5 May 2006

SEE IT, SAY IT, SHOW IT
By Hervé Fleurant

Micah 4:1-5

1. SEE IT

The mountain here represents a kingdom. God’s kingdom will stand supreme over all other.

We sometimes don’t realize how precious the kingdom is and all the wonderful things we have learnt in and from the kingdom, e.g. humility, relating well with people, etc. We fail to see the richness of what we have and give in to the stresses and strains of life

2. SAY IT

When we’ve been Christians for a while we may easily lose gratitude and instead turn on each other.

You can we in the church for a long time and think that you know everything, yet rather than be obedient to the bible become critical and negative. You can be old but not mature.

Q. Are you mature? Are you growing in the Lord?

Luke 6: 37-42
We are not righteous enough o judge anyone. Our system of judgement is broken. We judge others by their actions but ourselves by our intentions, i.e. we give ourselves a lot of grace and benefit of doubt but accord little or none of the same to others.

When someone hurts you, maybe it was not intentional. Maybe the person was just clumsy.

Q. Do I walk in the way of the Lord – the way of not judging others?
Q. Do you forgive others their wrongs against you or do you (foolishly) feel like their sins are more serious than yours?

Ex. When the Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery. They were biased by not bringing the man the man with whom the woman was caught, and were judgmental in feeling that the woman’s sins were worse than their own.

Sometimes when someone falls away we do not want them or welcome them back in the church even when they are repentant, penitent and want to be disciples again. At that point we are of those who, with a huge log in our eye, are trying to get someone to remove a speck from their eye.

Hypocrisy in Greek means acting.
Q. Are you acting or are you for real as you go about the actions and activities of the church?

Ephesians 4:2, Romans 12:9-21, Romans 15:7-, Colossians 3:13-21.
These are character clusters – passages that talk about the character of the true disciple.

Q. Are you humble? Are you completely humble?
When parents are humble their children tend to become disciples.

1 Thessalonians 5:14-18

Q.Do you do these things?
Q.As you “remain in the faith year after year” and have been a disciple for years, do these qualities characterize you?
Q.Are you joyful always, or do you, in immaturity, let things take your joy away?

3. SHOW IT

Micah 4:2
Christians are supposed to have an impact on the people and events around them – not just their neighbourhood but heir entire country.

Preaching is not the only way that we can have an impact. We can also have an impact by contributing bible-based ideas at work, at neighbourhod meetings, on talk shows, and any other for a available.

Example: a brother in Abidjan has become principal advisor to the Prime Minister by suggesting an idea that the government took up. Since then, the First lady has come to church several times as have some of the cabinet ministers of the government.

Vesre 4: “Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no-one will make them afraid.” As individuals, too we should experience change. As Christians, none of us should ever be afraid.

So let all together walk in the name of the Lord and see it, say it and show it.