Sermon Tone Analysis

Fan the Flame

At Covenant College one professor writes in the book Becoming Whole, “each year in one of my classes, I conduct an experiment, asking the students to tell me what they should do to get a job.

They invariably provide the following sorts of answers:

“We should study hard.”

“We should major in a field with good career options.”

“We should learn how to write a résumé.”

“We should use our parents’ connections.”

There is truth in all these answers, but notice that the students’ entire focus is on techniques, on those things that they can do to control the material world.

I’ve done this exercise with approximately 750 students over the years, and only one of them has ever said, “We should pray.”

Think about the horror of this: some of the godliest young people in America—at least at the outset—don’t instinctively prioritize falling on their knees to pray to the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of work for help with finding a job.

It’s all about résumés, connections, etc. ”

Excerpt From: Brian Fikkert & Kelly M. Kapic.

“Becoming Whole.”

Apple Books.

https://books.apple.com/us/book/becoming-whole/id1420313463

Excerpt From: Brian Fikkert & Kelly M. Kapic.

“Becoming Whole.”

Apple Books.

https://books.apple.com/us/book/becoming-whole/id1420313463

Steps of Repentance

Step 1: God I am wrong

Step 2: God I am sorry

Step 3: God Forgive me

In many ways, the western church has reoriented the story to be all about the individual.

Many teachings revolve around techniques and ideas of how to live your best life.

We worship God on Sunday but don’t live for him or acknowledge Monday through Saturday.

Some cases our worship on Sunday is more about us than it is about God.

If we are not careful the focus gets shifted to meet the needs of the consumer/church attender than to focus on Jesus himself.

I will never forget.

God gave us a property in town.

I remember showing up at a city council meeting and two of the biggest bulliest in town were there.

They stepped forward and started to complain about the church.

They said the church up there got a property next to my house and they are not cleaning it up.

One weekend we had it knocked over because the city said you did not need a demo permit to tear things down that weekend and so we knocked it over.

We had not hauled it off yet.

So they complain at the city meeting on Monday.

We had a mission team in town and so on Tuesday, I moved who I could to that property and started hand loading things in the dumpster.

We got some equipment and by Wednesday afternoon the house was completely gone.

That should make our neighbors happy right?

Contrary to thought this made them madder.

So they picked up the phone and called the Department of Natural Resources on the church.

Now this was under past government administrations.

I got a phone call from DNR about a report on Asbestos and they alleged that we had threw a bunch of asbestos in a dumpster without permits.

(We never did anything illegal in all of this)

An investigation was opened.

I had a friend who was our attorney in the early days of the church.

He was a state representative and so I made a call to him.

He said Jonathan this is good timing because all these departments are putting in their request for budgets so I will make a phone call.

DNR came and visited us.

I knew the truth of what was happening.

Now those in town did not know what was going on so any time we would do work outside they would drive by and take pics because they thought we had been issued stop work orders.

They drove by a lot.

I always waved but they did not wave back

The city leaders at the time also did not know the truth but they kept putting pressure on us as well.

It was time for another city council meeting and I heard things were going to blow up that night and that I should be there.

I went and took a few people with me.

Before I got there, God laid on my heart

Luke 6:2

Going in to this meeting I knew that I could love them from a distance through God’s love for me, I could pray for them you know

God please remove them out of my way and God I am fine however you want to do that.

I really got hung up on the do good to those who hate you.

This requires action.

The Lord taught me several things.

One: Truth does not always need a defence.

If it’s the truth you don’t have to convince people of it.

The other valuable nugget was from Neil Franks and he said Jonathan here is how you beat an unreasonable person.

You put the unreasonable person in front of reasonable people and let them be unreasonable.

So God just simply said do good to them by not speaking out against them.

They got up and started in.

They said whoever told those students (that was me) to load up that house should never be allowed to work with children because basically they force fed asbestos to those students.

My music minister at the time was there and he could not take it.

He stood up and started arguing this and the Newspaper was on the other people’s side so guess who got their pic in the paper.

God showed up big that day and I was able to stay silent.

I will never forget at one point in the meeting God took my eyes off all the junk going on and said look around.

You see when I was being attacked the few bystanders in the room had their eyes on me.

They were watching what I was going to do next.

How was I going to respond.

One lady in the room was watching very intently

God said to me in that moment or later on.

If I don’t let them attack you, and I give you the strength to sustain it, then they will never know what grace looks like.

Did you hear that?

God used what Satan meant for evil for his good.

After the meeting was over, I spoke to a few more people

Things moved along and we learned a whole lot about asbestos.

We got through it.

I remember the day the couple who accused us came up and apologized.

I also will never forget the conversation with the other lady in the room a year or two later.

She said that night I remember watching you and after the meeting was over I said I have a whole new respect for you and I responded and said

Thanks Cheryl

She said he knows my name.

She said when I first got here and started getting involved she said I drank the koolaide and thought you and the church were what is wrong with this town but she says I have been watching you and I have changed my mind.

She said I want to come to church.

I am thinking about just sitting in the parking lot is that ok.

I said come in the roof should hold up.

We had some good builders on the building.

Come on inside.

We met her in the parking lot and walked her in.

(Conversation with van)

It’s a cult up there, no I have heard Jonathan preach and it’s good.

They are taking all the land, we all know that is not true