http://www.pastorontheloose.com/2012/05/worshipping-god-is-how-you-live-your-life/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=worshipping-god-is-how-you-live-your-life Tue, 27 Aug 2013 03:22:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 http://www.pastorontheloose.com/2012/05/worshipping-god-is-how-you-live-your-life/comment-page-1/#comment-545 Joe Tappainer Thu, 24 May 2012 16:36:06 +0000 http://www.pastorontheloose.com/?p=371#comment-545 About 5 years ago Carla and I went to our first CMA (Christian Motorcycle Association). There is a lot of fun and learning that happens at the State Rally. (We are planning on going to the National Rally in June) To be a member you just need to be a Christian. It is frowned upon (forbidden is a strong word) to speak about the different “flavors” of Christians. When we gather together and wear our back patch (Colors) we are Christians who speak from the Bible. We have a few two hour meetings throughout the weekend when the National Evangelist and his wife speak to us about the health of CMA and messages from the Bible. Roger gave a really great message Friday evening, Saturday morning was better, but Saturday evening really hit me hard. I guess I had always known it but to hear it…….well the light came on. CMA members are encouraged to join a home Christian church of their choice. During the message Roger asked “Why are you here at the rally?” “Why do you attend ministry training in Feb??” The answer is, or should be for fellowship with other believers and training in how to evangelize to the public and people at secular rallies. All true………..but it is also a place to “plug in” to receive the energy of the Holy Spirit. It is also why CMA encourages each of us to have a home church. You go to church for the same reasons………You learn about the Lord, Fellowship with friends, but mostly it is a place to plug in and receive energy from the Holy Spirit. Going to Church, like coming to a CMA rally is not the end all……these are places to charge your batteries to go into the world and spread the word of the Lord. You do this by setting the example by how you live your life. People are always watching you especially if they know you are a Christian. We don’t get in their face and thump a Bible over their head. We talk and we listen and we say we don’t know when we don’t. Listen to the Lord. He will guide you and put the words in your mouth if you let him. Service. Secular rallies love it when CMA comes to a rally because they know we will do all the dirty crappy jobs and we will do it with a smile. One time they had us set up our tents off to the side of the campsite, near the woods. In a group they either ignored us or made snide comments but we weren’t there an hour when one person snuck through the woods and asked one of us to talk to and pray for them. And that went on all weekend. Church is the same way. Going to church is not the end all. It is a place to learn about the Lord, Learn about evangelism, and to re-charge our batteries. It is also the place where we leave to go into the world and spread the word about Jesus in ways that we are lead. Jesus said you go out and spread the word like a farmer spreads seeds. Some seeds will die but some will take root and grow. You may only get one chance to spread the seeds and you will not always know when they have taken root. How do we do this? We serve one another, we listen, and we live our lives by example. In some cases we are signs to one another from God or as I like to put it………..we are Angels sent by God to someone in need. One story I like to tell, I have many, but I need a Kleenex to tell it, happened about 3 years ago. It was a Wednesday. Pastor Kent had given a sermon on listening to and for God. I was working on that. Emily and I were at Byerly’s in Burnsville at the Caribou getting coffee. I felt a nudge in my heart, so I acted on it. I paid for the coffee of the lady behind me and left. Emily & I were almost to our car when the Lady came running out of the store crying hysterically. She came to us hugged us and thanked us. You see the lady was having a terrible week. A son diagnosed with cancer, someone had lost their job & bills were mounting, this and that and other things. She was at the end of her rope. Her world was crashing down around her. She was ready to give up on Jesus, on everything but she prayed for a sign that she was not forgotten, that Jesus still loved her. She prayed for an angel. That day Emily and I were the answer to her prayers. Buying a simple cup of coffee was an answer. We were the Angels that the Lord had sent to let this lady to let her know she was loved by Him. We are angels to each other, most times we don’t even know it but sometimes the Lord lets you see what He has done through us. I love going to the Blessing of the Bikes. Funny how a lot of people go to “Have their bike blessed” even when they are not Christians or even believers. Blessing of the bikes is kind of a misnomer. Sure we ask everyone who wants to have their bike blessed to go stand by their bike but when one or two of us go to bless a bike it becomes a lot more than that. Getting people to go stand by their bike sets the stage but when we get to the bike before we begin we make introductions all around and then say yes we will bless you and your bike but is there anything else in your life that maybe we could pray with you about? Sometimes they say no, but a lot of times it can be like opening a dam. Church is not the end but the beginning. We are all called to go out and spread the good news about Jesus. There are many ways to do this. We just need to be open, listen and go where we are lead. I rather like the vision of CMA “Changing the world, one heart at a time” About 5 years ago Carla and I went to our first CMA (Christian Motorcycle Association). There is a lot of fun and learning that happens at the State Rally. (We are planning on going to the National Rally in June) To be a member you just need to be a Christian. It is frowned upon (forbidden is a strong word) to speak about the different “flavors” of Christians. When we gather together and wear our back patch (Colors) we are Christians who speak from the Bible. We have a few two hour meetings throughout the weekend when the National Evangelist and his wife speak to us about the health of CMA and messages from the Bible. Roger gave a really great message Friday evening, Saturday morning was better, but Saturday evening really hit me hard. I guess I had always known it but to hear it…….well the light came on. CMA members are encouraged to join a home Christian church of their choice.
During the message Roger asked “Why are you here at the rally?” “Why do you attend ministry training in Feb??” The answer is, or should be for fellowship with other believers and training in how to evangelize to the public and people at secular rallies. All true………..but it is also a place to “plug in” to receive the energy of the Holy Spirit. It is also why CMA encourages each of us to have a home church. You go to church for the same reasons………You learn about the Lord, Fellowship with friends, but mostly it is a place to plug in and receive energy from the Holy Spirit. Going to Church, like coming to a CMA rally is not the end all……these are places to charge your batteries to go into the world and spread the word of the Lord. You do this by setting the example by how you live your life. People are always watching you especially if they know you are a Christian. We don’t get in their face and thump a Bible over their head. We talk and we listen and we say we don’t know when we don’t. Listen to the Lord. He will guide you and put the words in your mouth if you let him.
Service. Secular rallies love it when CMA comes to a rally because they know we will do all the dirty crappy jobs and we will do it with a smile. One time they had us set up our tents off to the side of the campsite, near the woods. In a group they either ignored us or made snide comments but we weren’t there an hour when one person snuck through the woods and asked one of us to talk to and pray for them. And that went on all weekend.
Church is the same way. Going to church is not the end all. It is a place to learn about the Lord, Learn about evangelism, and to re-charge our batteries. It is also the place where we leave to go into the world and spread the word about Jesus in ways that we are lead. Jesus said you go out and spread the word like a farmer spreads seeds. Some seeds will die but some will take root and grow. You may only get one chance to spread the seeds and you will not always know when they have taken root. How do we do this? We serve one another, we listen, and we live our lives by example. In some cases we are signs to one another from God or as I like to put it………..we are Angels sent by God to someone in need. One story I like to tell, I have many, but I need a Kleenex to tell it, happened about 3 years ago. It was a Wednesday. Pastor Kent had given a sermon on listening to and for God. I was working on that. Emily and I were at Byerly’s in Burnsville at the Caribou getting coffee. I felt a nudge in my heart, so I acted on it. I paid for the coffee of the lady behind me and left. Emily & I were almost to our car when the Lady came running out of the store crying hysterically. She came to us hugged us and thanked us. You see the lady was having a terrible week. A son diagnosed with cancer, someone had lost their job & bills were mounting, this and that and other things. She was at the end of her rope. Her world was crashing down around her. She was ready to give up on Jesus, on everything but she prayed for a sign that she was not forgotten, that Jesus still loved her. She prayed for an angel. That day Emily and I were the answer to her prayers. Buying a simple cup of coffee was an answer. We were the Angels that the Lord had sent to let this lady to let her know she was loved by Him. We are angels to each other, most times we don’t even know it but sometimes the Lord lets you see what He has done through us. I love going to the Blessing of the Bikes. Funny how a lot of people go to “Have their bike blessed” even when they are not Christians or even believers. Blessing of the bikes is kind of a misnomer. Sure we ask everyone who wants to have their bike blessed to go stand by their bike but when one or two of us go to bless a bike it becomes a lot more than that. Getting people to go stand by their bike sets the stage but when we get to the bike before we begin we make introductions all around and then say yes we will bless you and your bike but is there anything else in your life that maybe we could pray with you about? Sometimes they say no, but a lot of times it can be like opening a dam.
Church is not the end but the beginning. We are all called to go out and spread the good news about Jesus. There are many ways to do this. We just need to be open, listen and go where we are lead. I rather like the vision of CMA “Changing the world, one heart at a time”

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