The Church Takes A Stand Part 2

Taking a stand for what's right.

Going against failing time to do this we need strength from God. That strength comes from developing a life of prayer.

The apostle Paul modeled this for us in his writings to a church in ancient Greece from the Moody Church in Chicago this morning to with Dr. Erwin looks her was clear. Teaching helps us make it across the finish line.

Esther looks are not many of us have had to face the kind of persecution early church stood license that will soon have to step up to the plate date. I sense that all of us already have to step up to the plate because we are living at a time of increasing darkness and hopelessness.

By the way, considering the pandemic.

Considering the number of people who are unemployed were living at a time of great need. But what an opportunity for the church to be the church. Now let me ask a question to all those who are listening today have some of you been listening to the ministry of running to win and have been blessed throughout the years and yet you've never connected with us. This would be a great time to send a gift to this ministry because it will be doubled during the month of August. We have this matching gift challenge and it would be a wonderful way to help us as we continue to get the gospel out the gospel of Jesus Christ cannot be quarantined, it cannot be cut off from the culture as a matter of fact, as a result of all that is happening.

People are listening to radio more than ever. Here's what you do if you want to connect with us to give a gift go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337. Perhaps I gave that phone number too quickly. So here it is again 1-888-218-9337 now would we have to do and we do so gladly is to open our Bibles and to listen to God's word and to hear about a church that took a stand at a time of need exactly what we also are called to do we resist temptation. We have to know who we are, know who we belong to know who we present and that can come to us only through the word of God, and it is through that that we are strengthened to stand even if we must stand alone. Paul says, first of all, I send someone to help.

Secondly he says I give people information and thirdly incredibly important. He says I pray let's pick up the text. Now in verse nine he says for what Thanksgiving can we return to God for you for all the joy that we feel for your sake before God. As we pray most earnestly night and day, that we may see your face and supply what is lacking in your faith just that far for a moment.

Notice the intensity of the prayer he says I pray earnestly notice the frequency of it. He prays he says day and night. That didn't mean that all the Paul did was stop for prayer, but the burden to pray was so heavy on his soul that even when he was working making tensor even when he was going to the congregations even when he was preaching even as he was working with people he was praying all the time because the burden was there to pray earnestly and intensely day and night. See one of the things that God wants to do in our lives is diverse within us. This kind of a passion for prayer and end. That's why we are so thankful for all those who do attend prayer meeting. Though some of you For whatever reason, but but there is a passion that God wants to develop within us so that our will and his will, are harmonized and as we cry out to God with passion and fervency. God says now you have shown your seriousness and I will answer pulses day and night, I prayed some of us have committed to pray one hour per week.

All this year and some of you are struggling already at this point in the process and the reason that you are struggling is because you don't want to just say the same old thing in the same old way and you don't have to.

How do you pray you take the biblical prayers and you pray them you pray chapters of the Bible. It's amazing how prayers arise out of chapters in the Bible that you might not think are specifically devoted to prayer but noticeable prays for these people.

He doesn't pray like we do. Almost always, we pray for physical healing so-and-so is a difficulty in and we pray and and we believe that that scriptural and it might be of interest for you to know that we as elders I met this morning to anoint someone with oil and to pray for her and her physical difficulties.

So we believe in. But Paul didn't concentrate on. He was after bigger issues. He had other fish to fry. He was interested in the in praying. First of all, for their faith. That's what he says there in verse 10, because that's always what is at stake, and secondly, in verse 11, he says, may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another.

That's essential if you're going to stand because you have to stand together and the verse 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and father of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all the same. What you pray for, pray for faith. It's the most critical see nobody plunges into sin unless first of all, their faith is gone, because if I don't have faith in God's goodness. If I don't believe God's way is best last Wednesday a prodigal who gave his testimony said an amazing thing. He was so upset with God.

He said God all that you need to do is to keep me alive, that is your part, and he said then I will run my life by myself your responsibility. Keep me alive.

My responsibility is to do my own thing sees no faith, no faith that God's way is best known faith that there is a better way faith in yourself, but not faith in God the Paul says I pray for the strengthening of their faith.

I pray for love because if you have a hard on loving heart.

The word of God can fall into it and he says I also pray for holiness that you might be blameless when the Lord Jesus Christ, ever wonder how to pray for the pastoral staff.

Ever wonder how to pray for your child.

You pray is, pull, pray for these qualities. So God answered Paul's prayer clearly now he says I can live because Timothy brought me word that you are standing firm in the faith.

Now he says I can actually live now. The bottom line is this what we need to do is to empower people, we need a theology of power to enable people to stand. We need to empower women to be able to say no to lecherous men.

We need to empower people, we need to empower business people who will say no to compromise. We need to empower our students to say no to drugs and alcohol. We need to empower people to saved by God's grace by God's strength with his resources. We will stand we will stand you say, well, what's the take-home.

Why should I be changed because I've heard this message well, let me say this first will you remember that in the Christian walk every single inch is always contested. There's always opposition. When Paul says I feared last. Somehow, the tempter attempted you and our labors should be in vain. He was talking seriously about failure. He was talking seriously about somebody believing in Jesus and then going back into the world and really even if their faith was genuine at the moment and they are Christians. He was talking about, that they would miss out on the joy that they were supposed to have and a vocation that they were to have and the pleasing to God that would be their opportunity they could miss out on all that even though they had heard Paul preach and even though they had responded to the message.

Is there anyone here today and you say so far, my faith has been vain brought up in a Christian home. Maybe trusted Christ early in life fell away. Did your own thing and Paul would say that that faith was in vain. Unless of course you return to the Lord. Second very important is that no Christian can stand alone.

No Christian can stand alone. You can't. I can't.

Yesterday we had a retreat all the elders and the pastoral staff and the direct we met together the whole day actually until after 5 o'clock.

I think it was were talking about Moody Church. I speaking about what we need to do to be the church that God wants us to be one of the topics was the many people who come to Moody church work disconnected some of that may be our fault as some of it may be the fault also of those who, who just don't connect.

We want to connect because you can't live the Christian life alone.

We can't leave it alone.

We can't do individually what God is calling us to do corporately is a body you know that when it says in Ephesians chapter 6 that we should stand and having done all, to stand. Remember, it says take on the whole armor of God, and then it says this, it lists all the pieces of the arm and minutes is above all take the shield of faith, even if you miss this please send that piece without the shield of faith, your faith and your confidence in God is going to be so seriously eroded that you will not stand. I met Christians just like you have whose backbone was no stronger than a chocolate declare in other words, there is just no ability to stand. Pulses can't do it alone. Somebody needs to stand with you when he says take the shield of faith, you know, in ancient times those shields were actually interlocked so that as an army marched into battle. It was as if it was a huge wall that was going against the enemy because they knew that that would be much stronger than all these individual soldiers could I say to all who are listening you need us and we need you.

If you feel disconnected when the services over take a look at the bulletin and take a look at the back of it where you have all of the ABF's that word ABF stands for adult Bible Fellowship and ask yourself which one should I attend. How can I become involved in the ministry. I learned yesterday. I didn't realize that we have 30 small groups. I knew that we had quite a few. I didn't know that the number was that high. Talk to pastor. Or get involved in ABF and find out more about how you can connect because we need to stand together. Remember that someone who's stands for nothing will always fall for anything. And remember why a river is crooked River is crooked because it always takes the path of least resistance. And if your life seems to be crooked. What you need is someone to come alongside of you to say we're a part of what God is doing let us stand together. How does that old saying go if we don't hang together were going to hang separately so we need one another to stand, but there's no doubt that I'm speaking to some people and you may be a seeker your kind of looking on in Christianity and trying to figure it all out or you may be someone who is a believer, but you say either way I'm someone who has who's not standing. I have fallen what will I do.

The good news is that God is able to cause you to stand. The Bible says God can cause you to stand. Remember that there is more grace in God's heart.

Then there is sin in your past and because of that stand thereto lies that the devil wants us to believe lie number one is one sin doesn't matter, just do it once that's lie number one.

Many comes back with lie number two now that you've send. There's no use standing up. You made a mess of it, you know, when I was growing up in Canada as children we played again, you've probably never heard of but it's called fox and goose because what you did is you had a whole wagon wheel out in the snow outside and we have lots lots of territory where we could do this whole wagon wheel, and that we play tag and you'd have to stay within the lines etc. and there are certain places where you could be and that would be safe. And one thing I noticed is that when we began those wagon wheels. We always stayed within the lines that was very important but inevitably is what happened. We cut corners and soon we kicked dirt into it and it would just be oneness that would always begin somewhere else. Maybe that's the way your life is lots of ugly stuff within it one time I slipped in a puddle with my topcoat almost felt like staying there instead of getting out. You know it is easier to keep on sinning than it is to repent, you know that. But to stand is much better. God is here today. God is here to help you and we're here to help you because what we want you to do is to stand and to have you stand with us so that we are faithful so that we can say now we can live because you're standing fast for the Lord. There is a story which, if true, illustrates this beautifully when Mount Vesuvius was erupting there was a guard in Pompeii whose body was found. As you know fossilized, as it were, and he was still standing with his weapon facing the mountain that had been coming toward him. Now if that story does have validity. Wouldn't it be wonderful if every one of us would be like that guard the mountain is coming. There's no way for us to escape.

We don't know where to go, but we will stand with our weapon and we will stand to the very and having done all, Paul says, stand, and God is able to help us.

Every once in a while when I need encouragement.

I love to read that story that remark about this document that was found in the pocket of a young African who died for his faith. There's something about this piece that he wrote that should invigorate even the most what shall I say the most indifferent person. This I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I stepped over the line.

The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I won't look back.

Let up, slow down, back away or be still my past is redeemed, my present makes sense. My future is secure. I'm finished and done with a low living site walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams came divisions, worldly talking, cheap, giving, and dwarfed goals my face and set my gait is fast. My goal is heaven, my road is narrow my way is rough. My companions are you, my guide is reliable. My mission is clear, I won't give up, shut up, let up until I've stayed up, stored up and prayed up for the cause of Jesus Christ. I must go till he comes.

Give till I drop preach till everyone knows works till he stops me. And when he comes for his own. He will have no trouble recognizing me because my banner will have been clear writing with me on together we can take on the world alone. We can do much. Now we can live because may it be said that the Moody church stands fast in the Lord. Amen.

What's bound for before I pray it's your turn to pray.

You may be here today is a seeker and you're wondering about your relationship with Jesus Christ. You can pray to him and receive him as your Savior. You may be here as someone who is a believer, but you follow will you resolve right now to spend time in confession and repentance and faith and let us know so that we can help you stand. Maybe you're standing you say to yourself, are you helping someone else stand you befriended someone said let's be friends so that we can stand together you talk to God the father. The work that you begun in people's lives. Finish it completed. Make us a transforming community within our culture within our world and our city and we shall thank you. In Jesus name whoa this is Pastor Luther and I certainly don't want to imply that taking a stand is easy, there's going to be a lot of opposition. Matter fact, the opposition is actually increasing but even as the opposition increases our standard must remain firm. Now if you listen to the ministry of running to win. You know that we speak about cultural issues and we encourage people to stand wherever God has planted them as this sermon series been a blessing to you. Well, for a gift of any amount. It can be yours.

The advantage then is that you can listen to it again and again.

Share it with your friends. The series is titled when God comes to church for a gift of any amount.

Here's what you do, you can receive it by going to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or if you prefer you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for the sermon series when God comes to church and even as you are inspired and listen to it again your own heart.

I believe will be greatly challenged to live for Christ.

In a culture that has lost its way. Let us be the church at a time of great need time once again for you to ask Pastor Luther question about the Bible or the Christian life sometimes we get long involved questions. Running to win today, our question is short and sweet documents are Jessica got in touch with us to ask is it a sin for a woman to cut her hair.

Well, Jessica.

I think that the answer is no.

And I'll tell you why the Bible does talk about longhairs being the glory of the woman.

The fact that a man should have shorter hair I think is taught very clearly in Scripture. In first Corinthians chapter 11. But the Bible does not say a woman shouldn't cut her hair.

It says that she should have long hair and when she does it is a glory to her.

So the cutting is not the problem. I don't believe that a woman should have hair that is as short as a man's. I think that there should be. That distinction both based on nature and based on Scripture, but the cutting of longhair to make it shorter.

I don't think is wrong. Thank you Jessica for your question. Thank you Dr. Munster for those perspectives. If you'd like to hear one of your questions answered.

You can just go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor Luther or call us with that question at 1-888-218-9337 that's 18 named eight 218-9337 you can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago line 60614 running to win comes to you from the Moody Church in Chicago next time how our entertainment choices impact our personal holiness or the lack thereof, and why it matters so much.

Thanks for listening, Dr. Erwin loser this is Dave Alister running to win is sponsored by the Moody church