NEW YEAR

“What Did You Do with it?”

By Pastor Delbert Young

Life Gate Ministries

204 North Main Street, LaFayette, GA 30728

706-638-7620

www.lifegatechurch.com

Next Saturday begins year 2005. Another year has come and gone. Isn’t that amazing? Every year the TV news stations give the top 10 news stories. For example one station gives these as this years top 10.

1. Presidential Election

2. War in Iraq

3. Deadly Hurricanes hit Florida

4. Abu Ghraib scandal Photographs

5. Same-sex Marriages

6. War against Terrorism

7. Iran and North Korea pursue nuclear programs

8. Former Pres. Ronald Wilson Reagan died June 5

9. Israeli-Palestinian conflict continued / death of Arafat

10. Economic Recovery

Every year has major news events. My point is what has made news in your life this year? What are the top 10 things that took place in your life? Next week we will do the Year In Review. You don’t want to miss that. It was a great year for Life Gate. We used the time given us well in 2004. How did you use the time that God gave you in 2004? What did you do with the time given you? WHAT DID YOU DO WITH IT?

Tim McGraw has a song titled Live Like You Were Dying. It’s about a man in his early 40’s who discovers that he has a terminal disease and how he lived the remainder of his days. He lived like he was dying. The chorus goes like this:

I went sky diving

I went Rocky Mountain climbing

I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named BluManchu

and I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter

and I gave forgiveness I’d been denying

and he said someday I hope you get the chance

to live like you were dying.

In actuality we all get THE CHANCE every day. Our time on earth is limited. We all should live like we are dying because in reality, we are. Every day is precious. The last verse in the song says:

Like tomorrow was a gift and you got eternity to think about

WHAT’D YOU DO WITH IT WHAT DID YOU DO WITH IT

WHAT DID I DO WITH IT

WHAT WOULD I DO WITH IT?

WHAT DID YOU DO WITH IT?

Psalms 39:4 "Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.

I like the way the NLT says it.

Psalms 39:4 "LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away.

WHAT DID YOU DO WITH IT? Time is a most precious gift.

Ephesians 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming the TIME, because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Time is very important. It’s to be understood and redeemed. What did you do with the time given you in 2004? What will you do with the time given you in 2005? The year 2004 had 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, and 8,760 hours. WHAT DID YOU DO WITH IT?

The NIV Bible says,

Ephesians 5:15 Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise,

Ephesians 5:16 MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY, because the days are evil.

I enjoy reflecting upon what we at Life Gate accomplished in a past year. I always ask, “Did we MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY? That’s why I put so much effort into making the Year In Review, but today I want to attempt to get you to reflect a little too. What did you do with your year? How did you use the time that God gave you? Did your life improve? Did you move toward your personal purpose and dream? Did you launch out into the deep? Did you bring anyone into the kingdom? Who was it that you discipled? What was it that you did that had eternally aspects? WHAT DID YOU DO WITH IT?

Did you help bring anyone into the kingdom? Did you tell anyone the GOOD NEWS of the kingdom of God? Jesus said it this way.

Mark 16:15 And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.

Mark 16:16 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.

The GOOD NEWS has the ability to impact the eternity of people, but we must share it.

Every year at this time I get you to fill out your Personal Impact Cards. The purpose of the card is to make certain that our loved ones are consistently prayed for. Last year I had three cards that had eleven names on them. Of those eleven, 6 came into the kingdom. How did you do with yours? You each should now have two Personal Impact Cards. As I talk, please think about for whom you will be planning to impact for the kingdom in 2005. Fill out both cards identically. In a little while I will invite you to come and deposit one card in the container, keep the other to be placed in a prominent place for yourself, have communion, pray, and light a candle.

Allow me to share briefly about the Impact Card. Of course, Mark 16:15 is on the top and says, “…Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.” There is a world out there who does not know the life changing power of the Good News.

The next series of pictures are simply there to help us think about the people that God wants us to impact who will face some tough times this year. Jesus took the tough times that people faced and used them for his outreach ministry. So should we. We should “MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY.”

CONSOLE: The first picture is intended to represent people that you will console – people who have had a rough life like the woman at the well. Jesus didn’t threaten her with hell. He consoled her with the GOOD NEWS. She had been married 5 times and was then living with a man that was not her husband. We will all meet people like that this year – people who have had it rough, made bad decisions, and need kindness. Tell them the GOOD NEWS. Tell them that God has an abundant life awaiting them.

SICK: We will all cross paths with people who are sick this year. “MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY.” Jesus did. In fact, praying for and healing people was the Lord’s most effective Outreach.

Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Matthew 4:25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.

Never miss an opportunity to pray for your sick loved ones. You can impact them for the kingdom.

FAMILY SITUATIONS: We will all cross the paths of people who have family situations this year. Maybe it’s their marriage or their children. The Bible tells the story of a well-off Greek woman.

Mark 7:26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

Some of you believe you know that child. Some of you think you are raising that child. My point is that Jesus MADE THE MOST OF THAT OPPORTUNITY. He used it to bring the family into the kingdom. Perhaps you know a situation like that. Write the name of the family on the card and believe that they will respond to the drawing power of Father this year.

RELIGIOUS PEOPLE: The Bible talks a lot about religious people who are really not saved. A man named Nicodemus was like that. He was a preacher and teacher, but was not born again.

John 3:3 Jesus replied, "I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God."

Jesus used the opportunity and the Good News to challenge and shake up Nicodemus. Maybe it’s time you use the Good News to shake up some religious people too. Write their names down and let’s watch God move.

SHATTERED DREAMS/BROKEN HEARTS: We will all engage people this year who are experiencing shattered dreams and broken hearts. Divorce, lost their job, lost a mate, lost a child, bankruptcy, etc. The apostle Peter experienced shattered dreams. He had sold out to follow Jesus, but when Jesus was crucified, it appeared those dreams were dead. You will cross the path of people like that this year. Maybe once they served God, but are now off in the shadows cussing. Write their names on your card. Tell them the Good News that Jesus will resurrect their dreams and heal their hearts. “MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY.”

In the background of the Impact Card is a cross. We want to bring those people to the cross this year. I hope you have names on your cards. If you need more cards, there are plenty. WHAT DID YOU DO WITH 2004? WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH 2005? Will one of your top 10 news stories next year be that someone you love came into the kingdom? WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH IT? Will you redeem the time and “MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY”? You will have the opportunity to preach the Good News in 2005. Will you? You will engage those who need CONSOLING, those who are SICK, those having FAMILY SITUATIONS, those that are RELIGIOUS, and those with BROKEN DREAMS AND BROKEN HEARTS. WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH IT? Let’s do what Jesus did and use the opportunity to bring them into the kingdom.

If you will, come now and place one of your cards in the container. Keep the other and put it in a prominent place to remind you to reach out to the people listed on it. Come and allow us to serve you communion. Pray as long as you like. Then light ONE candle only please (to make certain that we all get to light one). The candle will simply represent that you want to be a light for these people.

How many are going to make 2005 a great year? Give the Lord a shout and handclap! Amen!

	Reaching people and making them devoted followers of Jesus Christ.