All relationships are based on trust.

Relations, dealings, associations, affairs, contact and interaction between God, other humans, animals, the natural world, the environment… all of interaction between life is based on trust.

Trust is important. Trust is the adhesive element that assists in the formation of inter- and intra- action with other things. Whether the thing is living or dead, if it exist and has “value”, our relationship with it, depends on TRUST.

Trust, you know when you have it, and you know when you don’t have it.

·         Yet, what is trust?

·         How is trust defined?

·         Can you form a trust?

·         How do you maintain and build upon trust?

Susan Heathfield writes in her article “Trust Rules: The Most Important Secret About Trust”

Trust forms the foundation for effective communication, employee retention, and employee motivation and contribution of discretionary energy, the extra effort that people voluntarily invest in work.

Let’s examine this idea carefully. The writer states “Trust forms” the foundation…

Could it be that this statement is lacking the understanding of what a Trust is?

First, a Trust must be formed. Trust is formed by a person or persons. We form the Trust, not the Trust forms us.

Trust is based on an agreement. The agreement must be between two entities or persons. The entity or person that is forming the trust makes an irrevocable grant.

Example: Let’s look at the principle of a Trust agreement between God and Trinity United Methodist Church.

It would read like this.

This Irrevocable Trust Agreement is made this 7^th  day of December, 2008, between Almighty God and His Word, which can be found written in the Holy Bible located at 714 Fair Avenue, Shelbyville, Shelby County, State of Indiana, herein referred to as Grantor, and the members of Trinity United Methodist Church, who live in the Shelby and Rush Counties, State of Indiana, herein referred to as Trustees.

In consideration of the mutual covenants and promises set forth herein,

Grantor and Trustee agree as follows:

1. Transfer of Trust.  Grantor herewith assigns, transfers, and conveys to Trustee the property described in Exhibit “A” attached hereto and made a part hereof by this reference, and receipt of such property is hereby acknowledged by Trustee.  Such property, hereafter designated the Trust Estate, shall be held by Trustee in Trust for the uses and purposes and on the terms and conditions set forth herein.

2. Disposition of Principal and Income.  Trustee shall administer and manage the Trust Estate, collect the income therefrom, and, after payment of all taxes and assessments thereon and all charges incident to the

management thereof, apply and dispose of the net income and the principal of the Trust Estate as follows:  The beneficiaries of the Trust Estate shall be those in prison, naked, hungry, sick, discouraged, depressed, diseased, blind, crippled, addicted, and in distress. All those children who are lost and abused and do not know the way of life.

3. Additions to Trust.  Grantor and any other person shall have the right at any time to add property acceptable to Trustee to the this Trust.  Such property, when received and accepted by Trustee, shall become part of the Trust Estate.

4. Irrevocability of Trust.  This trust shall be irrevocable and shall not be revoked or terminated by Grantor or any other person, nor shall it be amended or altered by Grantor or any other person.

5. Compensation of Trustee: The original Trustee hereunder, and all Successor Trustees, shall be entitled to reasonable compensation for their services as Trustee.

6. Successor Trustees: If [name] [Original Trustee] resigns or is unable to continue to act as Trustee, YOUR NAME [Successor Trustee], of [address], City of [city], County of [county], State of [state], is hereby appointed as

Successor Trustee.

7. Governing Laws: The validity, construction, and effect of this agreement and the Trust created hereunder and its enforcement shall be determined by the laws of the State of [state].

In Witness Whereof, Grantor and Trustee have executed this Agreement on the date above written.

_________________________     _________________________

Grantor                       Trustee

_________________________     _________________________

Witness 1                     Successor Trustee

_________________________

Witness 2

All things require trust in a relationship with the unseen”.

Trust must depend on others—for love, for advice, for help,  or what have you need—especially when we know that no outside force (e.g. the law) compels them to give us such things.

Trust always involves the risk that the “trustee” may not fulfill his job. But, that is the chance the grantor has to take. If the grantor could guarantee that the trustee would follow through with all of his or her wishes, then the grantor would have no need to set up the trust.

The grantor therefore cannot assume, while setting up the trust that the trustee will do what she/he desires. That is the reason why the Grantor sets up the Irrevocable Trust. The grantor believes that if she/he sets up the Trust then the trustee has no legitimate choice in the matter.

Since people, in the general population often can choose whether to obey God or be true to one another, we often have a need to trust them.

Now, do you see what I mean in the title of this sermon… Trust in God proves who we are?

We know that we are the “Trustees”. We are the impermanent part of the Trust. God and His Word are the permanent part, we are the temporary part.

In Isaiah 40:6b-8 The Bible says, “all flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

See the Bible tells us who we are? If we trust the Word of God we know and can prove who we are. We are grass and beautiful flowers.

In Psalm 139:15-18 the Bible says, “You created every part of me; you put me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because you are to be feared; all you do is strange and wonderful. I know it with all my heart. When my bones were being formed, carefully put together in my mother’s womb, when I was growing there in secret, you knew that I was there— you saw me before I was born. The days allotted to me had all been recorded in your book, before any of them ever began. O God, how difficult I find your thoughts; how many of them there are! If I counted them, they would be more than the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

See the Bible tells us who we are?

Every microscopic part of us was created by the Grantor. The Grantor put us together in our mother’s womb.

Because of this, we need to fear the Grantor and fulfill the instructions of the Trust.

We know this with all of our hearts.

We know that when our bones were being formed, and we were carefully being put together in our mother’s womb, when we were growing there in secret, the Grantor knew that we were there.

We know that He saw us before we were born.

We know that before we lived one day, all our days are numbered and written down in His book.

We know that He knows the exact number of days we will live.

We know that after we die in this physical life and we awake in the life of the spirit, He will still be with us.

Trusting the Word of the Grantor, we know we are personally known, loved and protected. We are all special blades of grass and beautiful original flower arrangements.

In St. Mark 1:1-8 the Bible tells us more good news.

Now, this is the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The Grantor told the prophet Isaiah to write this down about the birth of Jesus.

This proves that God KNOWS far in advance about the details of our life.

This needs to be an encouraging example to us about how important we are to him.

Eight hundred(800) years before Jesus was conceived, Isaiah said that “God said, ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you to open the way for you.’ ‘Get the road ready for the Lord; make a straight path for him to travel!’ ”

So, John the Baptizer was preaching just a few months before Jesus began His ministry. He was baptizing and preaching this message.

“Turn away from your sins and be baptized,” and God will forgive your sins.” Many people from the province of Judea and the city of Jerusalem went out to hear John. They confessed their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.

John announced to the people, “The man who will come after me is much greater than I am. I am not good enough even to bend down and untie his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Trusting this word, we realize how far in advance the Grantor knows, in meticulous details, about our lives. It is impossible for me to tell you how important you are to your Heavenly Father.

Finally, lets remind ourselves of what one of the Trustees of the Jesus Trust, tells us in the Bible.

But do not forget one thing, my dear friends!

There is no difference in the Lord’s sight between one day and a thousand years; to him the two are the same.

The Lord is not slow to do what he has promised, as some think. Instead, he is patient with you, because he does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants all to turn away from their sins.

But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief.

On that Day the heavens will disappear with a shrill noise, the heavenly bodies will burn up and be destroyed, and the earth with everything in it will vanish.

Since all these things will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people should you be?

Your lives should be holy and dedicated to God, as you wait for the Day of God and do your best to make it come soon—the Day when the heavens will burn up and be destroyed, and the heavenly bodies will be melted by the heat.

But we (TRUST) and wait for what God has promised:

new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will be at home.

And so, my friends, as you wait for that Day, do your best…

·         Be pure and

·         Be faultless in God’s sight and to

·         Be at peace with him.

·         Look on our Lord’s patience as the opportunity he is giving you to be saved…

·         Be on your guard, then, so that you will not be led away by the errors of lawless people and fall from your safe position.

·         Continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory, now and forever! Amen.

Psalm 87 ¹ He has set his foundation on the holy mountain;  ² the LORD loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwellings of Jacob.  ³ Glorious things are said of you, O city of God:
Selah  ⁴ “I will record Rahab and Babylon
among those who acknowledge me—
Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush—
and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’ “

This prophetic writing begins to celebrate, without naming it what he is talking about, assuming that the general reader, at that time would understand the subject. The writer is saying “The LORD founded Zion”, upon the holy mountains.

The “other dwellings”[i] of Jacob, is a phrase that does not mean God did not love Jacob, rather God loved the actual mountain, upon which Jerusalem is located better than the other places Jacob lived or had spiritual experiences.

Another way to say this would be “God really loves the place that Zion was finally located.

Even now the God-founded city (surrounded on three sides by deep valleys), whose firm and visible foundation is the outward manifestation of its imperishable inner nature, rises aloft above all the other dwelling-places of Israel.

God takes a stand in a lasting, faithful, loving relationship to the gates of Zion. These gates are named as a entrance into Zion, because they are the bounds to the circuit of the city, and any one who loves a city delights to go frequently through its gates. The gates of Zion are open to ; all people, all nations, all ages.

The writer of this scripture, without doubt, seals the promise concerning the eternal continuance and future glory of Jerusalem: And because God said it. I believe it.

Zion is the city of God, city of His choice and of His love.

It is the world-wide mission of Zion to shall become the birth-place of all nations.

Rahab is in Egypt, in the South. Babylon [1]represents in this scripture in the northern. These worldly kingdoms, who have and still are geographically contain religious hostility towards God and His people. Yet, in this scripture God publicly and solemnly declares them to be those who will know Him,

Accordingly, it is clear that these entire nations shall be converted to believing in Zion.

God also points out that three other nations will have a change of heart.

These three nations are Philistia, the rich and proud Tyre, and the adventurous and powerful Ethiopia does not refer to the individuals or to the sum-total of these nations, but to nation after nation. It could be that the writer is seeing that eventually, what we refer to now as the entire population of the general area is included in this prophecy.

If one looks to the general area that this prophecy speaks of it is considered at present nations dominated by the religion of Islam.

Zion appears elsewhere as the mother who brings forth Israel again as a numerous people: it is the children of the dispersion (diaspora) which Zion regains; here, however, it is the nation’s which are born in Zion.

The writer infers that the nations will attain a right of citizenship in Zion. Zion is clearly explained in Ephesians the second chapter.

Take time to read the definition of Zion in the Holy Scriptures below.

¹As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ²in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature^[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. ⁴But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
¹¹Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)— ¹²remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
¹⁴For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.  ¹⁹Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, ²⁰built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²²And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

The writer of Ephesians leaves the clear impression that Zion is their mother-city. The writer clearly declares they will experience a spiritual change which, regarded from the New Testament point of view, is the new birth from above.

This imposes on us a great “hope for the future for this entire region of the world. In a time frame that it would appear that the population and citizens of these Islamic dominated societies and nations have no hope for the future of their nations, the Bible actually predicts they DO have hope.
What should our posture be toward these nations? How can we truly help them? Is war, killing, manipulation, money, political domination the answer? Or, do we need to BELIEVE the Holy Scriptures and act accordingly.
Take time to read the following scripture by the writer of Hebrews Chapter Twelve.
¹⁴Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. ¹⁵See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. ¹⁶See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. ¹⁷Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.  ¹⁸You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; ¹⁹to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, ²⁰because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” ²¹The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”

²²But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, ²³to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, ²⁴to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

²⁵See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? ²⁶At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” ²⁷The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

²⁸Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, ²⁹for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Rethink Church - What if Church was a Verb?

http://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/515

The goal each day is to pray for the leaders, churches and Christians in those places. Following are some key thoughts to guide your intercession. Also, “Pray for peace in the Middle East.”

“Rethink Church will be an opportunity for people within the church to go deep into what is the meaning and purpose of church,” Dyck said. “It will help the church make a transition into a new way of being in a rapidly changing world. Unless we Rethink Church, we won’t be able to make the needed changes.”

The campaign will use traditional and nontraditional mass media, everything from basic bumper stickers and T-shirts, to print ads in Parents magazine and radio ads on programs like “American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest.” The heart of Rethink Church, however, will be in the hands of local church leaders and congregations who will explore and live out the questions the campaign will pose. Most of the questions start with “what if?”

Please make a real commitment to this. We all know that prayer DOES make a difference!