Deploying Faith: Embracing Action and Diversity

Devotional

Day 1: Faith in Motion: Active and Transformative

Our faith is not meant to be static or confined within the walls of a church. Like a startup constantly refining its message and reaching new audiences, our faith should be dynamic and active, continually seeking new ways to bring hope to those around us. The early church in Antioch serves as a powerful example of this, as they were not content to keep their faith within their walls. They actively sent out leaders like Barnabas and Paul to share the message of Jesus with the world. This dynamic nature of faith calls us to continually seek new ways to bring hope to those around us, ensuring that our faith is always in motion and reaching new people. [29:36]

"For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." (Acts 4:20, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear the message of hope and transformation that your faith offers? How can you actively share your faith with them today?

Day 2: Diverse Teams in Faith: Unity in Diversity

The early church in Antioch thrived because of its diverse leadership, which included individuals from various ethnic, political, and cultural backgrounds. This diversity was crucial for discerning God's voice and adapting to His guidance. In our own faith journeys, we need a team of mentors, peers, and encouragers to help us grow and navigate challenges. Just as the startup mindset teaches the importance of forming effective teams, the early church exemplified this by bringing together individuals from different backgrounds to work towards a common mission. This diversity was not just a strength but a necessity for the church to thrive and adapt to the Holy Spirit's guidance. [34:24]

"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ." (1 Corinthians 12:12, ESV)

Reflection: Who are the diverse individuals in your life that can help you grow in your faith? How can you intentionally build a team of mentors, peers, and encouragers to support your spiritual journey?

Day 3: Aligning with God's Objectives: Living with Purpose

Just as businesses use OKRs to align their efforts, we are called to align our lives with Jesus' objectives. This involves making our faith public and sharing the gospel with others, ensuring that our actions reflect the love and grace of Jesus. True alignment with God's mission propels us to make a tangible impact in the world. By aligning our efforts with God's objectives, we ensure that our faith is not just a private belief but a public declaration of hope and love. This alignment requires us to take bold steps, much like a company going public with an IPO, to share the gospel with others, even at the risk of misunderstanding or criticism. [41:19]

"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." (Proverbs 16:3, ESV)

Reflection: What are the specific objectives that God is calling you to align your life with? How can you take bold steps to make your faith a public declaration of hope and love today?

Day 4: Going Public with Faith: Boldness in Witness

Sharing our faith publicly is akin to a company going public with an IPO. It involves taking risks and facing potential criticism, but the potential impact on lives and communities is worth it. By going public with our faith, we offer hope, grace, and love to those around us, inviting them to experience the transformative power of Jesus. This boldness in witness requires us to step out of our comfort zones and share the gospel with others, even when it may be challenging or uncomfortable. The early church in Antioch serves as a powerful example of this, as they were not content to keep their faith within their walls but actively shared the message of Jesus with the world. [47:55]

"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV)

Reflection: What fears or hesitations are holding you back from sharing your faith publicly? How can you overcome these obstacles and boldly witness to the transformative power of Jesus in your life?

Day 5: Continuous Growth and Adaptation: Embracing the Journey

Our faith journey is ongoing, requiring us to continually learn, adapt, and grow. Like a startup that never stops innovating, we must keep deepening our understanding and expanding our influence. This involves being open to the Holy Spirit's guidance and embracing new opportunities to share the love of Jesus with others. The early church in Antioch serves as a powerful example of this, as they were not content to keep their faith within their walls but actively shared the message of Jesus with the world. This continuous growth and adaptation ensure that our faith is always in motion and reaching new people. [49:40]

"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV)

Reflection: In what areas of your faith journey do you need to grow and adapt? How can you embrace the Holy Spirit's guidance and seek new opportunities to share the love of Jesus with others today?

Sermon Summary

In today's message, we explored the concept of deploying our faith, drawing parallels between the startup culture and the early church as depicted in the book of Acts. Just as startups focus on launching their products and services, our faith is meant to be active, reaching out beyond our immediate circles to bring hope and transformation to others. The early church in Antioch serves as a powerful example of this, with its diverse leadership and commitment to spreading the gospel across cultural and geographical boundaries. This church was not content to keep their faith within their walls; they actively sent out leaders like Barnabas and Paul to share the message of Jesus with the world.

The startup mindset teaches us the importance of forming effective teams, and the early church exemplified this by bringing together individuals from different backgrounds to work towards a common mission. This diversity was not just a strength but a necessity for the church to thrive and adapt to the Holy Spirit's guidance. Similarly, in our own faith journeys, we need mentors, peers, and encouragers who can help us navigate the challenges and opportunities we face.

We also discussed the concept of OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) as a framework for aligning our efforts with God's mission. Just as businesses use OKRs to stay focused on their goals, we are called to align our lives with Jesus' objectives, ensuring that our faith is not just a private belief but a public declaration of hope and love. This involves taking bold steps, much like a company going public with an IPO, to share the gospel with others, even at the risk of misunderstanding or criticism.

Ultimately, our faith is never finished. It is an ongoing journey of learning, adapting, and growing, both individually and as a community. We are called to be active deployers of our faith, sharing the love of Jesus with those around us and responding to the cries for hope and healing in our world.

Key Takeaways

1. Faith in Motion: Our faith, like a startup, is always in motion, reaching new people and refining its message. It is not meant to be static or confined within the walls of a church but should be actively shared with others. This dynamic nature of faith calls us to continually seek new ways to bring hope to those around us. [29:36]
2. Diverse Teams in Faith: The early church in Antioch thrived because of its diverse leadership, which included individuals from various ethnic, political, and cultural backgrounds. This diversity was crucial for discerning God's voice and adapting to His guidance. In our own faith journeys, we need a team of mentors, peers, and encouragers to help us grow and navigate challenges. [34:24]
3. Aligning with God's Objectives: Just as businesses use OKRs to align their efforts, we are called to align our lives with Jesus' objectives. This involves making our faith public and sharing the gospel with others, ensuring that our actions reflect the love and grace of Jesus. True alignment with God's mission propels us to make a tangible impact in the world. [41:19]
4. Going Public with Faith: Sharing our faith publicly is akin to a company going public with an IPO. It involves taking risks and facing potential criticism, but the potential impact on lives and communities is worth it. By going public with our faith, we offer hope, grace, and love to those around us, inviting them to experience the transformative power of Jesus. [47:55]
5. Continuous Growth and Adaptation: Our faith journey is ongoing, requiring us to continually learn, adapt, and grow. Like a startup that never stops innovating, we must keep deepening our understanding and expanding our influence. This involves being open to the Holy Spirit's guidance and embracing new opportunities to share the love of Jesus with others. [49:40]
** [49:40]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[27:53] - Introduction and Prayer
[29:36] - Faith in Motion
[31:13] - The Church in Antioch
[33:11] - Faith Beyond Walls
[34:24] - Diverse Teams in Faith
[41:19] - Aligning with God's Objectives
[43:44] - Measuring Progress in Faith
[45:59] - Going Public with Faith
[47:55] - Offering Hope and Grace
[49:40] - Continuous Growth and Adaptation
[51:06] - Embracing the Mission
[53:23] - Antioch as a Prototype
[55:34] - Responding to the Call
[56:59] - Closing Prayer

Sermon Clips

Our faith, like a startup, is always in motion, always reaching into new markets and refining its message and always seeking to bring hope to new people. We're going to return to the book of Acts and see how they learn to deploy their faith, form effective teams, and share the hope of Jesus from beyond their city's borders. [00:29:48] (23 seconds)

Barnabas, nicknamed son of the encouragement, he was known for lifting up others and helping them find their place in God's work. He's that one friend that you could call when you're sad, when you need some encouragement, the one to make you laugh. And you have people like Saul, or his name is also Paul, in different transliterations of the scripture. [00:35:07] (19 seconds)

Having the correct objectives that align with God's objectives propel us to make our faith public and deploy it for the experience of others in tangible ways. In a company, as a result of their alignment through correct objectives, they deploy a product or a service through something called an IPO. [00:44:38] (21 seconds)

An IPO, like sharing the gospel, is a bold step in going public. Companies risk failure and even criticism when they go public. Believers, we risk mockery. Or misunderstanding. Yet, the potential impact changed lives in communities is way worth it. Offering something of value, an IPO offers shares. [00:47:35] (23 seconds)

Think of Antioch, again, as a prototype of thriving, a thriving faith community. They didn't see themselves as passive recipients of a message. They were active deployers going public with the love of Jesus. And this is what we desire here at Menlo. All of us engaged with open hands and hearts full of good work. [00:54:30] (23 seconds)

They may not even be able to articulate it with their own words of Jesus and come bring hope to me, but their lives are crying for it. Their actions are crying for it. Their pain and suffering are crying for it. Will we or will we not deploy the faith of God to bring hope to everyone? We cannot let the hope of Jesus, the message of hope, the message of faith to ourselves. [00:55:57] (30 seconds)

Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are a God who never gives up, that you are a God who's intentional. We thank you. You are a God who hears the cry of people and you're not a God who is just chilling, kicking it, disconnected from us, but yet in your grace, in your love, in your mercy, you come near. [00:57:03] (25 seconds)

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?