Pastor Dwain Wolfe's Blog

Most of the population is looking for something Christmassy to do at Christmas time.  There is a sense of Christmas in the air so to speak.

What a great time to invite people to church!  Not only should we invite people  to church-we should bring them with us. We should do whatever we can to compel them. Because there is a great chance their life will be changed in the presence of Jesus Christ.  It’s in church that they will experience the presence of God (love) and who knows how that might impact their lives.

If you’re planning on worshipping with us this Christmas bring someone who needs to find hope in Christ.  Call them all week this week.  Send them emails.  Call them Saturday to remind them and if it helps drop by their house Sunday morning to pick them up.  We believe God moves in a special way when His Church comes together.  Don’t let people miss out on His Presence.

Believers all over the world, let’s be bringers this Christmas season.
You never know the impact your invitation could initiate.

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Honor without fear.

If I give up my seat where will I sit?

If I defer to someone else, what will happen to me?

I let them speak when will ever get to speak?

Many times we avoid thoughts of honor because we self absorbed and self focused.  Woven within our carnal nature is a watching out for me.

Woven within our nature is a desire to be important, noticed and recognized now.

Peter addresses that in Chapter 5.

I Peter 5:6  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time (due season),   7  casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.   8  Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.   9  But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering (the suffering of delay is healthy) are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.   10  And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you (He will not forget about you).  NASB

Honor is how we flesh out PERFECT LOVE.

The love of God among one another…

Give others a better seat when it would bless them

Carry a load of groceries to a car, even if they are capable

Get an umbrella for someone on a rainy day

Help ladies up the steps

Wash the dishes if you have it in your power

Wait until others have gone through the line first

Make sure others are served first

Give up our parking spot for someone else

Give up your seat if would bless someone

Give up a service to serve to let someone have one

Usher so as to be a servant

Clean up the building so others have something nice to look forward to

Open the door for one another

Treat others with dignity

Serve the children (Pharisee’s hate serving children)

Give up something valuable to you to bring value to someone else

James 2: 2  Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.  3  If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,”  4  have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?  5  Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?   6  But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?   7  Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?   8  If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.   9  But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.

Honor is an attribute of God’s love for people.

Honor is a powerful way to flesh out LOVE

Perfect LOVE drives out fear.

What is perfect LOVE?

HOW do we measure it?

HONOR is one of the ways we measure LOVE

When we treat people as common and we don’t recognize them as special, we are treating them without discretion.

When we treat people as common and we don’t look for the special in them, we are treating them without discretion.

When we judge people according to the exterior we are dishonoring them and dishonoring their maker.

We can’t live like the rest of men.

When we treat people as Walmart shoppers, common, ordinary, equal or less value than ourselves, we miss the gold, the treasure God has hidden in them and ordained for them to wear.

There are Esthers hidden in each person.

They simply need the precious oil applied to them for a season to bring the beauty out.

People don’t have to appear worthy for us to honor them.

It’s enough that they are made in God’s image and likeness.

If we dis-honor or fail to honor someone on the basis of their appearance, we have become wiser than God.

HUMILITY: In the process of living as Jesus has told us to live we are dis-honor or humble  ourselves.

Humility is maybe best understood as Honoring others above one’s self.

Whatever level of honor you feel you deserve.

Whatever level of stature you feel you have obtained.  Give others a more honor than feel you yourself deserve.

Don’t be offended when others don’t give Honor to you, don’t defer to you, don’t make room for you.  You let the Lord establish – exalt you.

Humility is being gracious when HONORED

Matthew 23:11  The greatest among you will be your servant.12  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Mark 12:38  As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces,39  and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.40  They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.”

Luke 14: 7  When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable:8  “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited.  9  If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.  10  But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests.  11  For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  12  Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.  13  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,  14  and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Romans 10: 10  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 12: 9  Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.10  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.11  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.12  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.13  Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.14  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.15  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.16  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.17  Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.18  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.19  Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.