Baby Steps
- Brian Ballinger
- Mar 13, 2011
- Series: re:novate
re:novate I: baby steps
Reconnect – March 13, 2011
Text: I Peter 2:1-3, John 15:4-5
Key Thought: If you want to grow in God you need to be connected every step of the way.
So get rid of all evil behaviour. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. (I Peter 2:1-3, NLT)
Pre-Intro: Born This Way (Lady Gaga song)
Intro: Gaga for Lent
- So it’s Lent – here we are, five days in
- And in the spirit of self-improvement, my wife signed me up for a gym recently – SHNAP! Fitness
- So I’ve been getting up mornings and going to work out – and you know, it’s going
- But every morning when I get there, the music is pumping, and of course, it’s HOT 89.9
- So I’m learning all kinds of great things being there – like I know ALL about Charlie Sheen – and I’m hearing all kinds of great music too
- And one of the songs that they play OVER and OVER again was that one – “Born This Way” by… who?
- Yes, you’re right, Lady Gaga
- And the song is pretty big – and as I listen to the song, because it’s so loud that it overpowers my earphones and whatever else I’m trying to listen to on my iPhone – well, it’s been interesting
- The idea of the song is that God has made all of us, as we are, and since God doesn’t make mistakes, well, we should just embrace who we are and do what we do – and dance a lot, evidently, there seems to be a big emphasis on the need for dancing – “I’m on the right track, Baby, I was born this way”
- Now one of the things I find remarkable about the song is that actually, Lady Gaga was NOT “born this way” – it seems that she has carefully constructed her stage persona over the last 5-7 years – she was actually born Stefani Germanotta, in a pretty well-to-do family, had lots of friends in high school (she disputes all of this, but they say it’s true), got into music and decided she was going to need to stand out from the crowd if she was going to be a huge success – even though she had this great big voice
- So, voila Gaga
- But putting Gaga aside, her song remains, and because I hear it still ringing in my ears throughout the rest of the day, I am forced to meditate on it: are we “on the right track” already? Maybe this whole Lent thing is cool and all, but really unnecessary? Why not just be true to who I am? Be me, and live my life to the fullest?
No go Gaga
- Unfortunately, while it sounds good in a song, the truth is, I’ve been living my life as myself for, well, all of it – and I know from painful experience what it can lead to if I just do what I want to do and don’t worry about anyone else – it hurts others and ultimately it even hurts me
- God has a different approach – one of personal change and transformation, that starts with a single idea – and this morning we’re going to look at that starting idea, courtesy of one of Jesus’ closest earthly friends and followers, who learned that lesson the hard way himself
Reno Peter
- In fact, we’re going to follow the advice of Peter throughout this whole Lent series – it’s going to be a look at First Peter chapter 2
- The re:novate idea is this: not only is it the time of year when the housing market starts to heat up again, and so people start thinking about what they can fix up in their home, whether with a contractor or DIY
Q: Anyone taking on any projects this spring?
- But did you know: renovate also has a secondary meaning other than restoring something, and that is, according to dictionary.com, to revive or refresh, on a personal level – and the word renovate actually comes from the Middle Ages, where it first meant “spiritual rebirth”
- My bank branch is getting renovated right now – stem to stern, while we stay open – so it’s been a lot of planning and moving stuff around – but every project, whether big or small, starts with a first step once it’s in your mind, and that is, how’s it going to be done? Who is going to do the work? Are you going to do it yourself, or tender it, or maybe start something yourself, get in over your head, and then hope and pray that your neighbour bails you out?
- And that is the first step in Peter’s process as well – let’s take a closer look at what was already read:
So get rid of all evil behaviour. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. I Peter 2:1-3, NLT
- So get rid of all evil behaviour. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech – so, that would seem to make sense, if you want to change your ways, that you would start with getting rid of the old stuff – the tear down, the demo (which is my favourite part as it is the easiest as long as you’re wearing gloves to protect your soft hands)
- What’s interesting here is the list that Peter gives – what all of these have in common is that they are interpersonal – they are relationship killers, and if you practice these things they cut you off from the people around you
Q: look at each one in turn – Q – which one jumps out at you – take a minute and reflect or comment on one of these – which one hurts the most to you, what’s tough to give up, etc.
- So if the job is starting with stopping this stuff, then the opposite must be important to the success of the job – that being healthy relationships with other people – and as we go through the larger section week by week, we’re going to find that one key part of this process involves other people – this is not something you or I can do on our own
- Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation – let’s face it, there are a lot of babies around here – if there’s anything we should understand, it’s probably this – and we get the “craving”
- There’s no tact with babies, no politeness or waiting – what they want, they want NOW – which is why, late at night, the thought can go through your mind as to how this little monster found their way into your home (yes, back to Lady Gaga) – babies don’t negotiate, they just make demands and expect to be looked after
- Well Peter says that this is the way that you and I have to be, in the early stages of our change – and the milk we’re supposed to crave is the Bible – God’s word and God’s words to us
- Words about God, about us, about life, and about the way to find the best kind of life with God
- It’s fine to be a baby – it’s fine to have a reno project in its early stages – but we determine that there’s a problem if babies don’t grow up naturally, and we also determine there’s a problem if a project is never done – remember Murphy Brown and the contractor that she always had in her living room?
- So Peter says the idea of getting into the Bible – baby steps, baby steps, just like the video – you don’t have to understand everything, you don’t have to get it all, but you just have to read it – is what is going to make you grow – because you’re bringing in good materials, time-tested products that will go into making you last a lifetime
- Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness – Peter says to not get satisfied with anything less – don’t be satisfied with a starting point in the life of faith, with one foot in the door, with a look through a window – he says Git’r Done!
Peter’s plan
- baby steps – what about Bob? (video)
- Spiritual growth comes from two important sources: God’s word and God’s people – that’s the process of spiritual growth
- Growing spiritually entails being part of a body of believers and reading the word.
- Connection to God is not optional – like wi-fi – you can’t always see it, but you need to be able to find it, and if you can’t, it’s not there
- Opposite is true as well – the isolating properties of sin – sin isolates, and it’s not happy until all of our relationships are cut off – which fits because sin is against God and other people and it breaks relationships
- All of the things we’re told to get rid of are the things that hinder relationships = does that tell us about God?
- Peter’s life illustrates it – when he was connected, he grew, and when he wasn’t, he messed up big time, all the time
- (go through the passage – peter writing to persecuted Christians – to encourage them, mobilize them, keep them growing
Key Thought:
If you want to grow in God you need to be connected every step of the way.
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from
me you can do nothing. – Jesus (John 15:4-5, NLT)
Conclusion: the Cadermonster
- Every step our smallest son walks is a triumph for him – never was expected, and yet, here he is
- Some believed in him along the way, some less, some more – and yet, here he is
- Your spiritual journey is like that – one step at a time, surrounded by spectators, hangers-on, some encouragers, and some cynics
- Some people aren’t giving you very good odds at all – but others are giving you great odds – you just have to take advantage of the powerful help in your corner
Response: Who Am I? (reprise)
