Let's Roll

090111 Lets ROLL Tim Franklin   Introduction: Q September 11, 2001,Todd Beamer, a passenger on the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93, tried to place a credit card call through a phone located on the back of a plane seat but was routed to a customer-service representative instead, who passed him on to supervisor Lisa Jefferson. Beamer reported that one passenger was killed and, later, that a flight attendant had told him the pilot and co-pilot had been forced from the cockpit and may have been wounded. He was also on the phone when the plane made its turn in a southeasterly direction, a move that had him briefly panicking.  Later, he told the operator that some of the plane's passengers were planning to "jump on" the hijackers.  According to Jefferson, Beamer's last audible words were "Are you guys ready? Let's roll." Q "Let's roll" is a catchphrase that has been used extensively as a term to move and start an activity, attack, mission or project. Q It is the title of my message today as share with you the four mandates that the Eldership feels God has given us for the 2009 year. It was late summer of last year that God spoke to us that we would have four mandate to go after in this year. I have put them in an acrostic for you so they will be easy to remember: ROLL—Relationship, Outpouring, Leadership and Love. o   We believe that God gives us mandate because there are certain things that He sees and things we see that need attention in our local church. o   Mandates exist so that we will give attention to them. Q 1 Sam 14:6-7 Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord  from saving by many or by few." 7 So his armor bearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart."  NKJV o   God has put some things in our heart as Eldership and we need a people who will say, “I am with you do all that is in your heart.” o   The interesting thing is that this armor bearer had no weapon. He would be moving ahead only with what he had. o   Let’s look at these four mandates.     1.      Relationship a.       If you think you have problems with relationship, consider the marriage mayhem created when 76-year-old Bill Baker of London recently wed Edna Harvey. She happened to be his granddaughter's husband's mother. That's where the confusion began, according to Baker's granddaughter, Lynn. "My mother-in-law is now my step-grandmother. My grandfather is now my stepfather-in-law. My mom is my sister-in-law and my brother is my nephew. But even crazier is that I'm now married to my uncle and my own children are my cousins."   Campus Life, March, 1981, p. 31. b.      A relationship is a connection, or association by blood, marriage, or emotions. Dictionary.com . c.       Connection -- the act of joining or being joined together.                                                               i.      God wants to be connected to us. Connection is the heart of the Gospel. God understood that we were separated from Him because of sin and he wanted to be connected or joined together with us. What he wanted was relationship. He did not want to be connected to a corps.                                                             ii.      God wants us to be connected to each other. 1.      1 Cor 12:12-13For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body NKJV 2.      We are joined together as living stones.1 Peter 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. NKJV                                                               i.            God was/is after our heart. As I have said, “If you do not hold the heart of your wife, your son, in your hand then someone else or something else will. That is the challenge of relationships. d.      Characteristics of relationship when we look at God.                                                               i.      They are emotional—love, care, forgiveness are all attitudes of the heart that spark emotions.                                                             ii.      They require time—2 Peter 3:9 God isn't late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn't want anyone lost. He's giving everyone space and time to change. THE MESSAGE                                                               i.            They require investment—He gave His one and only Son. Jn 3:16 e.       Our CFB ministry, which was started last year was created to help in the area of Relationship at Freedom Christian Center. CFB stands for Connecting People, Forming Friendships and Building Lives. 2.      Outpouring  a.       The second thing we felt God to be saying to us was “position yourselves for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.” As a church body I want to invite you to participate in a corporate fast starting Jan.18 –Feb. 8^th.   Positioned Praying and Praise Fast (focus on self-control)                                                               i.      If God is saying position yourselves for the outpouring, then I am going to expect and outpouring of His Spirit.                                                             ii.      Lakeland may have come to an end but God is not done with us. We must live daily with the expectation of His visitation and habitation of our homes, church and county. b.      This is one that we have always lived for in the House of Freedom. In Acts 2 God poured out His Spirit. And in Acts 3:19 He speaks of times of refreshing that come from the Presence of the Lord. That reminds me of the last May’s series on the Presence, Anointing and Glory. Acts 3:19 also gives us a key to getting the Presence—repenting. I love what Bob Jones joking, but serious, said, “I am down to repenting only 8 or 9 times a day now.                                                               i.      I want an outpouring of His Spirit in our county!                                                             ii.      I want my sons walking in deep reality of who He is. c.       We know that youth and children will be instrumental in what God is about to do here. We cannot weaken our resolve to see the children walk in the things of God.                                                               i.      Parents you must do a better job this year of positioning your children in the Presence of God.                                                             ii.      Let me tell you one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard a parent do. “Jonny, if you don’t straighten up I am not going to let you go to youth group.” That is dumb.                                                           iii.      You must learn to talk to them and to bring out of them what they need to hear. Ask questions, share personal disappointments yourself and how you walked in victory in spite of it. Ie. Appalachian trail hike/conversations with Joshua in the car.                                                           iv.      Part of getting them positioned for the outpouring it to get them in relationship with you and with God. d.      We want to see signs and wonders to follow after believers rather than believers that follow after signs and wonders.  Mark 16:17-18 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;  18 theywill take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." NKJV                                                               i.      Think how different the church would look if we sought to be believer whom signs and wonders followed rather than those always looking for the next word, or miracle worker.                                                             ii.      What you seek makes a difference. Mt. 6:33 Seek first the Kingdom. If you find the Kingdom you will find the King. Find the King and you will find His authority over all things. a.       We want to see people walk out their healings and deliverances. This topic is a whole message in itself so just let me suffice to say-if you have been healed or delivered do not give it up, or allow doubt and unbelief in because a symptom showed up. Learn to fight for your breakthrough and walk with ruthless faith. 3.      Leadership a.       Leadership is always a challenge.                                                               i.      The trouble with being a leader today is that you can't be sure whether people are following you or chasing you. Bit and Pieces                                                             ii.      The one great advantage of leading or being in a position of leadership is influence. You have opportunity to influence people’s lives. That is an opportunity and a big responsibility. Dads you lead your home. Parents you lead your children. Ministry directors you lead ministers.                                                           iii.      You do not lead because you have a position, you lead because you have something on your inside that inspires people to follow. In 2009 we are going to be challenged to grow up on the inside in order to exercise influence on the outside. b.      Vanguard Leaders- vanguard is a term used often in the military to speak of the foremost division or the front part of an army; advance guard. It speaks of those in the forefront of any movement, field, or activity. Our uniqueness as a church is our understanding of the prophetic.                                                               i.      This should give us some insight into the future—at every level of our lives from personal to global. This simply means that all of us together should be able to discern what God is doing. If we can see ahead we can prepare and we can lead others.                                                             ii.      Prophetic leaders have the unique responsibility to see into the future with prophetic insight yet to be able to take the people pastorally, without discouragement, from the present into the future. c.       One aspect of our leadership development this year is to build unshakeable people. The Gr. Word for shake means to vibrate, agitate, or unsettle. So be unshakeable is to be stable, firm, and solid.  Leaders have to grow to that place. d.      Characteristics of a Vanguard Leader found in John the Baptist                                                               i.      They are prophetic in nature. They see things prophetically emerging and prepare others pastorally to move into it.                                                             ii.      Strong spiritual roots. The ability to know your roots, discern your future and pursue it with single mindedness.                                                           iii.      Strong Wilderness training. These types of leaders are frequently prepared in long hidden wilderness experiences. Moses, David, John the Baptist, Paul. The wilderness is the desert school of God. Deep unconditional love can only be developed there.                                                           iv.      Convictions like iron. The ability to stand with iron-like convictions in times of uncertainty and change in culture, philosophies, and immorality. Building a conviction starts with the word of God, not with human thoughts, culture or experiences.                                                             v.      Few Mentors. Vanguard leaders are often found when there is lack of leader or a fathering presence. We have been trying for the last four years to build this more into our culture with connecting the generation, men of honor, generational nights, etc. Great teachers are known for the students who pass them.                                                           vi.      Prophetic preaching. Preaching with anointing that penetrates the heart of people. The word of the Lord must create the fear of the Lord in people.                                                         vii.      Spirit of Elijah anointing. A spirit that confronts an ungodly culture to prepare a people for the return of Christ.   4.      Love a.       Each of us on the Eldership team heard that we are to give ourselves to growing this church in love this year.                                                               i.      Jan 23-25 we are doing a conference on love, entitled, Live the Message: Love God, Love each other. You should have a flyer in your hand about that. Prophet Shawn Bolz is going to be leading us in that conference. I want everyone to participate in the conference. I am expecting FCC to hear from God.                                                             ii.      We are losing our families because we are failing in love. We are losing our communities because we are failing in love.                                                           iii.      Jesus has plainly told us that at the end of the age the love of many will grow cold. I do not want to be in that camp of people and I do not want you in that camp of people. I do not think that Jesus will be back this year. I think we will have another 15-30 years. My point. We have time to prepare but we have to go after like he is coming next week. b.      How are we to do this?                                                               i.      It start first and foremost in our home. 1.      Sermon on the Mount. Live under the shadow of Jesus message. 2.      I Cor. 13 Test insert your name in the passage where the word love appears. Starting at verse 4. This week in my home, I was patient, I was kind, I did not envy, I was not rude, I kept no records of wrong, I was not a provoker and I thought the best. Try doing that at night before bed.                                                             ii.      We have to fall more in love with Jesus                                                           iii.      We have to establish the fact that our significance only comes from Christ.                                                           iv.      We have to let our expression of faith be driven by love not by anointing, not by our gifts, not by our need to ‘top dog’. c.       We must seek to cover one another. When my strengths cover your weaknesses, I am actually loving you. God has specifically designed us with weaknesses so that we would love. When we do this it take us right back to number one which has to do with connectedness. You can take DYMI and learn more about that on another day.     Conclusion: ·         Lets ROLL! What does that stand for? Relationship, Outpouring, Leadership, and Love. What are we giving ourselves to this year? Relationship, Outpouring, Leadership and Love. ·         Todd Beamer laid down his life on September 11 for a cause he believe in. How many of you this morning are ready to lay your life down for this cause. o   Invitation to receive Jesus o   Invitation to commit to the call of God to us. ·         "Let's roll" is a catchphrase that has been used extensively as a term to move and start an activity, attack, mission or project. o   Let’s begin this morning. Let’s start this activity, this attack on the Kingdom of darkness by strengthening and building our relational skills. Let position ourselves for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Let ruthlessly pursue developing our leadership skills in ourselves and others in order to create influence.   Let’s let God remove everything that hinders love. ·         1 Sam 14:6-7 Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord  from saving by many or by few." 7 So his armor bearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart."  NKJV (Author: Pastor Tim Franklin)

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