Heart Starter #2: Treasure

A couple of days ago I introduced a tool called "Heart Starters" to use at the beginning of church meetings, youth group, retreats, small group or anywhere else you want to focus a group on God. As I argued in the initial post (Introducing "Heart Starters") I believe that when the church gathers for a meeting it ought to look different than the secular meetings we attend. With this in mind I started creating Heart Starters.

Today I am excited to post a second Heart Starter titled "Treasure"! This activity will guide your group into a discussion of what is God's treasure and what is not. Click on this link for a one page PDF that describes the entire activity.

files.me.com/lon.alderman/juhgle

Please let me know if you have any questions. Also, I'd love to hear (and share) how people are using these. And, if you have an idea for a Heart Starter, please let me know so we can share it with everyone!

Enjoy!
Lon

For a complete list of Heart Starters, click on the Heart Starters label below.

Breaking the Siege, by Lon Alderman

Pheaney commented on yesterday's post:
Let's say hypothetically we see the self-siege happening to our church. How do we change it?

First, if I had the answer to this question, I would be a VERY popular guy! The problem is complicated and somewhat peculiar to the individual church; however, I believe that there is a general principle that may apply in every case. It is the application of the principle that would take on unique characteristics.

Mark 8:34-35
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Letting go or surrendering our life to Christ is the way that we gain real life, eternal life. Is it possible that for a church to "save [its] life" it must "lose" or surrender its "life"? In other words, what if the church would put its very "life" on the line; risk every gift?

I know of a church that determined to save the money that had been given them. They said someday a rainy day will come and then we'll need this money to survive, so they "buried it". In the current year those "safe investments" lost over $250,000! Think of the ministry that could have been "risked". Think of the money that could have been "thrown away" on feeding or clothing the poor.

The "gifts" a church may possess might not always be money. However, if the church is still open then I'm confident there are gifts there. Every church needs to take those gifts and completely surrender them to Jesus and see how He directs. I'm confident that the directions in which Jesus guides us to invest our gifts will be contrary to the ways, or patterns, of the world (Romans 12:2)!

William Barclay
If a man has a talent and exercises it, he is progressively able to do more with it. But, if he has a talent and fails to exercise it, he will inevitably lose it. If we have some proficiency at a game or an art, if we have some gift for doing something, the more we exercise that proficiency and that gift, the harder the work and the bigger the task we will be able to tackle. Whereas, if we fail to use it, we lose it. That is equally true of playing golf or playing the piano, or singing songs or writing sermons, of carving wood or thinking out ideas. It is the lesson of life that the only way to keep a gift is to use it in the service of God and in the service of our fellow-men.

Break the siege!
Lon

The Rich Life, by Lon Alderman

Luke 11:15-21
Then [Jesus] said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'

"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '

"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

The world screams at us to store up our treasures so we can live a life of leisure later in life. We place our hope of the rich life upon those retirement years. To make this happen, we expend every ounce of our life working. Sadly, how often do we hear of people that don't live to see their retirement? What then has all their effort gained them?

Jesus suggests an alternative. He teaches that we should be "rich toward God", instead of "stor[-ing] up things for himself". Living a life rich in God gives us the real rich life! We don't have to wait for retirement to enjoy His rich life. We can have this real rich life now!

Matthew 6:19-21
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Invest your life in a rich life found in Jesus Christ!
Lon

Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Guest Builder: Rachel Smith - Treasure

Treasure

My husband and I have two young boys ages 8 & 10 and lately we have been into treasure. It began with pirate’s treasure but the movie National Treasure sparked an interest in other things that might have hidden value or meaning.

 

I admit I have a competitive streak and I love being a participant in scavenger hunts of any kind. (Our team took second place in the last one!)  Looking for that item of value or accomplishing the tasks on out list faster than the other teams sparks some enthusiasm deep inside me. My heart races, palms sweat and I start talking very loudly and quickly. I find myself willing to ask people for things I never once considered important or valuable before. The hunt takes on a life of its own as I hasten in my quest for a two dollar bill, an unused toothbrush, a Kentucky state quarter of some other equally important item. 

 

The treasurer hunter has a single minded focus spurred on by the promise of the coveted prize at the end of the journey. The journey itself is exciting, but the prize is what sets the pace. As I think about historical treasures, pirate’s gold and other things of value, it begs the question. “As we push through the race of life, what are you hunting for?”

 

Matthew 6:19-21 (New International Version)

Treasures in Heaven

 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”