught the people the truth of about sin. When people came out to him from Jerusalem and Judea and the whole region of the Jordan, he preached the baptism of repentance, and they repented. In Matthew 3:7-10, John rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees to repent to of their hypocrisy and self righteousness. According to Luke, John the Baptist urged to the rich people to repent and share what they had, especially their food, with the poor. To the tax collectors he said, “Don’t collect any more than you are required to.” To the soldiers he said, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” (Lk 3:11-14) When they repented he baptized them in the Jordan River.

In John’s time, as in all times, people’s main problem of life is not social inequality nor financial insecurity nor that “other person” whom they just can’t stand, but their own personal sin problem. This is the problem that robs us of all joy and sense of victory in life. That is the problem which causes people to be separated from God and destined for condemnation. And there is only one way to solve this serious life or death problem. It is to repent of our sins and put our faith in Jesus.

Repentance sounds a little out of date nowadays. People are so concerned about being seeker friendly and not turning anyone off. But, just as our sins are very up to date, repentance is also up to date and vital. Repentance is turning to Jesus for guidance and comfort. Repentance is the only way to accept God’s King Jesus into our hearts. The message of repentance does not always turn people off; in fact John’s message of repentance turned multitudes of peoples’ hearts on to God. It proved to be the ultimate seeker friendly message.

So how is John’s message of repentance linked to his humbleness? It takes great humility and courage for a man or woman of God to tell another person to repent and put his or her faith in Jesus. He or she has to be humble enough to honor God and his word above themselves and their own ideas in order to preach an unpopular message.

John was also humble in another way as well. Look at verses 19-21 again. He was the most popular and powerful man in the nation, even more powerful than King Herod. But when asked who he was, he did not flaunt his popularity. His answer to them was brief and did not center around himself. It was an answer designed to point away from himself and towards the one is really the center of all things…Jesus.

Part ll: A Man Of God’s Word

Second, John was a man of God’s word. Read verses 22-23. “Finally they said, ‘Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the desert, “Make straight the way for the Lord.’” When the authorities pressed him to say anything about himself, John still said nothing about himself. Instead, he quoted the word of God from Isaiah 40:3. Ever since he was a young man, John lived in the desert. There he lived a very pure and poor life. His diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. He wore practical, inexpensive clothes, made out camel hair. While in the desert, he studied the word of God deeply and intensely. He memorized Scripture. He hung out with monastic Bible scholars. (Essences) He thought about the deep things of God, while gazing in the desert sky. With such an excellent attitude towards spiritual things, the word of God came to John’s heart. At thirty years old he began his ministry. The word of God blessed John’s life in several ways.

First, John found his identity in God’s word. Look at verse 23, ““John relied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” John saw that he was a not just a man struggling to survive in a harsh environment. He was actually a voice calling out to others in a desert. A desert is a very harsh environment. The hot desert sun can reach temperature exceeding 120 degrees F. There are scorpions and snakes. People wander in the desert, looking for water, and become delirious. Some die of thirst.
Our nation can be like a spiritual desert. Amos 8:11-13 explains why, "The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. 12 Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it. 13 "In that day "the lovely young women and strong young men will faint because of thirst.” Some may ask how can there be a famine of the word of God? We have so many churches. We have millions Christian books and series after series. How can there be a famine of the word of God? I will answer this question with a question. How can a person die of thirst while floating in an ocean? They are surrounded by water, but if they can not get that water into their bodies in meaningful ways, then that person will surely die of thirst. The same is with the word of God. We can turn off the Christian tv or radio channels. We can ignore Christians books. We can skip personal Bible reading and going to church. The pastor’s messages can fall on habitual, deaf ears. In this way we can be surrounded by Christianity and suffer spiritual thirst. Unless the word of God penetrates our hearts and reaches our souls, then we are not being nourished by it.
Our young people are very thirsty. They do not know the word of God. I have five kids who are navigating the public school system. All of their friends are either non Christian or attend church with their families. But it is very sad to say that, over the years, almost every friend has shown almost no spiritual desire to know Jesus or follow Jesus. It is very difficult to find one person who wants to study the Bible. Those who invite students regularly say that the ratio of people who accept an invite to Bible study is about 1 in 100. If there is someone who is a little tender hearted towards Jesus and the Bible they are usually too busy for any type of meaningful fellowship in the word of God. Our young people are indeed spiritually thirsty.
Think about what it means to be thirsty in a desert. Imagine taking an ill fated hiking trip to Death Valley. You see a beautiful expanse of desert and you want to go hiking and explore and so you take a big chug of water and a gallon jug thinking that would be enough and you set our on your hike. All is well at the beginning. You check under rocks for lizards, you touch a thorny cactus. Your mind is on the thrill of the hike. But soon the sun begins to affect you. You run out of water. You get cotton mouth. Soon all you can think about is a cool drink of water. You begin to stumble hoping that you are not too far away base camp. Let’s say you get lost and your condition begins to deteriorate. You see mirages in the distance. Your lips chap and eventually you can not carry on. You pray for help longing to hear a voice call out, “Hey! Can I help you?”
Our young people are exactly like this. They set out in life thinking that the worldly water is enough to get then through. They are filled with their own hopes and dreams and reveling in new found independence. They are happy for a time, but soon the heat of living in this world begins to beat down upon their heads. Their youthful hopes and exuberance is not enough to sustain them when faced with emotional, financial, scholastic, relational challenges and the passage of time. The things that caught their attention eventually become meaningless. They become thirsty for something more. Their hearts feel dry and lifeless. They stagger and faint spiritually not even knowing why. They symptoms they feel are the same as those who experience extreme thirst. Such is anyone who is thirsty because of no word of God in their hearts.
But there is a solution to our spiritual thirst. The solution is Jesus. Jesus once said in John 7:37-38, “37On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." Jesus boldly invites people to come to him to satisfy their thirstiness. Jesus will not only quench their hearts, but the water he gives will overflow like a stream. Jesus once came to a Samaritan woman who was very thirsty. She was staggering and fainting because she was thirsty for love and searching for the true object of her worship. She had been worshipping men, marrying and divorcing five of them and now living with a boyfriend. She was staggering, on the verge of falling, never to rise again. But Jesus saw her condition and came to her with the words of life. He said to her in John 4: 13, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman eventually accepted Jesus’ gracious gift. She became a changed woman. She became very happy, and tossing her water jar aside she ran to tell the other villagers about Jesus. (Jn 4:28) Praise Jesus for quenching our thirsty hearts and filling it with the joy of life.
But John held onto his identity despite of the spiritual desert of the world. Look at verse 23a again, “I am the voice of one calling in the desert…” John had a clear identity in the word of God. He did not just see himself and dusty monk living in the desert of Judea. Nor did he see himself as just one person helpless to effect any change in this world. No! He saw himself as a godly voice for the people in his generation. Identity is very important. Before meeting Jesus I did not have a godly identity. I lived to please my parents and follow the life track that Manitoba society was telling me to follow. I felt that I had nothing important to say. And I was right. When I had no clear identity I lacked self confidence and stammered a lot. Speech therapists couldn’t help me. But when I met Jesus I had a clear identity. I realized that I too, am a type of voice for the people of my generation. I am servant of Christ entrusted with the very words of God. I am a shepherd and Bible teacher for campus students trying to help them absorb the word of God in meaningful and fruitful ways. I have the most important message in the world and people want to hear it. When I held onto this identity then my life long stammering problem stopped and I could speak clearly. In 2010 we need to have a clear identity of who were are and what we are doing. Are we simply Christians trying to survive in this hard world or are we “A voice” called to speak the word of God to the people in our sphere of influence. If you see yourself as “a voice” to the people of your generation then equip yourself with the words of God, through deep and sincere Bible study and begin to speak those words to thirsty souls in meaningful and life giving ways.

Second, John found his mission in the word of God. Look at verse 23b, “…‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” John knew what he was called to do. It was not ambiguous and vague. It was a clear mission from the word of God itself. He was to make straight the way for the Lord to enter into peoples’ hearts. The way, refers the way of a king. Jesus is a king that wants to enter into the hearts of his people and sit on the thrown of their hearts, where he reigns in majesty. John accomplished his mission by preaching a baptism of repentance. He used every fiber of his being to point others to Jesus. (Jn 1:29)

Let’s think about his mission. First, “Isaiah 40:3 reads, “A voice of one calling: In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.” But sometimes the way of the Lord is not straight. There are valleys of self condemnation, despair and depression. There are mountains of pride and unbelief. There are rough patches, rough with bitterness, anger and other vices. God does not want anything to impede his coming into his peoples’ hearts. He wants the way straight and clear for the King Jesus. John’s mission was to make the way clear. Through the repentant message that he preached the way was made straight for multitudes of people to accept Jesus. Just as in John’s time, when our young people accept the word of God and repent then “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind will see it….” (Isa 40:4) Jesus will enter into their hearts and lives.

Most people would agree that God has a plan for their lives. But most people are not sure of what they should be doing according to the word of God. If we want to be effective in revealing the glory of the Lord to others (and seeing it for ourselves) we need to find our mission in the word of God and be faithful to it. I thank God for helping me to find my mission in the word of God. Prior to meeting Jesus my mission in life was to become a chemist in some lab, ride a Harley, study taekwondo, hang out at smoke filled bars and be an expert in 70’s and 80’s rock music. That was my life mission. But when a straight path was made for me through the prayers and Bible teaching of Msn Ruth Hwang, I could accept Jesus. I had a new mission. I accepted Jesus’ world mission command in Matt 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Based in John 21:17, at a “Do You Love Me?” Conference, I accepted the call to live as a shepherd of God’s flock. After reflecting on God’s leading through writing a 100 page life testimony I was confident that God was calling me to campus mission, to live as a campus shepherd, teaching the word of God through 1:1 Bible study. This clear identity has been a power source in my life. We can not be vague in our mission of life. We need to find a clear mission in the word of God. Then we can have strength in walk with Jesus and overcome the world.

Through this message we learn how to live a victorious life of faith like that of John the Baptist. It is to be a humble person who only wants to advertise Jesus in and through their lives; to be humble enough to preach the unpopular, but fruitful message of repentance unto faith; to find our identity and our mission in the word of God. When we do, our lives of faith will change. No longer will be just Christian’s struggling to survive in this dry and weary land. We will have the confidence and the peace that we are fulfilling the very purpose of our creation. We can have strength to live a vibrant life of faith in this generation. We can be the small voice that our young people really need to hear, “Hey! Is everything alright? Can I help you? Let me tell you about Jesus.” It all begins when you hear Jesus’ voice in his word and make straight path in your own heart.

NIU 2010 Prayer Topics.

1. For each person to have a clear identity and mission based on the word of God.
2. To be voices calling out in the spiritual desert of NIU through 1:1 Bible study
3. To make the way straight for Jesus to enter into our own hearts
4. 24 1:1 Bible studies per week 5. 20 regular Sunday worship attendants
6. 12-disciples 7. 6-Bible teachers. 8. Three shepherds to live common life at the Bible house
9. To co-work with Triton and DuPage UBF Ministries 10. To have two Bible Schools
11. Tim and Andrew to do well in the School and move on to the next level.
12. Jesmer kids to be good witnesses through their Middle school and HS Bible clubs
13. Quality Spiritual life at the Bible House. 14. Joyful Christian fellowship 15. Dynamic
Christian presence on all of our campus’ 16. Daily-daily bread/Bible reading/prayer
17: Double our leaders and Sunday Attendants by 2010 18. To participate in World Mission























It’s no wonder why John’s life was so powerful. He was powerful because he bound himself to the word of God, and remained humbly submissive to the word of God. With confidence then, we see that true power is not a power which the world imparts. But that true power and influence comes when a man or woman humbles themselves and serve the word of God.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17

We Need Jesus To Be A New Creation In 2010

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 NIU UBF 1-3-09
Key verse 5:17 Shp Kevin Jesmer

" Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone,
the new has come."

In our ministry it is the season of key verse testimonies. These are kind of like Christian New Year’s resolutions, where a person reflects on the previous year to see the grace of God in their lives and find areas in need of spiritual growth. We also search out prayer topics and a Bible verse that best reveals our spiritual goals in 2010. People in this world make New Year’s resolutions, but few actually carry out with them. Let’s listen to some interesting facts concerning making changes in our lives in the New Year. About half of all American adults say they are at least somewhat likely to make a New Year's resolution this year. Their top vows are to lose weight (19%), quit smoking (12%) and exercise more (10%). Out of these three mine would be to lose weight and to exercise more. The same poll states that while 65% of people who made a resolution in 2008, kept their promise for at least part of the following year, 35% never even made it out of the gate. We can all agree that people are full of weaknesses. There are days when I find it hard to fulfill the basic activities of my daily life. Indeed, on the first day of a New Year - or decade - resolutions to change seem both an excellent idea and an impossible dream for most…but not for all. Christians don’t have to carry out their resolutions alone. They have a source of power and strength that the people of this world can not know. They are loved and assisted by an all powerful loving Father, who hears their prayers and stands by their side, helping them to keep their resolution and decisions of faith. In short we have an all sufficient Savior by our side…his name is Jesus. Mostly, a Christian’s New Year’s wish is to be a new creation. They want to leave their old selves behind and walk with Jesus in newness of life and heart. This message will focus, not so much on what it means to be a new creation in Christ, but mostly why people need Jesus to keep their spiritual decisions that they make in the New Year. The message will focus around our key verse, verse 17, “" Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come."
Reference (http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100101/hl_time/08599195051100http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100101/hl_time/08599195051100)

1. We Need Clear Direction To Make New Beginning.

I think that one of the problems of making a change is that people don’t know what the change should entail, nor the direction that they should change their life to. Like the latest study states, most people want to quit smoking or exercise more. But in Jesus we have clear spiritual direction and goals to aim for. For example, we want to be more like Jesus. We want to grow as shepherds of God’s flock. We want to engage in a discipleship ministry and embrace ways that will help us to grow in faith and in our knowledge and love for God. We choose clearly defined ways to please God. 2 Corinthians 5:6 reads, “9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.” Thank God, that in this world of confusion, we have clear direction in Jesus.

2. We Need To Have Faith In the Almighty Creator God.

The problem with making decisions is that we do not have power to carry through with our decisions. How can we go beyond the hard task of simply surviving in this world? Psychological experts will tell us to make our goals more realistic. In some ways this is true, but God also encourages us to make goals that are not attainable by our own human strength. He wants to fulfill his will in us so that he may build faith in us. Jesus once said, "…Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.’" (Matt 17:20) We need to hold onto these goals and come to Jesus with believing hearts. God can make the impossible happen.

3. We Need To Have God’s Hope.

Sometimes we can not keep our decisions that we make in Christ because we loose hope. When we loose hope in ourselves and in God we give up. Think about Abraham. He was an old man of 75 years old. His wife was 65 and barren. They could not have any hope, beyond being a small time sheep herder and die as unknown people and be buried in the deserts sands of ancient Mesopotamia. But God came to Abraham and planted his great and wonderful promises in his hearts. He came to him, in his fruitlessness and said, "I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” (Gen 12:2) He left his land, his people and his father’s household to go and live by faith in an unknown land. He wanted to give up many times. Against all hope Abraham believed God. Romans 4:18 reads, “ Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." When he held onto God’s hope he could continue to live by faith. He did not give up and all of God’s wonderful promises were fulfilled in Abraham’s life.

4. We Need To Have God’s Forgiveness.
We need to experience God’s forgiveness if we are to be set free to begin a new life of faith. When we discover things in our lives, that we want to change, we tend to punish ourselves for our sins and weakness. Don’t get me wrong, we need to feel some remorse for our sins and failings, but this should lead us to healthy repentance and an acceptance of the grace of God. We should never dwell in our self condemnation. If we do then we basically locked in a prison cell. Research shows that punishment is a poor motivator. It sets people up for even more failure. If all you do is punish yourself for failures you won't stay motivated to change for very long. You remain stuck. We need to come out of the darkness of self condemnation and come into the light of God’s grace and forgiveness. Then the slate will be wiped clean and we can be set free to keep our decisions of faith. There was once a woman caught in the act of adultery. Others condemned her, but mostly she condemned herself. Jesus came to her with the wonderful words of life, in John 8:10-11, “Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11"No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." She could have strength from God to get up and leave her old life and begin a new life as a forgiven child of God. Let us accept God’s overflowing grace so that we can leave our lives of sin and live for the glory of God.
5. We Need To Know Our Present Condition.

A major reason why people can not keep their decision of faith is that they do not know themselves. People tend to look at others and criticizing others without giving a thought to themselves.The most important thing is to be honest with yourself. Jesus helps us to see ourselves and this is a good thing. The word of God is like a mirror which Jesus implores us to look into, even daily, so that we never loose sight of who we are. James 1:23-25 reads “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.” Let us continue to look into the mirror of the word of God, daily and see ourselves, not walking away. When we do we will see our worldly image change into the wonderful image of Jesus in the coming year.

6. We Need To Trust In God’s Faithfulness.

Sometimes it seems that growing spiritually is slow going. In the song, “He’s Changing Me.” one of the lyrics says, “Sometimes it’s slow goin’ but theres knowin’ someday perfect I will be.” This statement is a declaration of God’s faithfulness. Have you read the Bumper sticker, “Be patient, God hasn’t finished with me yet?” God is faithful. We see that again and again in the lives of God’s people in the Bible. Jacob was an unlikely candidate to be Patriarch of faith. He sought after human love, wealth and honor. He deceived people to get what he wanted. But God was faithful to lead him and work in his life. At the end of his life he declared, “"May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,” (Gen 48:15) Indeed, God who is our faithful shepherd will bring about all the good things he has planned for us, in his way and in his time.

7. God Gives Us A Reason To Try To Make A Change.

Before I became a Christian I tried to make changes in my life with my human willpower. I decided to exercise more and stop smoking, study harder in school and to party less. I would make decisions and try hard to make it happen, but I could not stop. Do you know why? When I would cut back on smoking to 2 cigarettes a day, I would say, “What harm is this going to do?” When I cut back my partying to once a week, I would say, “I need to have social life.” When I got a GPA that was a little better than those around me, I would comfort myself saying, “That’s good enough” or “I’m healthy enough.” It was all relative. After making excuses, I would eventually fade back into my old ways. In other words, I had no absolute reason to sustain my decisions.
Since meeting Jesus I have learned the importance of holding one’s self accountable before God. We can not just excuse away our sin by comparing ourselves with others. 2 Cor 11:12 reads, “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise” Those who compare ourselves with others are not wise and have no strength to rise to new heights in their spiritual lives. Recognizing this can also be a critical step toward behavior change. We must make Jesus our absolute standard and then we can keep our decisions of faith.
Faith in God gives us absolute reasons to decide to keep our decisions. What is that reason? It is to live for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 reads, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reads, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” When we know that we are created to bring glory and honor to God in all that we do, and accepting this fact, we can keep our spiritual decisions without excusing ourselves or lowering the bar.

8. Jesus Provides An Environment For Us To Change

Many fail in their decisions of faith because they need to surround themselves with spiritual friends. Consciously and unconsciously, people tend to imitate those around them. That's why the latest research shows that things like happiness, quitting smoking and obesity can spread like a contagion through social networks. So, surround yourself with friends who can also be role models. "Make sure that people you hang out with are people who look and act the way you would like to. Social imitation is the easiest form not only of flattery but of self-improvement," says Stanton Peele, author of Seven Tools to Beat Addiction. (Read "In Old Age, Friends Can Keep You Young. Really.")
Christian social support is critical to changing all kinds of behavior. Christian friends can not only help you through slip-ups, but they can also help keep your decisions of faith. There are several verses that encourage Christian fellowship. 2 Tim 2:22 reads, “ 22Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Hebrews 10:25 reads, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” There are so many reasons to not surround ourselves with other believers, but Christian fellowship is crucial to our lives of faith. Let’s not avoid Christian fellowship, but cherish it because through it we can remain strong in the lord and continue on in the right direction in the coming year.
8. Substitute Worldly Things For Spiritual Things.
Many people get focused on the don’t’s of spiritual life. Don’t do this and don’t do that. We end up despairing and not doing anything. It bring s us down. But we need to focus on all the good things we have in Jesus and substitute God honoring things in our lives. When you do you'll simply have less time to crave or engage in the behavior that you want to reduce because you will be engaging in things that please God. Jesus tells us what these things are.
9. Keep The Focus On The Goal
People usually give up on their resolutions because they loose sight of the goal of their quest. But Christians have a clear goal. What is the goal? Is it not Jesus? Hebrews 12 :1-3reads, “ 1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.:” Our lives of faith is like a race. We need to keep the goal view and not loose heart. Focus the eyes of your heart on Christ and God will see you through.
There are so many points being made here. It is hard for us to keep everything in our minds. But here is a summary page that we can use to cover the major points with corresponding key verses. There are probably many other reasons why Jesus is necessary to make us into new creations, but I think ten is enough. May God bless you in 2010 to grow in ways that God has laid upon your hearts.

1. We Need To Have Clear Direction “9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.”( 2 Corinthians 5:6)
2. We Need To Have Faith In the Almighty Creator God. “He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matt 17:20)

3. We Need To Have God’s Hope. 2 "I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” (Gen 12:2)

4. We Need To Have God’s Forgiveness. “10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11"No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." (John 8:10)

5. We Need To Know Our Present Condition “25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”(James 1:24)

6. We Need To Trust In God’s Faithfulness. ““"May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,”(Gen 48:15)

7. God Gives Us A Reason To Try To Make A Change. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

8. Jesus Provides An Environment For Us To Change “ 22Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Tim 2:22)
9. Jesus helps us to Substitute worldly things for spiritual things.
10. Keep the focus on the goal. “2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)