Yesterday I concluded this sermon series...
I have some time to blog, but I don't have my notes...
So, here's some words from memory...
And some help from http://en.beijing2008.cn/en_index.shtml
I was amazed how the Pentecostal Evangel's recent issue on the Summer Olympics perfectly coincided with my sermon series (even the order of articles from cover to cover) with no planning on my part...Dan Browne
ACTS 17...the apostle Paul used whatever he could (even an idolatrous altar) to point people to Jesus...
I shared extensively on my committment to RELEVANCE...
This is the inspiration for this sermon series and many more to come... I wish ANYONE walking into our church to be able to understand what I'm babbling about in the pulpit... Yes, the apostle Paul is a great inspiration for RELEVANCE but Christ is the greatest inspiration...He spoke to the people in parables (stories that taught morality)...
In my "ranting" I pointed out that many Christians today can't stomache certain measures different ministries have taken to share Jesus with others...YET, the apostle Paul using an idolatrous altar should make them stop criticizing...Jesus said in John 13 that the world would know we are HIS disciples by our LOVE...Yet today's Christian Reputation isn't LOVE, it's moral superiority... I even stepped into politics (I usually try to stay away from it) and shared my disgust for evangelical right wing tactics...I don't want to be lumped in with the "Christians" that carry signs that read: God Hates Homos...God is love not hate!!! There was one gentleman that spoke at the national republican convention that spent most of his time bashing the democrats...I don't know what he wants to do to better our country...I just know who he hates...
I am at the place where I don't wish to be a republican or a democrat...I just want to be known as a REAL Christian of LOVE...
Oh another point I made...was that studies reveal when an unchurched person walks into a church...he feels he has just stepped into another universe or worse, a time warp transporting him into the past...the apostle Paul obviously had an understanding of the Athenians...We need to have an understanding of the culture around us...For instance, the American who does not know Jesus is offended by being referred to as unsaved or the lost...
The three main points of my message were: relevance, motto, and unselfishness...
I talked about the Olympic motto:
A motto is a phrase which sums up a life philosophy or a code of conduct to follow.The Olympic motto is made up of three Latin words: "Citius, Altius, Fortius", which means "Faster, Higher, Stronger".These three words encourage the athlete to give his or her best during competition, and to view this effort as a victory in itself.The sense of the motto is that being first is not necessarily a priority, but that giving one's best and striving for personal excellence is a worthwhile goal. It can apply equally to athletes and to each one of us.History The three Latin words became the Olympic motto in 1894, the date of the IOC's creation. Pierre de Coubertin proposed the motto, having borrowed it from his friend Henri Didon, a Dominican priest who taught sport to students.To better understand the motto, we can compare it with the following well-known phrase:The most important thing is not to win but to take part! This idea was developed by Pierre de Coubertin who had been inspired by a sermon given by the Bishop of Pennsylvania, Ethelbert Talbot, during the Games of London in 1908.
Living by a motto helps one ENDURE...
ENDURANCE is much easier to find when you practice unselfishness...Selfishness drives you to quit...
After Olympic fame, four gold medals and three world records, Johann finally found something he was really good at.
When Olympic Aid first sent Johann Olav Koss to Eritrea in the fall of 1993, he didn't like what he saw. In the little country that had just been liberated from Ethiopia, children weren't able to be children. They tried to play, but blown-out war tanks got in their way. When they found a patch of dirt, they played soccer with nothing more than a rolled-up long sleeve shirt.
Johann wanted to help, and with the Olympic Games quickly approaching, he devised a plan. A plan that would use any time he might have in the spotlight to publicize the plight of the children, and Olympic Aid's mission to help them.
Johann had two things going for him. The Olympics were going to be in his home country of Norway, and it just so happened that Johann could skate really, really fast.
A few months later, stunned spectators watched as he did more than just win the 1,500- , 5,000- and 10,000-metre races. He set world records in all of them. Then the cameras began to swarm. The interviews began to happen. And Johann began to talk.
A little about himself, a lot about the children.
Olympic Aid went on to raise over 18 million US dollars, and Johann was ready to return to Eritrea. When he got there, he found the same group of kids he had met on his first visit and gave them a brand new soccer ball. Upon seeing their smiles, Johann realized he had a new career.
To this day, Johann and other Olympic athletes travel the world for Olympic Aid, raising money and helping children. Johann hasn't changed much. When asked about his Olympic endeavours, he soon changes the subject back to the children and his next mission. He knows the job won't be finished until everyone believes in Olympic Aid's motto: "Every child has the right to play."
This sermon series is centered around the apostle Paul’s words in 1 Cor 9:24 thru 27 (look at it again with fresh eyes)… Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified…
We are all athletes in God’s Olympics…If we are Running the race of the Christian life... Commitment, Focus, Balance, Strength, and Endurance are important tools for the journey…
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