Weekly Messages from Miamisburg Christian Church
This morning we are beginning a series called Play and Purpose. We wanted to take a few weeks to look at these because we're closing in on summer and I hope you will take some time to play. And next week is graduate Sunday and we want to talk about purpose and the importance of that. As our students transition out of high school and onto the next phase of their lives - purpose is what will guide them through a lot of decisions that will impact - not just today but tomorrow. So Play and Purpose. But today is not about Play - that's in 2 weeks. but neither is today about Purpose - that's next week. What does that leave us? Today is about AND.
I know you are well aware that our world is divided. It actually has always been divided, but that division now seems to be wider, more obvious, and more filled with hatred. However, as we prepared, we also determined that just as important as the stand we take is how we do it. Peter said (1 Peter 3:15-16): 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. To be clear, we are called to always be ready to answer everyone who asks us about our hope, and we'll talk about that. But I want to make sure you catch what Peter says next: But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. And sometimes it's not too difficult to pull that off. But how do you deal with the unexpected, especially when the unexpected is unpleasant? How do you deal with situations when the heat is turned up quickly, and you seem to be standing in the middle of the fire? This weekend we'll see how we can do that.
“If I ran the world everything would be better.” Have you ever thought that? For most of us, it's a joke, but there is a kernel of truth there. This small belief that if everyone saw like you did the world would make sense and be better. The problem is it explains away a lot of shortcomings that we all have. The reality is we judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions. We know what we meant to do and so we hold ourselves in the highest regard, while for others all we see is a part of what they've done and we think we can diagnose how to make their life better in an instant. That's why Jesus made it very clear that before we ever start to believe that we can impose our will on the world, our lives better have gone under an intense process of restoration and alignment with God's will. As we do that, we might just find more and more how much we have to change in our lives and leave it to God to be in control of the rest.
This weekend we are beginning a new series called Take A Stand. Originally the idea for this series was to take a few issues that are current with our culture where, as followers of Jesus, at a minimum, we should know where we stand and why we stand there. But we're not just going to tell you what we think or feel, we're going to show you what God has said through the Bible. I hope you'll join us for those. But as we talked about this, it's important for us to know where we take a stand, but equally important (maybe more) is HOW we take a stand. This Sunday I'll be talking about what we stand on when we take a stand.
Celebrating Easter is all about Jesus' death and burial and resurrection. And we celebrate this weekend with egg hunts and baskets and family gatherings and coming to church together or coming together in your home to be part of this there. But this weekend is HUGE because at the cross we find forgiveness for our sins. That is why we follow Jesus right up to the cross. But we'll also be reminded that there is something else we are called to as we follow Jesus away from the cross. I hope you will bring your family and friends this weekend so you can be reminded of why what we celebrate this weekend is so important.
I still remember sitting in my office with someone who wanted to talk about beginning their relationship with Jesus. They wanted to be baptized. We talked about that. And as we were finishing, she looked at me and had this troubled look in her eyes. She said, “What happens after I'm baptized? I mean, what if I sin?” I asked, “What do you mean?” She said, “The Bible says that when we give our lives to Jesus that all of our sins are forgiven, right? I said, yea. We had just looked at this verse, (Acts 2:38 NIV), Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins… Psalm 103:12 says, “He has taken our sins away from us as far as the east is from the west.” She said. “My slate is wiped clean, right?” “Right.” “So what happens if I sin after I'm baptized?” You know what she's asking: I wonder if you've wondered this. What happens when I sin? Am I finished? Does God not love me anymore? Does that question bother you? If that has bothered you, let me tell you what I told her. I said, “Oh, it's not IF you sin, it's WHEN you sin. You will.” If you've wondered the same thing, or had a friend ask you about this, our one-word prayer this week, Oops, will help you.
It has been a difficult two years, pandemic, social unrest, geopolitical crisis. As these things continue to pop up we can be tempted to wonder, “when will things get back to normal?” we can follow up with another tough question; God, why? In seasons of great uncertainty, it's really hard to get to peace, and a lack of peace sends you searching for reasoning. Uncertainty or anxiety can become a downward spiral because you don't want to feel that way, and you start to feel like there's something wrong with you and then you worry about that, and quickly peace that was just in your grasp seems like a distant memory from a person you used to be. Look pandemic and geopolitical crisis aside, it can be any inciting incident that makes anxieties rise. We all just went through a season where collectively our “normal” was crushed, and we are coming slowly into a new normal, but every day there is the chance that our lives will be flipped upside down. In those times, after the phone call, the meeting, the diagnosis, the accident we can find ourselves going to God with what is a fair question, “Why?” This Sunday, our one-word prayer is exactly that question we've uttered hundreds of times before, and we will look at what God is up to in the midst of our most chaotic seasons.
Have you ever asked God for something or for someone? A teenager who is having her 5th open heart surgery? A young mom whose husband left her? A young man fighting cancer? Your dad when he is fighting for his life? A young couple who want a child but don't seem to be able to get or others who can seem to sustain pregnancy. Maybe none of those are prayers you've prayed, but they are all prayers I have asked God, “Please.” “Please”, that You will hear us God and “Please” that You will attend to my needs and the needs of others. And let me add this, none of those were one off prayers. There were times I was literally on my knees and prayed the same thing for days, weeks, months. Have you been there? Notice the nearness of the words “please” and “plead.” What do “Please” prayers teach us about ourselves and about God?
Over the last few weeks we have been talking about One Word Prayers that, my guess is, we've all prayed at least one of these. And maybe it wasn't a literal one word prayer, but it might have been. This Sunday we are going to look at: Yes. And many of us at MCC have prayed this prayer. So what does it look like to say Yes to Jesus? Again, many of us here have done that. But there are some who, for a variety of reasons, have not. And maybe some are wondering, how do I say Yes to Jesus? This week we will see how to pray this prayer, what it means, and what happens when we do.
There will be a time in your life if it hasn't happened already when you will need help. Thankfully, we have a father in heaven who loves to write stories of redemption. It is the fact that all of us will need help that we should also look for ways to serve those around us, because when we participate in God's kingdom of restoration it becomes stronger and everyone is served better. Charles Spurgeon says this, “It is ours, not to speculate, but to perform acts of mercy and love, according to the tenor of the gospel. Let us then be less inquisitive and more practical, less for cracking doctrinal nuts, and more for bringing forth the bread of life to the starving multitudes.” We see the person begging for cash at an intersection and we wonder what they did in their life to end them up there. Or we end up so calloused by stories of scam artists that we don't even notice the person begging. We all have blinders thrown onto us by expectations, calendars, fears, and doubts, but God is in the business of giving sight to the blind. Charles Spurgeon also says this, “Whenever you see a man in sorrow and trouble, the way to look at it is, not to blame him and inquire how he came there, but to say, ‘Here is an opening for God's almighty love. Here is an occasion for the display of the grace and goodness of the Lord.'” This week we are going to look at the one-word prayer, “Help” and see how we can change the way we look at life to bring more help to the world around us.
Thanks almost seems like the easiest of prayers. It rolls off our tongues. It is what we say to someone who holds the door for us - even if we never look up from checking our texts on our phones. It is what we say to the grocery clerk absent-mindedly after we have purchased our groceries that were a bit more than we had budgeted. It is what we say to Fedex delivery. We even say thank you when the officer has given us our ticket - at least that's what I hear - and which I think is the oddest thing. Remember, when your kids would receive a little gift? - “What do you say?” You are looking for… thank you…! We are being intentional about molding gratitude into a child's life. Remember how sweet your mom could say that? That sweet little question had some very pointed intentions. If there was no response… that sweet thing is over. As a kid you learn really fast this is not really a question. She's giving you a second chance to do the right thing. Giving thanks to God is much more than obligatory manners. Thanking God may be as simple as a quick thanks, but it has the potential to be so much more. Anne Lamott says it this way - “Gratitude begins in our hearts and then dovetails into behavior. It almost always makes you willing to be of service, which is where the joy resides. It means that you are willing to stop being such a jerk. When you are aware of all that has been given to you, in your lifetime and the past few days, it is hard not to be humbled, and pleased to give back.”
Today we are going to look at a word that God considers a 4-letter word. The problem is, not many people, even Christians, seem to view it the same way. According to HireRight's 2017 employment screening benchmark report, 85% of employers caught applicants fibbing on their résumés or applications, up from just 66% five years ago. A new study co-authored by a UW-La Crosse faculty member shows that most people average fewer than 2 lies a day. Lying comprised 7% of total communication and almost 90% of all lies were little white lies. Here's our question: “Do grown-ups sometimes need to lie?”
Occasionally the phrase "four-letter word" is humorously used to describe common words composed of four letters. Typical examples include the word work, implying that work can be unpleasant, or the game of golf, jokingly referred to as a four-letter word when a player's pastime becomes an exercise in frustration. Charlotte Observer journalist Doug Robarchek noted in 1993 how many politicians have names with four letters, "Ever notice how many U.S. politicians have names that are also four-letter words? Ford, Dole, Duke, Bush, Gore ... and how many make us think of four-letter words?"
In a dictionary, you might read that four Letter Words are words written with 4 letters that are considered profane or coarse. The “four-letter” claim refers to the fact that many (but not all) English “swear words” are incidentally four-character monosyllables. The term was used in this sense as early as 1886 in the United States. So we took the idea and applied it to words that - as followers of Jesus - we might find as offensive as a 4 letter word. This week that word is Love. How in the world is love a word that Jesus' followers might find offensive? The answer is found in what Jesus said in Matthew 5:43-48. You might read ahead to see what He said. And this week we'll see what it means to you and me.
We all learned growing up that 4 Letter Words are words you're not supposed to say. In preparing for this weekend I actually searched for the phrase “4 Letter Words” online. I read, “Four Letter Words are words written with 4 letters which are considered profane or coarse.” I'm hoping certain words are not popping into your head now. So we took the idea and applied it to words that, as followers of Jesus, we might find as offensive as a 4 letter word. This week we start with “Wait.” I was reading an article about “Things I Hate” and the list included: People who tell you that you look tired Pistachios that don't open People who don't know what they want to order after spending 20 minutes waiting in line Clowns The one sock When the people walking in front of you are so. Slow. People who ask questions during movies When the person you're talking to has something in his teeth When the person you're talking to doesn't tell you that you have something in your teeth When your computer says you have Wi-Fi, but your browser says there's no Internet connection My guess is that everybody's list would include “waiting.” For almost anything. And yet, waiting has always been part of our story. It's almost as if God is using it to teach us something. This Sunday we'll be reminded of what that something is.”
This month we have been looking at What If… In other words, What if those who call themselves followers of Jesus actually did what Jesus did? What would happen? How would our lives be different? How would our marriages or families be different? What difference would it make in our neighborhoods? How would MCC be different? How would our community be different? What if we make disciples who make disciples? What if we actually served like Jesus? And this Sunday, what if we prayed? What if we prayed as “If the Church of Jesus Christ is ever to march forward victoriously, she must march forward on her knees.”
What is something that someone has done to serve you that has impacted your life? I remember serving as a counselor at a high school week of camp and we reenacted the stages of the cross which includes scenes from the night before Jesus was crucified. The scene where I portrayed Jesus was where He washed the disciples' feet. I wasn't sure how they would respond. I wasn't sure how I would respond. But as I moved from student to student to wash their feet, most were nervous. But as I spoke the words of Jesus to them while I washed their feet, a change began to occur. And not just in them. Serving changes not just those being served, but those serving. Steve Sjogren said, “God's love must be communicated from person to person, not just from page to person…Deeds of love allow us to sneak into the hearts of those we serve.” This week we are going to be looking at how to live that out in real life.
We are asking the question, “What if?” What if we discipled? What if we served? What if we prayed? If we did those things we believe that our church, and the world around us. Specifically, the places that we have influence could be transformed. We are looking ahead to the not yet shaped future and thinking about what we can do today to transform that image in all the ways that we have control. We know that we don't have complete control over the future, but we also know that we aren't completely victims to an unwritten future that will fall on us. That to some degree if we make the right choices, and lean in on the right things, we can move in the right direction. Of course, we will have to react to surprises, of course, things that can't be predicted will happen, but how we react and respond will be directed by our resolve to trust God and go together in what might be tough and at times uncomfortable direction.
Our definition of a disciple comes out of Matthew 4:19. If you missed last week's message go back and listen to that one first. Our student Pastor Eric Craft did a great job with the background on the story as well as helping us come face to face with the decision of whether we will choose to follow Jesus. In that verse, Jesus said, “Follow Me and I will…” That leaves us hanging. If we choose to follow, what will Jesus do? That's what we talk about in this message.
I remember sitting next to my best friend one evening and saying “ I think I should go kayaking.” And him seizing that opportunity, knowing that moments, where I do outdoorsy things, don't come often immediately pulled out his phone and rented kayaks. And so that weekend he and I went out to Ceasers Creek and began to kayak and for the first ten minutes, I was fine, until I tipped the kayak over. And then I was fine again until about ten minutes later I topped the kayak again. And while I hated tipping over the kayak I was glad I went. I was pushed out of my comfort zone and forced to deal with something new and because of that, I grew. As we start the new year we are going to be taking a look at the story of Peter when Jesus calls him out of the boat to go and be a fisher of men. Peter could have stayed in his boat, lived his life, and played it safe. But it was when he stepped out of the boat and stepped into what God was calling him to his life began to change. The same is for you and me. When we step out and step into what God is doing and allow him to change our lives he will begin to do things through us and in us that we can't even imagine.
Mike Tuttle speaking, Live Generous series: June 28, 2020
Mike Tuttle speaking: Live Generous series: June 21. 2020
Mike Tuttle speaking: Live Generous series: June 14, 2020
Adam Leopard speaking: Live Generous series: June 7, 2020
Jason Beaver speaking: Women Who Changed Their World Series, May 31, 2020
Our most powerful influence is with those that are closest to us. Each of us has children in our sphere of influence that is looking at our faith to see if it makes a difference. Whether it’s your own children, niece or nephew, grandchild, children of close friends, the next generation is looking to us to see what faith looks like no matter the situation. We see in the story of Timothy a faith that was passed to him generation over generation by his grandmother and mother. And that faith that helped him become the man of God that was needed for that moment in history. We too deposit into the next generation faith that will help them become world changers. Speaker: Mike Tuttle Series: Women who Changed the World
Mike Tuttle Speaking, "God, Why?" message series. May 3, 2020
Adam Leopard Speaking, God, Why? series: April 26, 2020
Mike Tuttle Speaking, God, why? Series: April 19, 2020
Mike Tuttle speaking, Messy: Loving Others Isn't Easy series, Feb 23, 2020
Mike Tuttle speaking, Messy: Loving Others Isn't Easy series: Feb 16, 2020
Mike Tuttle speaking, Messy: Loving Others Isn't Easy series: Feb 9, 2020
Adam Leopard speaking, Messy: Loving Others Isn't Easy series: Feb 2, 2020
Mike Tuttle speaking, More Than A Hashtag series: Jan 26, 2020
Adam Leopard speaking, More Than A Hashtag series: Jan 12, 2020
Mike Tuttle speaking, More Than A Hashtag series: Jan 5, 2020
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
