God has cal\u00adled us to bring about good in the world in part\u00adner\u00adship with him. He does not want to force us to do this. It is the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre all the more important that we have a dou\u00adble yes to this part\u00adner\u00adship of our own free will. A yes to giving our lives to God and a yes to loving him and giving our hearts to him.<\/p>\n
I grew up as a Chris\u00adti\u00adan. When I was 13, I made a very con\u00adscious decis\u00adi\u00adon for God at a camp. I say very con\u00adscious\u00adly, becau\u00adse it was clear to me before\u00adhand that I wan\u00adted to walk my path in life with God, but it was at that camp that I deci\u00added to fol\u00adlow God who\u00adle\u00adhe\u00adar\u00adted\u00adly. My who\u00adle life should belong to Him. With this clear decis\u00adi\u00adon in mind, I pray\u00aded again and again over the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing months for a gre\u00adat, world-shaking cal\u00adling. I was deter\u00admi\u00adned to radi\u00adcal\u00adly com\u00admit my life to God. And after weeks and months of God not sen\u00adding an angel my way and not hea\u00adring his voice like thun\u00adder, I almost beca\u00adme depres\u00adsed. And so one evening I pray\u00aded to God again, despe\u00adra\u00adte and so lon\u00adging. I asked him to give me a voca\u00adti\u00adon like that of Mary, as the mother of Jesus. Some\u00adthing real\u00adly tough, no mat\u00adter how dif\u00adfi\u00adcult it would be. Belie\u00adve it or not, the very next day God ans\u00adwe\u00adred my pray\u00ader, so to speak. Our Kigo lea\u00adder cal\u00adled me to ask if I would play the role of Mary in our church\u2019s upco\u00adming nati\u00advi\u00adty play. Ok, it was\u00adn\u2019t exact\u00adly what I had in mind. But the\u00adre were some real\u00adly good things about it. It was a gre\u00adat oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty to invi\u00adte school fri\u00adends to church. But what was even more incre\u00addi\u00adbly valuable for me was that God heard my pray\u00ader! The\u00adre was no doubt about it, I knew he had heard me. \tWhat do you under\u00adstand by voca\u00adti\u00adon? What do you see as your cal\u00adling as a fol\u00adlower of Jesus? God has cal\u00adled us to bring about good in the world in part\u00adner\u00adship with him. He does not want to force us to do this. It is the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre all the more important that we have a dou\u00adble yes to this part\u00adner\u00adship of our own free will. A yes to giving our lives to God and a yes to loving him and giving our lives to him.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":7714,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[97],"wpfc_sermon_series":[98],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-cornelia-roth","wpfc_sermon_series-folge-du-mir-nach","wpfc-sermon-single","post-7705","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nThe partnership
\nIn the mean\u00adti\u00adme, my view of voca\u00adti\u00adon has chan\u00adged. Through Bible sto\u00adries like tho\u00adse of Moses, David and Mary, we have been told that God has a plan for our lives that is just as inge\u00adnious as it was for the\u00adse peo\u00adp\u00adle. That\u2019s right, God has a plan for your life, but for the vast majo\u00adri\u00adty of us, this plan is not near\u00adly as spec\u00adta\u00adcu\u00adlar as it was for the gre\u00adat bibli\u00adcal figu\u00adres. For many, like me, this some\u00adti\u00admes trig\u00adgers a cri\u00adsis. You want to give ever\u00ady\u00adthing for God, but the gre\u00adat cal\u00adling does\u00adn\u2019t mate\u00adria\u00adli\u00adse. God does not meet ever\u00adyo\u00adne in a thorn bush, in their dreams or through his angels. Nevert\u00adhel\u00adess, I am con\u00advin\u00adced that even if your and my cal\u00adling is less spec\u00adta\u00adcu\u00adlar, it is no less won\u00adderful and signi\u00adfi\u00adcant! To be honest, I think we some\u00adti\u00admes for\u00adget how important our cal\u00adling as fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus is. Do you rea\u00adli\u00adse that disci\u00adple\u00adship has litt\u00adle to do with sim\u00adply fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Jesus? In Gene\u00adsis 1:26 we read \u00abAnd God said, \u00abLet us make man in our image, after our liken\u00adess. Let them have domi\u00adni\u00adon over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the catt\u00adle and over all the earth and over every cree\u00adping thing that creeps on the earth!\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 1:26 ELB<\/span>). God crea\u00adted man and first cal\u00adled him to rule over the earth. God did not crea\u00adte man as a ser\u00advant or slave. He crea\u00adted man as a part\u00adner. As a team in a clo\u00adse part\u00adner\u00adship, it was his plan to bring forth good things tog\u00ade\u00adther. Tog\u00ade\u00adther as a team, God and man were to rule over hea\u00adven and earth. Howe\u00adver, the fall into sin occurs and the part\u00adner\u00adship breaks down. As a result, God first makes a coven\u00adant with Noah, then Abra\u00adham, Isra\u00adel and King David. Each time it is God\u2019s attempt to renew this part\u00adner\u00adship with man\u00adkind. Howe\u00adver, a part\u00adner\u00adship always invol\u00adves two par\u00adties who both play a part in achie\u00adving a com\u00admon goal. In each of the\u00adse part\u00adner\u00adships, it is the human side that fails and leads to a rup\u00adtu\u00adre. Only in Jesus does the final res\u00adto\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon fol\u00adlow. When Jesus calls us to fol\u00adlow him, he calls us back into this part\u00adner\u00adship. It is about pur\u00adsuing a goal tog\u00ade\u00adther with him. I find this per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve so powerful. God is not just a tea\u00adcher, she\u00adp\u00adherd or father to us. He meets us at eye level as a part\u00adner. Of cour\u00adse, God is abo\u00adve us, is holy and just and can\u00adnot be com\u00adpared with us litt\u00adle peo\u00adp\u00adle. It is all the more powerful that this God wants to bring forth good things with us as a team. Ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly, I find this cal\u00adling no less important than that of the gre\u00adat heroes of the Bible. For me, that is disci\u00adple\u00adship. Using two bibli\u00adcal sto\u00adries, I would like to show you how ever\u00ady\u00adthing depends on a dou\u00adble yes from us to this partnership.
\nYes, Lord, let it be done to me accor\u00adding to your word
\nThe first per\u00adson I would like to talk about is Maria. Her role is unde\u00adni\u00adably essen\u00adti\u00adal. She is the mother of the long-awai\u00adted saviour. Through her son, the coven\u00adant of peace bet\u00adween God and huma\u00adni\u00adty is res\u00adto\u00adred. This pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly makes her the most extra\u00ador\u00addi\u00adna\u00adry woman in human histo\u00adry. Howe\u00adver, what moves me even more about her life than what comes through the birth of her son Jesus is how this sto\u00adry beg\u00adins. Mary is a young woman, pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly still a teen\u00adager. Many peo\u00adp\u00adle know this sto\u00adry only too well as the begin\u00adning of the Christ\u00admas sto\u00adry. An angel appears to Mary and tells her that she will have a son. He will reign for eter\u00adni\u00adty and he will be cal\u00adled the Son of the Most High. The Holy Spi\u00adrit would come upon Mary and so she would beco\u00adme pregnant with the Holy Son of God. The angel could end at this point. Howe\u00adver, he does not. He goes on to tell Mary that her rela\u00adti\u00adve Eliza\u00adbeth is also alre\u00ada\u00addy six months pregnant, alt\u00adhough she was con\u00adside\u00adred bar\u00adren. It may seem like a small detail, but I don\u2019t think it is. It reflects how lovin\u00adg\u00adly God tre\u00adats us and how much he desi\u00adres to accom\u00adplish his work tog\u00ade\u00adther with us. If you put yours\u00adelf in Mary\u2019s shoes, it is a reli\u00adef to hear that you have someone by your side in a dif\u00adfe\u00adrent but simi\u00adlar situa\u00adti\u00adon. It gave con\u00adfi\u00addence that at least someone would take her serious\u00adly and under\u00adstand her. It was also visi\u00adble pro\u00adof that what the angel said was true. We can see how important this was for Mary in her beha\u00adviour. When the angel had gone, she went to Eliza\u00adbeth and stay\u00aded with her for three months. The key moment in the sce\u00adne, the moment that per\u00adma\u00adnent\u00adly chan\u00adged Mary\u2019s life and still signi\u00adfi\u00adcant\u00adly chan\u00adges our lives today, is Mary\u2019s reac\u00adtion to the angel\u2019s words. We read about this in Luke 1:38: \u00abAnd Mary said, \u00abBehold, I am the hand\u00admaid of the Lord; let it be to me accor\u00adding to your word. And the angel depar\u00adted from her.\u00bb (Luke 1:38 ELB<\/span>). Some\u00adti\u00admes we think her ans\u00adwer is not that important. But I am con\u00advin\u00adced that it is enorm\u00adously important. She has a clear yes to God\u2019s plan for her life. We can\u2019t know how things would have tur\u00adned out if she had\u00adn\u2019t said yes. Howe\u00adver, I per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly belie\u00adve in a God who does not see us as his pawns. Rather, I belie\u00adve in a God who longs for us to say yes to him of our own free will. This yes seems so tri\u00advi\u00adal, but I hope you know that it can cost you ever\u00ady\u00adthing. It can cost you your plans, your dreams and ide\u00adas for your life. But the gain is enorm\u00adous. You are ente\u00adring into a part\u00adner\u00adship with God! I am con\u00advin\u00adced that God wants to achie\u00adve gre\u00adat things tog\u00ade\u00adther with you, but what he needs first is your uncon\u00addi\u00adtio\u00adnal yes. This also means being at peace with the chal\u00adlenges and dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties that God allows in your life. That is not easy! It often also means remin\u00adding yours\u00adelf that you once had a yes to God and hol\u00adding on to it. Can you honest\u00adly say, Yes, Lord, my life belongs to you?
\nYes, Lord, I love you with all my heart
\nMore important than this yes, God may rule over my life, is the second yes to God. I bring you a sto\u00adry that we have alre\u00ada\u00addy heard about this year. It is about the dia\u00adlo\u00adgue bet\u00adween Jesus and Peter. Jesus asks Peter three times whe\u00adther he loves him. Three times Peter repli\u00ades that he loves him. The\u00adre is so much in this sto\u00adry and you could easi\u00adly preach a who\u00adle series of ser\u00admons about it. I would just like to pick up on a few aspects here. What we can see is that the narrator\u2019s per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve in the pas\u00adsa\u00adge addres\u00adses Simon Peter first and fore\u00admost as Peter. This is the name that Jesus gave him and expres\u00adses the cal\u00adling on Peter\u2019s life. He is to be the rock on which Jesus\u00bb church is built. Jesus addres\u00adses him three times, but all three times he does not use the name Peter. He addres\u00adses him as Simon. Iro\u00adni\u00adcal\u00adly, the name Simon means \u00abGod has heard\u00bb. In this sce\u00adne, howe\u00adver, it does\u00adn\u2019t feel very much like Peter has been heard by his God. We can assu\u00adme that it is no coin\u00adci\u00addence that the Bible tells us that Jesus cho\u00adse the name Simon to address Peter. For one thing, the name tells us that Peter did not have to express his love for Jesus three times becau\u00adse Jesus did not hear or under\u00adstand. Rather, he was to speak it three times for hims\u00adelf in order to res\u00adto\u00adre what had been bro\u00adken in him by the three\u00adfold deni\u00adal and to remind hims\u00adelf that his heart belongs to Jesus. Second\u00adly, it shows how Jesus brings Peter back to their first encoun\u00adter. He reminds him of this initi\u00adal enthu\u00adsi\u00adasm, this uncon\u00addi\u00adtio\u00adnal devo\u00adti\u00adon and the first yes that Simon had for Jesus. Jesus takes him back to this moment of first love. Peter\u2019s pro\u00admi\u00adse of this love is fol\u00adlo\u00adwed three times by the con\u00adfir\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon of Jesus\u00bb cal\u00adling. But on all three occa\u00adsi\u00adons, the cal\u00adling is only the con\u00adse\u00adquence of Simon\u2019s pro\u00admi\u00adse of love. \u00ab \u00abAnd a third time Jesus asked, \u00abSimon, son of John, do you real\u00adly love me? Now Peter beca\u00adme sad becau\u00adse Jesus was now asking him this ques\u00adti\u00adon for the third time. So he repli\u00aded: \u00abLord, you know ever\u00ady\u00adthing. You also know how much I love you!\u00bb Then Jesus said, \u00abThen take care of my sheep\u00bb \u00bb (John 21:17 Hfa). Jesus\u00bb first prio\u00adri\u00adty is to win your love. Ever\u00ady\u00adthing else comes after that. The first heart that Jesus wants to con\u00adquer through you is your own. It is the most important yes you can say to God: Yes, Lord, I love you. My heart belongs to you. This is the foun\u00adda\u00adti\u00adon of the part\u00adner\u00adship bet\u00adween God and you. If this is true, God can bring about gre\u00adat things in this world through you and, abo\u00adve all, tog\u00ade\u00adther with you. As humans, we have so litt\u00adle under our con\u00adtrol. So litt\u00adle we can real\u00adly influence. We only have a limi\u00adt\u00aded say in how our lives turn out. Nor can we deter\u00admi\u00adne how and when God ans\u00adwers our pray\u00aders. But the\u00adre is some\u00adthing we can influence and con\u00adtrol. We can ori\u00aden\u00adta\u00adte our hearts towards God and do ever\u00ady\u00adthing we can to increase our love for Jesus day by day. He has said yes to us sin\u00adce the begin\u00adning of time and he longs for you to return this yes.
\nYes, God longs tog\u00ade\u00adther with you to bring forth good in this world. He longs to work as a team with you and me to chan\u00adge this world. In part\u00adner\u00adship with us, he wants to estab\u00adlish his king\u00addom here on earth. What is nee\u00added for this is a dou\u00adble yes from you. A yes that God can take con\u00adtrol of your life. A yes to giving him what you have and being wil\u00adling for him to chan\u00adge this world tog\u00ade\u00adther with you, with your life and your being. Much, much more important is your heart\u00adfelt yes to God. Yes, Lord, I love you. My who\u00adle heart belongs to you.
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group <\/p>\n
\n\tAre the\u00adre moments when disci\u00adple\u00adship cos\u00adts you some\u00adthing? How do you deal with them?
\n\tIn what are\u00adas do you find it dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to trust God with your life? Are the\u00adre hurts from your past that are pre\u00adven\u00adting you from put\u00adting all your trust in Him? Pray tog\u00ade\u00adther for God to heal the\u00adse wounds.
\n\tHow can you express your love to God? How can you express that your heart belongs to him?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"