Pastor Rick Hudgens | Red
Letter Words: Serve
Sunday/Aug/2010 13:57
August 29, 2010
A farmer had a team of horses in which one horse
consistently worked harder than any of the others. The
farmer said, “They’re all willin’
horses. The one’s willin’ to pull and the
rest are willin’ to let him.”
Sadly, that is often an accurate description of the local
church. In fact, pastors often refer to what they call
the 80-20 rule, which states that 20 percent of the
church members do 80 percent of the work. But God never
intended it to be that way.
He intended that all whom He saved should serve His cause
in some capacity. There are many reasons that Christians
do not serve the Lord. Some don’t serve because
their commitment to Christ and His church is
half-hearted. They attend church occasionally, but their
real interests are in the world. Serving in the church
would be an inconvenience for them.
Others have tried serving, but they lacked training and
grew frustrated and quit. Some quit because other church
members criticized them. Others burned out trying to do
too much. Some quit serving because they were serving out
of the wrong motivation. They were looking for
commendation from people, not from God. But for whatever
reason, many Christians grow weary of the hassle of
serving the Lord and retreat to a more comfortable seat
on the sidelines.
Pastor Rick continues in the teaching series: Red Letter
Words as we examine the word: serve. Jesus said,
“The Son of Man came not to be served, but to
serve, and give his life as a ransom for many.”
(Matthew 20:28)
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Pastor Rick Hudgens | Red
Letter Words: Trust
Sunday/Aug/2010 13:31
August 22, 2010
There was a man who got lost in the desert. After
wandering around for a long time his throat became very
dry, about that time he saw a little shack in the
distance. He made his way over to the shack and found a
water pump with a small jug of water and a note.
The note read: "pour all the water into the top of the
pump to prime it, if you do this you will get all the
water you need". Now the man had a choice to make, if he
trusted the note and poured the water in and it worked he
would have all the water he needed. If it didn’t
work he would still be thirsty and he might die. Or he
could choose to drink the water in the jug and get
immediate satisfaction, but it might not be enough and he
still might die. After thinking about it the man decided
to risk it. He poured the entire jug into the pump and
began to work the handle, at first nothing happened and
he got a little scared but he kept going and water
started coming out. So much water came out that he drank
all he wanted, took a shower, and filled all the
containers he could find. Because he was willing to give
up momentary satisfaction, he got all the water he
needed. Now the note also said: “after you have
finished, please refill the jug for the next
traveler.” The man refilled the jug and added to
the note: “Please prime the pump,believe me it
works”!
Today we continue in the teaching series Red Letter Words
as we look at the word trust. Jesus calls on two people
to trust Him in different ways–but both are offered
the chance to “prime the pump” of faith by
forcing reliance on Jesus Christ. First we have a public
figure that must choose trusting Jesus over the jeers and
doubts of his loved ones. Then we have an anonymous
figure that has faith in Jesus but hasn’t taken a
public stand, acknowledging Him before the crowds. The
question today is, “Do you really trust Jesus?
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Pastor Rick Hudgens | Red
Letter Words: Pray
Sunday/Aug/2010 13:33
August 15, 2010
In the Gospel, the disciples see Jesus praying and ask
him to teach them how to pray. His response to them is
what we generally call the Lord’s Prayer. It
follows the basic Jewish pattern of prayer: praise
followed by petition. That means that Jesus learned to
pray, that he was praying within a tradition that was
handed down to him.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this simple prayer
is that it is a clear and compelling articulation of a
relationship of trust. Jesus does not hold back in asking
for what he needs, and in encouraging us to ask for what
we need. We need daily sustenance, we need forgiveness to
take hold of our lives, and we need protection from
persecution. Notice how these are things that are most
readily found in community, not in isolation.
The prayer Jesus teaches his disciples gives us a glimpse
into his relationship to the Father. But it also
illustrates the kind of relationships we should cultivate
with one another: relationships of trust, of openness, of
forgiveness. On our own, we are vulnerable to hunger and
persecution. In a loving community, we can be released
from our fears, knowing that there will always be
somebody to offer us a piece of bread or to stand with us
in solidarity. When our own basic needs are being met, we
are then free to go out into the world and be bearers of
Good News and liberation to others.
The Lord’s Prayer reminds us that prayer is
something that can be taught, which means that it can be
learned. That should be good news to all of us who worry
that we’re not very good at praying. Prayer is not
a competition, and it’s okay if it doesn’t
come naturally, or if you feel like you have to work at
it and you’re not really sure that you’re
doing it right. It is also important to realize that the
Holy Spirit is always there, ready to pray through us.
This also means that it is definitely impossible to ever
pray alone. Today we look at the model of prayer given by
Jesus when He taught the disciples how to pray.
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Pastor Rick Hudgens | Red
Letter Words: Forgiveness
Sunday/Aug/2010 12:49
August 8, 2010
In his book, "The Art of Forgiveness," author Jack
Kornfield shares a stunning portrait of mercy. In South
Africa, the Babemba tribe has an incredible way of
dealing with criminals and the unjust. When a person is
caught committing a crime, they are placed in the center
of the village and are surrounded by the rest of the
people. One by one the people around the circle face the
accused and state the good things the person has done,
recounting in great detail positive memories of the man
or woman in the middle. The ceremony itself can last for
days, and at its closing the person is welcomed back into
the tribe with great jubilation.
Many people could never imagine such a picture of love
and acceptance. Indeed many of us are used to "getting
even" and receiving as good as we get. Yet the Babemba
are very close to the heart of God in welcoming home
those who have strayed.
Jesus spoke a very difficult truth when he went on a
mountainside and began to teach His disciples. He taught
them saying: “Yes, if you forgive others for their
sins, your Father in heaven will also forgive you for
your sins. But if you don’t forgive others, your
Father in heaven will not forgive your
sins.”
(Matthew 6:14-15)
Jesus went beyond telling us about our own forgiveness to
tell us to offer forgiveness as well. Perhaps he knew
that the one thing we needed in our own lives to grasp
the love and forgiveness of God is to provide the same to
others. Indeed, maybe it is when we are the most
forgiving that we most clearly see the Father.
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