Sharing Christmas [December 19, 2010]
Eldon Boldt

Sermon Notes

Great Commandment

Matthew 22:37-39 (NLT) 37 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Care/Share with neighbor

Great Compassion

Matthew 25:44-45 (NLT) 44 "Then they will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?' 45 And he will answer, 'I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.'

Care/Share with city – especially marginalized

Great Commission

Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT) 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Care/Share for our world.

Here are three things we can begin this Christmas to care for the world:

1. I CAN PRAY.

2 Thessalonians 3:1 (NLT) Finally, dear brothers and sisters, I ask you to pray for us. Pray first that the Lord's message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you.

1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NLT) 1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon them, and give thanks. 2 Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

1 Timothy 2:5 (NLT) For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus.

2. I CAN GIVE

1) Systematic Giving

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  • Online giving – through our web www.cdacfamily.ca
  • Credit/debit giving – at the Community center, call in
  • Automatic bank debit giving – fill out brochure.
    This is the best way in that it always ensures that you honor God by giving your tithe regularly to Circle. That way we can count on your support to continue the work of caring for people.

2) Sacrificial giving.

Acts 11:27-30 (NLT) 27 During this time, some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them named Agabus stood up in one of the meetings to predict by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.) 29 So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could. 30 This they did, entrusting their gifts to Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem.

3. I CAN GO.

Mark 16:15-16, 20 (NLT) 15 And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. 16 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. 20 And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked with them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.

Philemon 1:6 (NIV) I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.