We have been talking about living a “full throttle life”.  Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come that they might have life and have it to the full.”  We have certainly made a mistake in defining a “full” life.  We have a tendency to think about it in terms of pleasure, money, or worldly success.  That is not at all what Jesus is talking about.

We have been talking about four elements that are necessary if we are to have that full life.  Here are the elements that are necessary:

L – Living Successfully.  This speaks to the stewardship of our lives.  It is about how we manage our daily lives.  It speaks to our walk with God, our relationships with others, and the way we use our abilities and resources.

I – Investing in Others.  This speaks of Ministry.  The Lord put us here for a purpose and a part of that purpose is to invest in the lives of others.  Our life should make a difference in the lives of others.

F – Following Christ.  This is about Discipleship.  We are to grow in our knowledge of the Lord.  The Bible teaches us that as followers of Christ we are to walk worthy of our calling.  That means we cannot have life to the full if we are not moving forward in our knowledge of Him and the principles of His Word.

E – Engaging the Culture.  This speaks to the area of Evangelism.  We live in a world of great needs but the greatest need around the world is to hear the good news that God sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins and then raised Him from the dead. I Peter 3:15 says “always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.”  We must know what we believe and be ready to share it.

Our new schedule gives to each of us the opportunity to grow and excel in these areas.  This is an effort that meets the needs of our entire church family.  It will give us the chance to really get serious about our walk with Christ.  We are going to see some great things happen in the lives of people as we learn to live a life at “full throttle.”

This Sunday we begin a short series of messages built around the Christmas season. As a nation that is so influenced by tradition, we have the tendency to look at this special season of the year in exactly the same way every year. Sometimes following our traditions, we miss out on the real power of this time of year.  Everyone is making a list…either it’s what they have to do, what they want to get, or what they would like to give.

There is a list of questions that is much more important and over the next few weeks we will be talking about that list. When people look at their lives, the first thing they need above everything else is to know that there is someone out there who loves them unconditionally. How clearly we see that in the birth of our Savior. We’ll begin that this Sunday morning and I hope and pray that it is going to help us to see Christmas in a more meaningful and a more powerful way than we have ever seen it before.

I am looking forward to sharing that with you.

Last week a document titled “The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience” was released to the public. This  4,700-word declaration issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere to their convictions and informs civil authorities that the signers will not – under any circumstance – abandon their Christian consciences.

The first part of the document reads,

We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are:

1. the sanctity of human life
2. the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife
3. the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

Inasmuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the well-being of society, they are inviolable and non-negotiable. Because they are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture, we are compelled today to speak out forcefully in their defense, and to commit ourselves to honoring them fully no matter what pressures are brought upon us and our institutions to abandon or compromise them. We make this commitment not as partisans of any political group but as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Over 200,000 have already signed the declaration and it is growing daily.  I have signed it and I would encourage you to do the same thing.  Go to Manhattandeclaration.org

We are spending a lot of time talking about the problems.  This is a way for believers to take a stand together on issues that are fundamental to our faith.