How we should worship God
sermon by Manfred Schreyer
Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. :17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
People often perceive Christians as people who are downtrodden, who will take a punch rather then passing one out. They think of Christians as "good people." And we can hope that we are.
"Good" in Christian circles has this connotation of allowing all things happening to you, to keep the peace under any circumstances, not to make too much noise . . . and often not even to stand up for a cause. . .
For many Christians that is the ideal person. But what happens inside that person? How does that person vent anger, pride, how does the person hide touches of perfection, etc.? And how does that make for a better world?
How do people with the named attributes better this world?
Did God create just "good" people?
I know as well as all you do that we are created all differently. But I also know that we are created in the image of God and that God is not just "Good." I believe that God is "Great"
For me there is a great difference between "Good" and "Great"
I happen to believe that in each one of us is the seed of greatness. No, not everyone will be a Leonardo da Vinci, an Einstein or a Von Gogh. . .but we have the potential of being a great person. To live the potential God gave us.
When we live together as a people of the world most of us just live to survive. Survive not in a sense of starvation, oppression, etc. but to survive in this world which is motivated by greed and shortcuts. But this life is really to be lived. Never did God intend for us just to survive. He intended fo us to live a rich live and to experience His gifts on earth.
Sometimes people even feel they live a mediocre life. How can we change from "Good" to "Great?"
Sociologists know that when we are with people who represent a certain attribute of life we adapt these attributes fairly quickly. If you grow up in a family that enjoys music, you are more likely to enjoy music. If you hang out with criminals, you are more likely to become a criminal.
What really happens is you contain experiences within you. You absorb actions of others and you adopt them as your own.
I want you to know that the way you live your live, the way you perceive yourself, the way you perceive others is a how you worship God! Paul in the book of Colossians says that we shall worship God in all of our deeds and actions, because we are asked to do it in the name of the Father and our Lord.
We as the one who believe in our God should strive to be great people. Only great people can truly change the world and only then can we others see the greatness of God in us.
Well how will that be possible?
Allow me to explain:
In the advertising world it is called "Top of the mind awareness"
What advertisers do is advertise a product. Now we all know that nobody who reads a Coke ad will rush and get a Coke at that very moment. But something very amazing happens in the brain.
Think of a color. . .Now think of a flower. . .
I know what most of you were thinking: Red and Roses.
Take a look around you. . .amazing isn’t it?
How do I know that?
Researchers have found that when you drive across America you will see a Coke impression about every 45 seconds through billboards, radio commercial, print, TV, announcement, Coke machine display, etc. . .
Now, imagine you get thirsty. The very moment you are getting thirsty, some product has to come to your mind. . .in other words a thought has to trigger your action to get a drink from somewhere. And because you have seen so many impressions of Coke, the first thing that comes to your mind is "Coke."
What happens is that we see so many impressions of a single product and when the critical buying decision comes we purchase the product which is on the top of our mind.
And that is in essence the way the world works. You and I and all the people of God can leave an impression.
First of all I want to tell you that I would rather be great then just average or good. Why? Because deep inside us we know when we have not done as good as we could have done.
When I was young and I did a job my Mom had asked me to do only half as good as I could do, my Mom would always say: "For most Moms that would be good enough, buy for my boy I don’t think it is."
When we become great in our actions and words, we worship God and we start to feel better. Better about ourselves and better about the world as a whole. We have contributed to make this world a better world.
And better yet. When you become great, you feel good about yourself. All of this radiates to others.
Think about it: Paul never complained, he was always content, he knew the greatness of God, he was convinced of what he was doing, he encouraged many others about working for God and he was a role model for those who led God’s church. He displayed greatness. He was not just good at what he did, but he was great.
I want you to think about those who hate you personally, us as a people, nation, race, or whatever. Why do you hate others or at least dislike others? It is not necessarily that they hate us or you for a specific thing you have done, but because they are not happy. And visa versa: You dislike someone, because you are not happy. . . .and therefore in most cases those who hate feel not heard
Being great gives us a self worth. Self worth people can not be stepped on, they encourage others through their action(s) to speak up; they pay attention to their life, they pay attention to the world around them; they feel a self-worth.
I encourage all of us to be great people. People of God. People that love God and people that love life and their neighbors.
Sermon by Pastor Manfred Schreyer
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