{"id":957,"date":"2014-05-23T13:14:34","date_gmt":"2014-05-23T18:14:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/?p=957"},"modified":"2014-11-25T10:11:06","modified_gmt":"2014-11-25T16:11:06","slug":"are-we-wasting-the-greatest-resource-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2014\/05\/23\/are-we-wasting-the-greatest-resource-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Are We Wasting the Greatest Resource Ever?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I have been reading the texts this week out of the Revised Common Lectionary in preparation for the upcoming sermon, I have been listening to music in the background. \u00a0A song that I used in a sermon a couple of months ago, more as a side note, keeps coming up for me to hear. \u00a0It is also one that my wife says is one of her new favorites. \u00a0Before I tell you the song, let me point you to the text that makes this connection for me. \u00a0The text for Sunday is John 14:15-21, but when read through the lense of last week’s reading of the Gospel, John 14:12-14, it makes me pause to wonder, are we WASTING THE GREATEST RESOURCE EVER, the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

Putting it all together, in verses 12-17, Jesus tells us<\/p>\n

12\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. \u00a015\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cIf you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16\u00a0<\/sup>And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17\u00a0<\/sup>This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.\u00a0[1]<\/p>\n

Now, what does all this have to do with the song I keep hearing? \u00a0We have the Spirit within us to do things greater than Jesus did while He walked the earth. \u00a0He is the Spirit within each and everyone of us, giving us power and strenght to do what is needed, all we need to do is to ask.<\/p>\n

Here is the song by Matthew West<\/p>\n

“Do Something”\u00a0<\/b>[2]<\/span>

<\/p>\n

I woke up this morning
\nSaw a world full of trouble now
\nThought, how\u2019d we ever get so far down
\nHow\u2019s it ever gonna turn around
\nSo I turned my eyes to Heaven
\nI thought, \u201cGod, why don\u2019t You do something?\u201d
\nWell, I just couldn\u2019t bare the thought of
\nPeople living in poverty
\nChildren sold into slavery
\nThe thought disgusted me
\nSo, I shook my fist at Heaven
\nSaid, \u201cGod, why don\u2019t You do something?\u201d
\nHe said, \u201cI did, I created you\u201dIf not us, then who
\nIf not me and you
\nRight now, it\u2019s time for us to do something
\nIf not now, then when
\nWill we see an end
\nTo all this pain
\nIt\u2019s not enough to do nothing
\nIt\u2019s time for us to do something<\/p>\n

I\u2019m so tired of talking
\nAbout how we are God\u2019s hands and feet
\nBut it\u2019s easier to say than to be
\nLive like angels of apathy who tell ourselves
\nIt\u2019s alright, \u201csomebody else will do something\u201d
\nWell, I don\u2019t know about you
\nBut I\u2019m sick and tired of life with no desire
\nI don\u2019t want a flame, I want a fire
\nI wanna be the one who stands up and says,
\n\u201cI\u2019m gonna do something\u201d<\/p>\n

If not us, then who
\nIf not me and you
\nRight now, it\u2019s time for us to do something
\nIf not now, then when
\nWill we see an end
\nTo all this pain
\nIt\u2019s not enough to do nothing
\nIt\u2019s time for us to do something<\/p>\n

We are the salt of the earth
\nWe are a city on a hill (shine shine, shine shine)
\nBut we\u2019re never gonna change the world
\nBy standing still
\nNo we won\u2019t stand still
\nNo we won\u2019t stand still
\nNo we won\u2019t stand still<\/p>\n

If not us, then who
\nIf not me and you
\nRight now, it\u2019s time for us to do something
\nIf not now, then when
\nWill we see an end
\nTo all this pain
\nIt\u2019s not enough to do nothing
\nIt\u2019s time for us to do something\u00a0[x3]<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Time to ask, go and do! \u00a0Evangelize without words but in action. \u00a0Be part of the experience of opening the eyes of the world to see, know and receive Christ.<\/p>\n

[1]\u00a0The Holy Bible: English Standard Version<\/em> (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Jn 14:12\u201314.<\/p>\n

[2]\u00a0\u201cMATTHEW WEST LYRICS – Do Something,\u201d accessed May 23, 2014, http:\/\/www.azlyrics.com\/lyrics\/matthewwest\/dosomething.html.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I have been reading the texts this week out of the Revised Common Lectionary in preparation for the upcoming sermon, I have been listening to music in the background. \u00a0A song that I used in a sermon a couple of months ago, more as a side note, keeps coming up for me to hear. … [Read more…]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[72,10,60,83,61,4,6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-admin","4":"post-957","6":"format-standard","7":"category-evangelism","8":"category-jesus","9":"category-seeing","10":"category-sermon","11":"category-sight","12":"category-spirit","13":"category-works"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2m6h5-fr","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":964,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2014\/05\/25\/the-greatest-resource-often-goes-unused\/","url_meta":{"origin":957,"position":0},"title":"The Greatest Resource, Often Goes Unused","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"May 25, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Audio Link Acts 17:22\u201331 1 Peter 3:13\u201322 John 14:15\u201321 These days we often hear about conserving our resources.\u00a0 Stay with renewable resources.\u00a0 Only use what we have the most of and conserve the rest.\u00a0 When God created the heavens and the earth, God gave dominion over the earth to humanity.\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Baptism"","block_context":{"text":"Baptism","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/baptism\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/uXuQpERVkd0\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1926,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2017\/10\/16\/are-we-open-to-transformation\/","url_meta":{"origin":957,"position":1},"title":"Are We Open To Transformation?","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"October 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Sunday, October 1, 2017 After\u00a0Pentecost Proper 21 Year A New Testament Philippians 2:1\u201313 Gospel Matthew 21:23\u201332 Click here for the audio only version. https:\/\/youtu.be\/bN0HgEZC6PU \u00a0 Make sure you read or listen to Last Weeks sermon, to tie this to this one. 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