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“SEEKING AND FOLLOWING THROUGH GOD'S GRACE AND LOVE”
EPISTLE SCRIPTURE TEXT: COLOSSIANS 3:12-17

TRAVIS KNAPP
LOS ALAMOS 1ST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
PEACE WITH JUSTICE SUNDAY MORNING, MAY 30, 2010

Colossians 3:12-17
[12] Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience,
[13] forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
[14] And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
[15] And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
[16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
[17] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

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Good morning. Thank you all for your warm welcome of me and Elisa last Sunday. We are now blessed with a stocked pantry, and even more importantly, a warm and loving church body here at FUMC. We are truly privileged to serve God here. I say, "we," because my wife Elisa's support, help, and participation are invaluable as well as inseparable from "my" work here. Today, I would like to share with you, to my understanding, who I am, why I am here, and what God has put in my heart for His ministry here.

I was born in Montgomery Alabama, and moved around the country somewhat frequently, as my parents were in the military. Mostly, I was raised in Amarillo, TX, and I came to know of the Lord at a young age, being baptized at age 12. I was part of an active youth group in junior high, but in high school, my primary connectivity to the Lord was through playing percussion every Sunday in a praise band. This is when I got the first taste of the freedom of playing music for the Lord. After graduating high school, I went to college for a music degree, where playing percussion and learning about music was what I did day in and day out. However, I still had a longing to play in church, serving God's kingdom that way. You could say that playing music in a worship setting was one of God's ways that he "hooked" me, per say. However, my relationship with the Lord remained on the surface level. Being a Christian was the "outer garment" I wore and professed. Little did I know, my relationship with the Lord was to reach a much deeper level of reliance, need, and desperation. Halfway through college, I found myself depressed, struggling in school, in an un-Christly relationship, being a glutton, sleeping through classes, being disorganized and disrespectful to others, and worshipping people, such as my professors, rather than worshipping God. My life did not reflect the teaching and wisdom of Christ. My actions hurt those around me more than they helped them, and my choices were destructive.

Praise the Lord, however, because He was at work during all this. Being an active part of the praise team at the church from which Elisa and I recently came, I was influenced by passionate Christians who lived lives of integrity before God. As a result, my relationship with God blossomed and grew in intimacy through prayer, praise, interceding on the behalf of others, small group bible study, and close accountability and vulnerability to other Christians. This did not happen overnight, however. It happened in God's perfect timing, and He worked in others' lives through His work in me. It has been said that "relationships are God's currency." It is much through relationships with Him and each other that He teaches and works. Through his great love, mercy, and fatherhood, He transformed my life from one of destruction into one of health, one of idolatry into one of devotion to Him, and one of chasing praise from people into one of seeking to give Him praise alone. I am still tested and struggle with these things daily, but God is truly patient.

After some months went by, following the Lord's sharp turning around of my life, I was praying one night before I went to bed. I prayed to the Lord, "God I give my life to You. I long to do Your will." In response, I heard a still, quiet voice -- a voice that knew me better than I knew myself -- say, "Alright. You will be married in the next year." I was surprised, startled, and somewhat dumbfounded, and then went to sleep. A couple of weeks or so later, I met who was to be my future wife, Elisa. God made it very clear to me, through another still, small voice, that Elisa was His "precious daughter," and I was to "treat her with love." Indeed, through seeking where He was guiding us, though it seemed sudden to some family, friends, and coworkers, we were married within the next year, in December 2008. These instances I mention are among the first I remember of hearing something from the Holy Spirit. I will never forget the very moment I was first baptized of feeling that I was not alone. I didn't necessarily hear any clear words that sunny day in Lake Tanglewood when I was baptized, but I clearly did feel that I was not alone - there was some One with me.

Through Elisa's and my marriage, God has sanctified us both, drawn us much closer to Him than we were before, and continues to reveal to us sin we struggle with. He has blessed our marriage to be one of prayer support for one another, accountability, and communication with Him and each other. I firmly believe that God brought us together for His specific purposes, us having different strengths and weaknesses with which we compliment each other. We know that the Lord has much more work to do in our hearts before we consistently reflect His likeness, but our marriage has been a great reward of following His lead. It has given me so much joy and been a blessing in ways that I didn't expect. In addition, we have two dogs which God teaches us through daily, and through which he gives us much happiness.

It is my hope that, through God's guidance and leadership, we as a church body can support, teach, be an example for, and learn from and with, our youth. The statement of purpose for my job says that "youth ministry's primary goal is to introduce youth to the exciting experience of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by four avenues: 1. Developing a healthy lifestyle through Christian learning and fellowship 2. Wholesome recreational and social experiences based on Christian values 3. Opportunities to share in service projects which reflect Christian concern for others, and 4. Worship experiences which are developmental to Christian discipleship.

I desire to help youth develop their relationship with Jesus by being a Christ follower of integrity, and therefore, modeling a strong spiritual life. One area of continued need for this youth ministry is prayer. Two summers ago, we held a weekly prayer gathering for our youth. Although it was usually small in number, we saw God do great things in our youth, and I believe he grew the hearts of the pray-ers for the youth, as well. Through continual prayer and devotion, this ministry can remain in God's hands. This is where it needs to be.

Another area of growth I hope to model and to encourage our youth in is that of dependability, respect, and integrity. A youth group can only grow if the members are dependable in their commitments, respectful of those in authority (and of all others), and hold integrity in their walk with God and relationships with each other. It is my hope that our students can go to college or post-high school endeavors more prepared to face the challenges of life than I was in these specific areas.

In my hand, I have a journal. It's a journal in which I have kept some track of my journey with the Lord. In it, I write down things I hear from the Lord, things He is teaching me, struggles and difficulties I am going through, and generally, conversation with God. Not only does it help to express and discover things the Lord is doing in my life, but it helps to keep track of them. I desire to encourage youth to keep track of their journey with the Lord in this way, and other ways in which they could find, and to communicate with God on a regular basis. I also desire to appropriately share struggles I have had, times I have fallen into sin and how it hurt myself and others, in hopes that they will not choose to do the same. What this points toward is a desire for our youth to discover how much they truly need the Lord in order to live a life of true abundance and joy, a life of salvation in being a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ.

The Scriptures (1) recognizes music as a means for praise (Acts 16:25; Rom 15:9 [originally sung]), a means of expressing joy (Jam 5:13), thanksgiving (Psa 92:1-3), sorrow for sin (Is. 16:10), a means of prayer (1Co 14:15; Psa 72:20), and a means of teaching and spiritual communication (Col 3:16; Eph 5:19). Biblical music makers are professional (1Ch 15:22; 25:7; Is. 5:11-12; Ez. 33:32), as well as nonprofessional (Psa 100; 1Ki 1:39-40; 1Co 14:26; Eph 5:19; Col 3:16). There are those who direct music (Psa 4:1, 5:1, 6:1, etc.; Neh. 12:8) and teach music (1Ch 15:22). -- from Gregg Strawbridge's "A Survey of Biblical Music”.

It is my hope to lead a music ministry that is always glorifying to God, selfless in character, offering him our very best, and one in which participants get to know the Lord better, continually diving more deeply in their relationship with Him. My hope is that our musicians can lead worship, not just music, and intercede on behalf of our congregation through prayer and selfless leadership in worship services and Christian integrity. From what I have experienced, we are well on our way in this, and I look forward to the Lord's continued work and sharpening of us for His glory.

One thing is missing, however, in what I have thus far said: What does God want for this ministry? What is His desire for us?

For one, He gives us his word. In the Colossians scripture read, the Lord, through Paul, advises us to put on compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, to forgive one another, as the Lord has forgiven us, to put on love, to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, to be thankful, to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, to teach and admonish one another, to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in our hearts, and whatever we do, in word or deed, doing it in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

In this scripture, God does cast light on what His will is for us as a ministry. Other aspects of seeking God's will for this ministry are prayer, listening, and following of His leading, which include submitting to His Lordship.

I will end with a couple things I have heard from the Lord that I would like to share with you all regarding Los Alamos, "Do not fear where I am sending you. Have trust in where I am leading you." In prayer, I have also sensed that he has a particular and strong purpose for Elisa and I to be here. I share this with you to be open about the Spirit's leading, and to encourage others to share and seek where God is leading your life. I look forward to this journey of following Christ with you all and discovering together the Lord's plans for this part of His ministry.

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