Extraordinary

Sermon Series: Fruitful

Read: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

When you were five years old, what did you want to be when you grew up? Some of us may have dreamt of being an astronaut or a princess or a movie star, but in reality most people grow up to live very ordinary lives. We might wonder how we can live effective faithful lives for God in the ordinariness of our daily life. But the good news is that God uses ordinary people.  1 Corinthians 1.5 says God chose what the world considers ordinary... to fulfil his purposes on earth.

So how we can live a full, effective, faithful life of service to God in our ordinary, everyday lives? I think it simply means living your ordinary life in an extraordinary way. Here are my five suggestions for living an EXTRAordinary life.
 
Be ESTABLISHED

• Established in your faith
  Have you trusted in Jesus as your Saviour? Have you surrendered your life to Him? Have you repented of your sins and put your faith in God? This is the first step to living a faithful life. Colossians tells us that we need “to remain well established and rooted in faith on a firm and sure foundation. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus.” We need to be sure that we have committed ourselves and our lives fully to Jesus Christ, to establish a firm foundation.
• Established in the Word
  In the psalms we read: “Great blessings belong to those who love the Lord’s teachings and think about them day and night. They grow strong, like a tree planted by a stream;” and “I will never forget Your Word for by it You have given me new life.” Being established in the Word brings blessings and growth and strength and life.
• Established in the Church
  The church is God’s idea – his family, his body, his bride, his temple Eph 2:19- 20 says “You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.” If you are a follower of Jesus you need to belong to a church and be joined in fellow ship and community with other believers.
  The church is where God has placed us so we can worship, fellowship, serve and grow. If you are a follower of Jesus you need to belong to a church and look for ways to grow in your faith.
  The church is what God uses to accomplish his work on earth today. If you are a follower of Jesus you need to belong to a church and look for ways to serve and use your gifts.

 
 Be EXPECTANT

• In prayer – God promises to hear and answer our prayers. We should pray expecting an answer.
• In guidance – we should expect God to lead and guide us when we seek Him.
• In serving – we should look for the opportunities God will give us to serve Him.

 
Be TEACHABLE

• For wisdom (knowledge and understanding, discernment)
• For maturity, so that we are no longer babies drinking milk, but we begin eating solid food; not like the seed on the stony ground that withers, but like the seed that puts down deep roots.
• For holiness, so that we keep our hearts pure and turn away from sin.
  Being teachable means being open to God training, moulding and refining, rebuking and shaping your character and your spirit. This is part of the process of transformation and sanctification to be more like Christ.

Be REALISTIC

• In trials
• In seasons
• In deserts
  Ordinary life is often difficult, it’s not always a mountain top experience. It’s okay to acknowledge these hard times, we don’t need to pretend it’s always okay Like the Bible writers, we can pour out our struggles, our doubts, our despair to God, who knows and understands. Our reassurance comes from knowing that “faith is being sure of what we hope for, certain of what we don’t see”. If we are established in our faith, in the Word and in our church, then when the storms of life rage, our roots will hold firm and after the storms cease, we can start to grow and flourish again.

 
Be AVAILABLE

• To listen - Is God speaking to you, are you listening?
• To go - have you said to God, here I am, send me, use me? What will that look like in your life? How will he use you among your friends, at uni or work, at home, in your church?
• To serve - what does God want to fulfil in your life, have you asked God how you can serve Him?

 
I encourage us to be established, to be expectant, to be teachable, to be realistic and to be available, so that we can live a full Christian life effectively and faithfully – we can live extra-ordinary lives for God.



Melanie Malcolm