5 Marks

January 20, 2025

Everyday Disciple: Through the Lens of Prayer

Matthew 6.1-18

In the middle of these three examples, giving to the poor, praying, and fasting, Jesus stops to give instruction on prayer. But why? If Jesus considers it so important, shouldn’t we?

I think if we’re honest, for most of us, prayer is an optional exercise with no real power. We pray because we feel like we should…or maybe we feel like praying will change God’s mind and get Him to see things our way. But that’s not real prayer. The prayer that Jesus talks about has the power of rending the veil between heaven and earth…the spiritual and the physical. It allows us to see more clearly the reality of the kingdom. In prayer we practice the presence of God.

Prayer brings heaven and earth together. When we pray, we bring our cares and worries to the One who infinitely cares about us. And He gives kingdom perspective to our day-to-day lives. The inner life of prayer nourishes our soul.

Watch out for the pretenders of righteousness…those who want others to see their good deeds. Hard to miss them. They tend to make it obvious. And again, if we’re honest, it’s all too easy for us to slip into a righteousness of show…attempting to impress others with how “good” we are, right? The praise and approval of men is very alluring. But as kingdom citizens/everyday disciples our job is to cultivate the inner life of the Spirit, learning the secret life that the Father calls us to. Seeking only His praise. Living only for Him. And as we cultivate the inner life, we begin to live in the true righteousness of the kingdom. Beautiful irony…the more we cultivate our inner life with the Father, the brighter our light shines. Prayer is certainly a big part of that.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our Everyday Disciple series: Songs of the Season. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

January 29, 2024

5 Marks of a Disciple: Share Your Story

Luke 8.26-39

Having just calmed a violent storm at sea, Jesus meets a man with an equally violent storm raging within him. In both cases Jesus is able to squash the chaos with a word. It would be easy to come to the conclusion that Luke is showcasing Jesus’ power and authority over both the natural and supernatural worlds. And he does that, but I think Luke is driving us to something even more powerful…you see, beyond the power of Jesus is the love of Jesus. Jesus crosses a violent, storm-tossed sea and faces down the forces of hell for one man! Did you get that? Jesus crosses a violent, storm-tossed sea and faces down the forces of hell for one man! O what a Savior! And having rescued him, He sends him on a mission to share his story – of “what great things God had done for him.”

I love this story. It’s a beautiful picture of the lengths that Jesus goes to to seek and save the lost…

Crossed the sea (calmed the storm, etc.). Faced off with the hosts of hell. Braved the potential backlash of a frightened mob…For one man

Jesus is still on a rescue mission, pulling folks out of the fires of hell. Setting the captives free. And as those who have been set free, He calls us to join Him in that same mission. To share our story…of what great things Jesus has done for us.

Though we may not have been as bad off as the demoniac in this story, before Jesus we were all just as lost. We were all held captive in the kingdom of darkness. We were all without hope and in desperate need of rescue. And only Jesus could do that.

Each one of us is here today because someone shared their story with us. Like the one-time-demoniac-turned-follower-of-Jesus in our story this morning, they shared with us what great things Jesus had done for them. And having believed ourselves, now we have a story to tell as well of what great things Jesus has done for us.

So what is your story, and who can you share it with? Jesus sent the man back to his home town to share with those closest to him what God had done for him. Sounds a lot like our impact list…those folks who are closest to us who don’t know Jesus. Could be friends or family, neighbors, co-workers, classmates or teammates. If you have trusted in Jesus, then you have a story to tell.

Let me challenge you with two last words…first, take time this week to write out your story. On our website or on the app you can find a template that will walk you through putting together Your Story. Take your time…don’t rush. Pray over it and ask God to direct you through the process.

Second, prayerfully consider who you need to share your story with. Who do you know that hasn’t yet trusted in Jesus? Pray for opportunities and ask God for courage in the moment to take advantage of those opportunities when they come.

So let’s be intentional in 2024. Let’s challenge ourselves to spend quality time in God’s Word and pray everyday, to take steps to join a small group if we are not already in one, to live generous lives and share our stories, and let’s do it together.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our January series: 5 Marks of a Disciple. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

January 15, 2024

5 Marks of a Disciple: Daily Devotion

2 Peter 1.3-9

Being transformed to live and love like Jesus is the ultimate goal of the Christian life. The good news is, we’ve been equipped with everything we need to pursue this life…the Scriptures and the Spirit. Peter even gives us some hand and footholds, a list of virtues from faith to love.

I know we all want to finish well…we want our lives to have an impact for the kingdom. And that’s going to take some intentionality. Diligence. But spending time in God’s Word…your daily devotion…this is something you can do, and something you must do. It’s hard work to finish well, but it’s worth it.

There is no such thing as pause or neutral in life. We are either growing or not, progressing or regressing. We can train our bodies…we can go to the gym, we can eat right, etc., and we will see progress. We will get stronger, faster, more agile. But if you skipped going to the gym for a time, or didn’t run or ride your bike , you find out pretty quickly how easy it is to lose ground. The same is true intellectually. If we stop learning, our brains begin to shrink. Emotionally, if we withdraw from people, we lose the ability to relate. It’s true in every area of life…if we don’t use it, we lose it. So how do we miss it spiritually? It should be obvious that if we are not growing spiritually then we are shrinking. We are moving backward. We are losing whatever ground we may at one time have gained.

What if that’s you? Maybe you started out well, or maybe not so well, and now you’re wondering what to do. Peter would say, “I know you’ve messed up. I know you’ve failed Jesus. Welcome to the club, so did I…” but the good news is, you can still finish well. How? Get back to the basics…back on Torah Road. Begin today to pursue godliness…to spend time in the Bible getting to know God, not just getting to know about Him, but really knowing Him and doing what He says. Start with a simple Bible reading plan. Read, listen to, think about, meditate on, marinate in God’s Word. Dwell in it, and let it richly dwell in you. And as you do that, the Spirit will begin to take the Word and use it to transform you to more and more live and love like Jesus. That’s my prayer for us in 2024.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our January series: 5 Marks of a Disciple. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.