Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
August 30, 2009 - W0935

Do you ever think God gives you a vision and tells you all the details? Pastor Wayne is back to give us today’s sermon which is about “Living Life In-Between.” According to Pastor Wayne, based on God’s Word, this is the place where God gives us the happenings of real life. It is where God gives us life’s lessons which we need to learn in order to fulfill our eternal purpose.

As we begin this new endeavor of sister colleges, I personally don’t know how it will pan out. All I know is that God gives us a vision but He doesn’t necessarily give us the full details to understand it all. Many times, we need to hit our knees for the rest.  He gives you a top-view vision but we often fall on our faces. After that, we ask Him for the rest of the details. That is how it usually goes.  And then He fills in the rest. So, these kids will be pioneers in this new endeavor in Eugene Bible College in Oregon and Pacific Christian College in Honolulu. It is going to be fun. As a church, we will be praying for them.

I am going to talk to you today about “Living Life In-Between.”  I know point A and point B. The goal is to get to point B. So much happens in between. But how we get there and what happens in-between is what really matters. If you miss it, you might just miss life...because that where life happens:  in-between. It is not what happens in the spotlight or the goals we planned which are  important but what happens in between those things that are often most relevant.

Two weeks ago, I attended a meeting with some high-powered Christian businessmen. I was about twently minutes late for the meeting and when I got in, one man asked me,

“Hey, you are usually twenty minutes early for meetings. What happened?” For the first time ever, feeling no guilt whatsoever, I told them that I was late because I was holding my grandson. And they said “What?” I told them I was also playing with my two-year old granddaughter. I shared with them that I was playing with my granddaughter and eating watermelon with her. I shared with them how she asked me, “Grandpa, do you like watermelon?” Then I said, “Why Katie yes I do.” Then, she said, “Grandpa, would you like to share with me?”  Wow, I never have heard that before. She just turned 2 years old and she had learned to talk.

One of the businessmen looked at me and said, “That is God.” “What?” I asked, but then I realized what he was saying, which is that God sometimes speaks to me – to all of us really – about what I need to do more of through seemingly insignificant events as these. I am such a task-oriented person that I usually measure what I do. But when you are this way, sometimes you become efficient but not very effective. When you are task-oriented, you do the right things. Yes, we could be people who have cellphones, computers, iPhone, Snow Leopard on my Mac and multiple antennae coming out of our head in order to multitask. We may have all the gadgets to do things efficiently in order do multi-task but we could be missing out on the most important things in life. With these things happening, we could miss out on our families (our children wouldn’t know who we are and we may not know who our children really are), miss out on relationships and other experiences. We could have broken marriages and relationships. We could be doing things efficiently but are we effective?  Or are we missing out on what is most important in life?

My favorite illustration of this was a man who came rushing into a doctor’s office. He told the doctor, “Doctor give me the best thing for hiccups!?” “The best thing for hiccups?” the doctor said. He said, “Yes.” Then without hesitation, the doctor punched him hard on his stomach. Upset, the man said, “Hey! What did you do that for?” Then the doctor said, “You wanted the best thing for hiccups, right? Didn’t the hiccups go away?” Then the man said “No! My wife, who is still in the car, still has the hiccups!” Wow, we can really miss out on things when we are effective but not efficient!

In this message today, I wanted to share with you some of the things I have learned in my journey. Mind you, I haven’t arrived with all the answers but I am going to share with you some points I have learned.  We are fellow sojouners in this journey. One of my favorite quotes that best describes this is by John Wesley. He said, “I judge all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity.”  We need to consider the heavenly price of things we do today.  Holding my grandson. Is it valuable in eternity-terms? Yes, indeed it is. We need to re-evaluate life. For example, in the decision about the Bible College concerning the students, do I forego that or not? How about my grandchildren? Do I spend time with them or not? Do I chose them or do I attend the meeting on-time? This happened to be in the in-between. John Lennon of the Beatles said this “Life happens while we are busy making plans.” I still have to learn that and we need to learn these things together.

As I was looking at Jesus and His discipleship, the examples on how things happened in-between are the most valuable situations that had eternal purpose. For example, on the way to Jairus’ house, in-between point A and point B, a woman hemorraging touched the end of Jesus’ garment. Healing happened in-between. Another example was when the ten lepers were told by Jesus to go show the priest that they were cleansed. As they were on their way to the temple, in-between, they were healed. Life experiences happen in-between. On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus stopped and talked to the woman at the well and she was healed. Things happen in-between. I’m just learning that now.

You have probably heard of Linda Ellis; she wrote a poem called “The Dash.” It goes like this…

“I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on her tombstone from the beginning to the end. He noted that first came the date of her birth. And spoke of the following dates with tears. But he said what matters most of all was the dash in-between those years. It matters not how much we own, the cars, the house, the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash. So, think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that could still be rearranged. So, when your eulogy is being read with life actions to re-hash. Would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash?”

Pretty good, huh! It’s a great poem that holds a lot of truth about the in-between. Plans are being made. Goals are being achieved. But if we are not careful, we can miss all the life that happens in-between.

In-Between can be a place where:

·     We could MISS what God is doing.

This doesn’t only happen in church but after church, in-between. Not only when you are prepared but when you are not. If you are not careful, you may miss what God is doing (or what God is trying to do through you). For example, you may attend church every weekend, host a small group in your home, and volunteer for Children’s Ministry but in-between, when you’re off your guard and someone in your small group sees you yelling at your kids at the mall…that slip in the in-between will stick with them and will un-do everything you are trying to do for God and what God is trying to do through you.

I was at Ala Moana Park one day long ago practicing my guitar because I was going to help lead Wednesday worship. I saw a homeless man who was alone. God told me to go to him. I really didn’t want to but I did. I approached him and spent time talking to him and playing music with him. Through our conversation, I told him I served God and shared about God’s love with him, then I left. After a week, I learned that he passed away. If I didn’t do what God wanted me to do, I would miss the in-between that God wanted me to do. There is a voice behind you that tells you to follow God voice…walk in it…otherwise if you are not careful, you will miss it.

"Your ears will hear a word behind you, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right or to the left" (Is. 30:21).

·     We can negate God’s WORKINGS.

If we are not watching life in-between, we will miss it because we think God doesn’t work in-between. But it is our attitude toward our co-workers, our family, and others which is important. It is not how you do life but what you do in-between that is important:  it is how you will be promoted and how you make the widgets that are important. We could kill what God is doing in other people’s lives if we are not careful. The most valuable things happen in people’s lives in-between. Let us read…

"They were requesting that Paul be brought to Jerusalem (at the same time, setting an ambush to kill him on the way)" (Acts 25:3).

We can kill God’s plan …

OR, WHERE ...

·     God can CHANGE your life.

Let us read what happened to Saul on the road to Damascus.  He wanted to murder Christians…

"On the way, a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, was shining all around me" (Acts 26:13).

Something could happen in this message that could change the way you think. You will not expect it. It is in the in-betweens that God could change you.   He could also…

·     God can HEAL you.

As with the ten lepers that Jesus healed, they didn’t see any manifestation of being healed but it happened during …let us read and see what happened:

"When He saw them, He said to them, 'Go and show yourselves to the priests.' And as they were going, they were cleansed" (Luke 17:14).

The most important things in our lives happen in the ordinary days – like if you are Moms or Dads, don’t wait until God makes things formal, just spend time with your children and God will make things happen in-between. Just be cognizant of things around you…

"And seizing him by the right hand, He raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were strengthened, and with a leap, he began ... walking, leaping, and praising God" (Acts 3:7-8).

He was healed on the way…life happens on the bus, on the way to church, on the road…things happen in-between and sometimes we miss it unless…

THREE CONSTANT CHALLENGERS OF LIFE IN-BETWEEN

1. Wherever you are, BE THERE.

"Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, 'Who touched My garments?'" (Mark 5:30).

When Jesus was walking to Jairus’ house, something was happening…He stopped and a miracle happened because He stopped. A woman touched His garment and was healed. I wonder how many miracles have I missed because I was not fully (mentally) where I was (physically). Like when we don’t want to do our devotions, we skip and don’t hear what God has for us…we miss the in-betweens…

2. Ruthlessly, remove all HURRY from your life.

We are busy sometimes…that is okay, but not hurried. A story was told about this country doctor whose nurse would place patients in rooms next to each other. He took time with each patient, valuing each of them but between patients, he would run from room to room to make up time. He was there for each patient. He was the favorite doctor of so many people. He paid attention to the in-between.

"Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10).

Most time accidents happen when we are in a hurry. A musician named Noah Benshay once said that it is the space between the notes that makes the music. If you don’t have the space, it will be fast and rushed. But with space, there is the legatto and the peace and quiteness that comes, like with our  lives…

3. BALANCE your life between people and tasks.

How many of you are task-oriented? I am. How many of you are people-oriented? Yeah, you never get things done.  We would do better with helping each other…

"...walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, and with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love" (Eph. 4:1-2).

I will finish with this story…There was a father who wanted to teach his 10-year old son about work ethics. He told his son to move this big rock from the middle of the yard to somewhere else. The boy tried everything he could think of – pushing it, pulling it, a crowbar, and eventually just kicking – but it never moved. The boy told his father he tried “everything” but the rock wouldn’t move.  The father said, “Are you sure you tried EVERYTHING?”  The boy insisted that he did but the father said, “No you didn’t . You didn’t ask me.”

Wow.  Yes, we can’t do it.  We can do anything, but sometimes we just need to ask our Heavenly Father for His assistance.

DISCUSSION SUGGESTIONS:

1.   What are the in-betweens in your current life that God has asked you to change?

2.   Are you task-oriented or people-oriented? How can you balance life so that you’re using your talents more for God’s eternal purpose for you?

3.   What were examples in Jesus’ life when things happened “in-between”?

4.   What were the three suggestions made in regards to handling the “in-betweens”of life to provide the greatest heavenly value?