09/04/11 - Crazy Bout Church - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore begins a new series entitled "Crazy" with part 1, "Crazy Bout Church" in this Sunday morning celebration.

Crazy PT1
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, September 4, 2011

www.mylifegatechurch.com


Sermon Notes:

1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”

Normal people believe in God, but not in His church.  Crazy people think the local church is the most powerful place to be on this planet.  They think it is the hope of the world.  In spite of the press, in spite of the failures, in spite of the mistakes made, they believe the church is making a difference and is still God’s plan for changing the world.

1.   2 Corinthians 5:13-14 “If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.”  Normal folks believe Christ died for all, but it’s just crazy to believe that should affect every area of our lives and that we should live our lives for others in a way that separates us from all the ‘normal’ folks.

2.   Matthew 10:34-40 34 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.  35 ‘I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 Your enemies will be right in your own household!’ 37 “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. 38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.”  That’s crazy!

3.   Matthew 12:46-50 (Jesus’ family comes to take him away—he’s gone crazy.  But he sets out some crazy priorities.)

4.   Hosea 9:7 ‘Because of your great sin and hostility, you say, “The prophets are crazy and the inspired men are fools!”’  Normal folks think it’s fine for pastors and some of the leaders to go wide open after Jesus in their lives and to make church a top priority, but for those of us with ‘real lives’, that’s just crazy.

You might be crazy if…
*   You think every Christian should be involved in a church.
*   You love Sundays because it’s Church Day!
*   Your best friends are church people.
*   Your job is something you do to make a living, your church and your ministry are what you live for.
*   You are late to all the family gatherings and parties because they always do them on Sundays and they all know you’ll be there after church.
*   Your facebook looks more like an advertisement for your church than a page in a gossip magazine.
*   You get confused when people talk about a dream team and they are not talking about being on a ministry team at church.
*   Your idea of a great weekend is staying up all night Friday cooking BBQ so I can spend all day Saturday selling it to make money to give away to needy kids for Christmas, then making sure I get to both celebrations on Sunday so I can talk about how much fun we all had doing that.
*   You get extra pumped when it is raining, sleeting, snowing or hailing because you are on the parking lot team at your church and you will really get to serve people today.
*   You just finished serving in the Launch nursery, changing diapers, cleaning messes, getting puked on by babies and when you find out a team member for the next celebration has called in sick you excitedly volunteer to do it again—because you love babies, because somebody’s life will be changed because you cared for their child, and because you know Jesus hangs out in the nursery.
*   You might be crazy if your priority list sounds something like this: God, Church, Family, Career.  It’s Biblical.  It was modeled by Jesus, but it’s crazy.  All the normal folks will tell you that.
*   But when all the normal folks’ normal lives are crashing around them, when their relationships continue to be unstable, when their complicated lives become overwhelming, when their careers, even their family life, is unfulfilling, when all their ‘normal’ answers don’t work, you might be crazy if you are the one they ask to pray, the one they cry with, the one they feel safe telling, “My life is not what I thought life would be.”

5.   Acts 26:19-25 “And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven. 20 I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do. 21 Some Jews arrested me in the Temple for preaching this, and they tried to kill me. 22 But God has protected me right up to this present time so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen—23 that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike.” 24 Suddenly, Festus shouted, “Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy!” (MESSAGE:  That was too much for Festus. He interrupted with a shout: "Paul, you're crazy! You've read too many books, spent too much time staring off into space! Get a grip on yourself, get back in the real world!")  25 But Paul replied, “I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. What I am saying is the sober truth.”  Normal folks think it is OK to have a vision from Heaven, even believe we all have a God-given destiny and purpose, but to pursue it with every step and every ounce of your being—that’s just crazy!


So What/Now What?

*   Jesus was called crazy, defined as a lunatic.  When in fact, He was demonstrating normal—as defined by the God of the Universe, the creator of mankind.  We have dumbed down normal.  Crazy takes it to an HNL—out of the mire and muck this world describes as normal and up to a high place with a high calling.  A place set apart for the set apart, a place on a hill where our light will shine brightly in the darkness instead of being hidden under the cloak of darkness this world, this culture, redefines as light.

*   Make a decision to be Crazy.
   -   Fill your head with Crazy thoughts by learning God’s Word.  Start with SOAP.
   -   Surround yourself with Crazy friends who know the real “High Life”—the one lived with the Most High.  Make it a point to find the Divine Flow between you and the people God wants in your life.  Arrive at church earlier and stay later.  Sit in different places.  Actually get up and connect during connection times.  Go to the information center and find out about a dinner group or one of our connect groups.  Go to lunch today with someone the Lord leads you to.
   -   Connect to your church on a deeper level.  Commit to become a member.  Go to Next Step.  Join the Dream Team and find your place in ministry.  Begin living for something bigger than you, your career, your family and, like Debbie and Jody Rollins or Shannon and Angie Agan, find out how every area of your life and your dreams are found and enriched in being Crazy bout God and Crazy bout His Church!