Live Free with Josh Howerton - The Power of Passionate Faith | Ep. 69 | Thursday May 11, 2023

Episode Date: May 11, 2023

Being a Christian is more than just attending Church on Sundays; it's about living a set-apart kind of lifestyle that marks us as followers of Jesus. Today, Pastor Mike unpacks the characteristics of the early church. There is a lot to learn and put into practice from today’s episode! For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.comit. Church slash daily drive. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, what's up everybody? Welcome to the Daily Drive podcast. You may be on your morning commute. It might be getting ready for school or walking on a treadmill or bringing your day to a close, wherever you are and whatever you might be doing. I'm so grateful that you would take a few minutes and just let God speak to you today.

Because God longs to do life with you and me. Even though this podcast is just a little short burst of hope and truth, his presence is with us 24-7. and I found that living in the awareness of his presence is a game changer in everybody's life. We are diving in to a little letter that's tucked toward the back of the Bible called Colossians. It's all about to borrow a much overused phrase. It's all about living a new normal. It's a letter about living this brand new life of following Jesus. It was written by a guy named Paul to a church that was really making a difference in their small city and around the world. So he writes this letter to encourage them and inspire them,

and also to give them some practical instruction and to assure them that their new life in Jesus was resting on an unshakable foundation. Now we're still in chapter one, and we're unpacking just five characteristics that mark this special group of people and ought to mark every other difference-making church. We saw yesterday how living a distinctive set-apart kind of lifestyle

ought to mark everyone who follows Jesus. there just ought to be something that's so distinctively kind and distinctively humble and grateful and joyful about us that makes people say, I want whatever it is that they have. And there's a second thing today that Paul points out about this church. And I pray this for every church that we would all be full of people who pulsate with a passionate faith. There must have been something extraordinary about the faith of the Colossians, because in verse four, Paul says this, for we have heard, of your faith.

I love that he highlights this one right off the bat. You know, I have the privilege of being involved in several churches at the same time. And it is so fun for me. I can't believe I get to do it. And every church I'm privileged to be a part of is making a difference in this world. So sometimes I get asked by other pastors. So, hey, bro, that's my name, by the way. What do you believe is the biggest factor contributing to what's happening in those churches?

And I tell them, well, quite honestly, I believe it's because God. God is moving in the hearts of humble, faith-filled people. And then they'll often come back and say, yeah, yeah, I hear that. But other than the God thing, what do you attribute as the cause of growth? And then it becomes pretty clear to me that what they're looking for is some, like, fast-tracked growth. Like, what do you see the latest thing that's working out there? And I really do understand the importance of strategic planning and thinking, but make no mistake about it. Dynamic churches, life-giving, spirit-empower, difference-making churches are always loaded with fully surrendered people

who possess a passionate faith. It's always the spirit of God, moving in the lives of people who walk by faith. Now, again, I'm certainly not saying that strategic planning and such isn't important, but I'm telling you, I'd much rather talk about those who volunteer hours upon hours of time to make ministries go,

simply because they just love Jesus. I'd much rather tell somebody about a person who took their vacation savings and made a couple of house payments for a friend that was in trouble. I'd much rather talk about a guy who was recently released from the bondage of alcoholism as a bunch of fellow strugglers surrounded him and walk with

them. I'd love to talk about the passionate faith that is stirring in the hearts of amazing high school students who are living beyond themselves at school and with their friends. I'd much rather talk about people who are taking risk to serve the poor and share a cup of cold water in Jesus' name all around the world. It's always about the hand of God moving through passionate faith-filled people. You know, if I could just sit down with you like face-to-face, over a piece of pie,

a key lime, by the way, is my favorite. There's something I would want you to know about me. I love Jesus Christ. I'm passionate about him. I've loved him since I was 17 years old when the truth that God loved me first revolutionized my life. But I'm telling you, as the pounds pack on and the hairs fall out, he means more and more to me every single day.

I have learned that he's trustworthy every time. I've learned that His grace not only forgives, but it cleans up dirty hearts and dirty minds. I've learned that living with gratitude and walking and talking with him through the day gives a brand new dimension of peace and power to my life. I'm learning what really matters in life and what doesn't matter. And I just want to be counted as one of those people who totally trust the one who gave his life from me and now lives with a passionate faith. Look at verse four again. He said, not only have we heard about your faith, but we have heard of your love for all of God's people. You see, difference-making churches are also full of people who extend an inclusive love.

Now, when I read that, I picture this church here in Colise with their doors and arms open wide. I picture a church with his arms around each other, whether rich or poor, wounded or healed, hurting or whole, a community of grace, like your skin color, your ethnicity, your background, your social status, your looks, your IQ, your past failures or successes, didn't matter. Embracing everybody like Jesus did, that was their new normal. When it came to love, Paul says, you guys are the real deal. Verse 80, he says, he has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you. He's telling him, listen, y'all have a reputation. You're becoming known for loving other people with the same inclusive, unconditional love with which God has loved you. He put that love in you, and now it is so stink and cool the way it's flowing out of you to other people.

You know the early Christians were known for that? The most common thing said about them was this, these people love everybody. These people love everybody. I know some of you have probably seen or heard this, but I think it's so appropriate for the times we're living in right now. This is an investigative report that a second century historian named Aristides

sent to the Roman emperor about these Jesus followers, the ones the Romans nicknamed Christians or Little Christ, this is what he reported back. They do not keep for themselves the goods entrusted to them. They do not covet what belongs to others. They show love to their neighbors. They do not do to another what they would not have done to themselves. They speak gently to those who oppress them.

And in this way, they make them their friends. It has become their passion to do good to their enemies. I love this. They live in the awareness of their smallness. Every one of them who has anything gives ungrudgingly to the one who has nothing. If they see a traveling stranger, they bring him in under their roof. They rejoice over him as over a real brother, for they don't call one another. their brothers after the flesh, but they know

their brothers in God. If they hear that one of them is imprisoned or oppressed for the sake of Christ, they take care of all of his needs. If anyone among them is poor or comes in to want while they themselves have nothing to spare, they will fast two or three days for him. In this way, they can supply

any poor man with the food that he needs. This, O Emperor, is the rule of life of these Christians, and this is their manner of life. Let me ask you, wouldn't it be great to be said of us? And gang, these people didn't have a Bible yet. They weren't doing a study of Colossians.

Podcasts weren't a thing. All they had to go on was that Jesus, the one who came back from the dead, had said a new commandment I give you, love others as I have loved you, and so they did. So what do you say we do the same today? Let's pulsate with a passionate faith, and let's look for ways to extend an inclusive love for all people. We'll pick it up here next time. Have a great day. Thanks for tuning in today.

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