Refuel Throwback: "Let's Have Some Fun" Rev Reginald W Sharpe Jr 010323

0:42 That's good. I hope you guys are ready because, listen, this past year has been an amazing year for us. And now we're in 2023. We had fun last year. But this year we're going to have fun 2.0. We're getting ready to take it to another level. Before we go there, we want you to understand what got us to this point. So we're going to be doing some throwbacks. It's our prayer. Whatever you're doing, take some quiet time. Even if you've heard this sermon before, sit down and listen again because I promise you, every time I listen to a sermon, you get to pull something else out of it. New nuggets. So tonight, we're getting ready to start off with let's have some fun. I want you to get into a quiet space. Have some church by yourself if you have to. But most importantly, stick around because we're coming back on the back end and we got some more for you. Here we go. As I was reading my personal devotional book called The Art of Pastoring in 2022, there was a piece in there entitled Play.

1:38 Every day there's a devotional. It's quick. It's nothing long. And let me read it to you. Let me read it to you. I want it to. It's going to pop up on the screen. I want to read it to you. Media team, y'all just danced with me today. So I'm all over the place. but God's going to get the glory and somebody's going to be free today. So the title of the sermon is let's have some fun. I'll get to my text in a minute, but let me just walk you through this. This is what it says. This is what it says. It's coming up on the screen. The wise pastor approaches the serious business of the church with a spirit of laughter and play. Like a child at Frolic with her playmates because she has nothing to gain. she has no need to compete with herself with her colleagues or with the congregation the work is important the spirit is light now this time i want you to think about your own life i want you to think about your own work and and hear this again not just the pastor but think about you in your life the wise person approaches serious business with the spirit of laughter and play like a child at frolic with their playmates because he or she has nothing to gain, has no need to compete with yourself, with your colleagues, or with the people you serve.

3:03 The work is important. The spirit is light. Here's the observation at the bottom of the page. It says, do you play or do you compete? In our culture, it is sometimes hard to tell the difference watch this y'all is your work fun if not your people are being cheated when i read this in 2020 i literally wrote down in my book how can we have more fun have more fun now the lord didn't give me the year of fun until fall of 2021 but the seed was planted in 2020 that when we look at the heaviness of life the weight we carry the stress we maneuver. I got one question for you. Are you having fun? Are you making sure that the work you do day in and day out, are you approaching that work from a place of playfulness, from a place of lightheartedness, understanding that because if God assigned you to a job, if God assigned you to a place, if God put you in a season, you have no one to compete with.

4:19 because your sustenance, your stability, your longevity, watch this, your success is God's business. So I don't have to compete with others. Watch this. And you have people competing with you and sometimes you need to learn to look at them and say, huh, that's funny, you're competing with me and I'm not even in the race. I'm not racing. I'm not racing. I'm not racing as a pastor. I'm not racing my predecessors. You see how quickly you can lose fun? Well, I got to do it like Reverend Evans. I got to do it like Pastor Jenkins. Well, there are people that like Reverend Evans. Well, there are a lot of people that like the way Reverend Jenkins does it. I don't compete with previous leaders. I stand on the shoulders of previous leaders. I build off of the foundation of previous leaders, but I don't compete with their legacy because I'll never be able to be who God called me to be.

5:15 Watch this. I don't compete with other churches. because God's going to use some pastors and some leaders and some elders and some prophets and some evangelists and God's going to use them. All I can do is say, God, help me with as heavy as what I'm carrying. How do I have more fun?

5:38 I'm not just talking about a vacation. I'm talking about your day-to-day walk. Second thing I want to pour into you. Listen at this. Thank you, band. Y'all sound so smooth. Keep it right there. second thing I want to point to you is there's a book called the celebration of disciplines by Richard Foster if you've been a part of the ship for these three years March be three years I've been at this church for the first year I was associate pastor and now I've been pastoring here for two years so that's just crazy to me that March makes three years but if you've been around me you've heard me talk about the book the celebration of disciplines Dr. Pavey I need you go get this on your audible books all of you audible book readers i need you to get this the celebration of discipline it talks about watch this the spiritual disciplines necessary in order for you to have a soul enriching life you need fasting you need prayer you need study you need worship what we've been doing this whole time we pray see those are spiritual disciplines Then it talks about service and submission and solitude, being by yourself.

6:44 And the last spiritual discipline shocked me. You ain't going to believe it. The last spiritual discipline that Richard Foster talks about in this book is celebration. It's a spiritual discipline to incorporate celebration in your life. for you to be kept by God, sustained by God, given peace from God, being a recipient of grace as a child of God, and you don't pause throughout the day, every day, every week, every month, and fill your life with celebration is an insult to your heavenly creator. And here's what we do. Here's what we do. Here's what we do. God brings us through one thing, and we start looking for the next thing. you're dating and they say when you're gonna propose then you propose when y'all getting married then you get married when y'all having babies have one baby when y'all have another baby have two babies when y'all have a wait a minute you graduate from one school where you going next hold on can i just say for the fact that i just got through this program can i can i not know what's next can i just be present in where i am right now and so what i'm trying to get us to do this year y'all think i've lost my mind balloons everywhere all these bright colors i haven't lost my mind but you don't live through two years in a pandemic and think that you're going to make it mentally emotionally spiritually financially or physically and you not incorporate celebration as a daily practice in your life uh-huh tell somebody right in the chat let's have some fun and what does that look like that means embrace comedy some of us are so stiff what does that look like go have fun with your loved ones maybe you can't go out to eat right now have a zoom call do facetime and y'all play music together on the phone and enjoy netflix do things that brings your soul joy be the light-hearted one in the office when everybody else is walking around looking like

8:51 they've been sucking on lemons all day long walk around with a smile even when you don't feel it And watch this. This is not toxic positivity. It's not toxic positivity. Somebody say, well, what is that? I keep hearing this. That's a new phrase we've heard about in the last one or two years. Well, toxic positivity says, no matter what's happening in my life, I'm going to be glad, I'm going to be happy, I'm going to smile, and nothing's going to get to me. Now you are on your way to a mental hospital. Because that's not reality. Even Jesus wept. Even Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane and struggled and said, can you take this cup from me? I don't want this. Even Elijah got depressed under a juniper tree in the Old Testament. Even Moses said, I'm sick of all this and I'm sick of all of y'all. So there are moments where you have to touch your humanity and say, yeah, I am hurting today. Yeah, I do. You have to do what my therapist calls return to yourself. If you're not taking notes right now, I'm scared for you because I'm dropping solid gold.

9:51 And if you don't feel it and if you're not receiving it, I'm so sorry for you, but I need you to get this. My therapist says you have to return to yourself. When life hits you, you return to yourself. Get back centered. And it doesn't mean I'm walking around with a smile all the time. No, we're hurting today. My heart is crushed. I thought about asking Pope to preach part two of what he preached last week. I promise you I did. That Negro preached up in here last week. Blessed us real good. I was about to call him back and say, you got part two, Elder? up. My heart is hurting, but when you embrace celebration, you find the good in the bad. You're able to look. Okay, okay, okay. I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you. All right, here it is. Here it is. Here's my key verse today. Philippians 4.4. Philippians 4.4. Let me give you this and I'm done. I'm gonna get out of the way. Philippians 4.4 out of the new revised standard Version reads like this. Rejoice in the Lord always. Semicolon. Again, I say rejoice. Come on, say it with me. Rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. Put the message Bible up there. Watch this. Watch this. Watch this. Watch this. It's always about to get good. It's about to be good. It's about to be good. Message Bible. Message Bible. Celebrate God all day, every day.

11:13 i mean revel in him i i mean it is you like that word revel it means steep yourself in god put your mind in god revel in him relish in god and so this is what we mess up so let's have some fun what do you mean number one celebrate somebody say celebrate the bible says rejoice always now How are you going to rejoice always? I got a call this morning at 7 a.m. Somebody else passed. Brother Bruce Allen is going home to be with the Lord. Barrett Sister Kim Hollowell. I still haven't wrapped my mind around that. My aunt passes suddenly. We just bared another auntie four months ago. Same cemetery I went to for her. I went there last week to redo all the stuff. Matter of fact, when we were making her program, I took my auntie's program and just changed some words.

12:09 Because we've just been here. They were sisters. Their bios are almost the same. I'm hurting today. You want me to rejoice always? Rejoice always, I just lost my job. Rejoice always, I'm going through a divorce. Rejoice always, my money's funny. Rejoice always, my family's sick. Rejoice always, everybody got COVID. People that's vaccinated and boosters got COVID. Everybody got COVID. Rejoice always, preacher. This is what you, the year of fun. Are you sure you heard from God? I mean, I don't really see the fun, preacher.

12:41 Hadn't felt like much fun just trying to make it, preacher. Trying to understand what God told you. slow down and read it again out of the new revised standard version put it back up on the screen it did not say rejoice always it said rejoice in the Lord always which means my rejoicing and my celebration everyday is rooted not in me not in my finances not in my emotions my rejoicing is rooted in the Lord So whatever changes around me, God doesn't change. Whatever I feel within me, that doesn't have the last say so. God is still sovereign. God is still mighty. God is still good. God is still a provider, a keeper, a way maker, light, strength, peace.

13:38 And because God is still God, I rejoice. I celebrate all day, every day in God. So let's have some fun. You got to celebrate. Somebody say celebrate. But then secondly, you don't just celebrate. I need you to concentrate. Somebody say concentrate. Now preach where you get this from. Read it again. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. Watch this. Verse 5. Everybody skips over this one. Verse 5. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Can I break it down real quick? I need you to concentrate watch this because the Lord is near always means in scriptures you're not going to live forever Jesus is coming back there's an end to this and so Paul writes to them wait a minute I got too fast Paul is in prison writing to them about rejoicing he's incarcerated and he's talking to them about their spirit their attitude, their disposition, their temperament about rejoicing and he's in prison.

14:47 I'll go there later. Then he says, now let your gentleness be known to all. Concentrate on your gentleness. That's your disposition. That's your attitude. He says, concentrate on your gentleness. Watch this. And then he says, beware of your disposition, but also beware of discrimination. He says because you've got to show gentleness to all. Put the verse back up there so the saints can see it. Verse 5, he says let your gentleness be known to who? Talk to me here. Be known to who? The people you like or who? The people you like, their sexual preferences or who? Or the people that are cool in the family or who? So you've got to check your discrimination in this season because it's not just about being kind and gentle to the people you agree with. You got to be gentle and kind.

15:42 Watch this. To everyone, beware of your disposition. That's your attitude. Beware of discrimination. You don't get to pick and choose who you nice to. Republicans need this with Democrats. Democrats need this with Republicans. Presbyterians need this with Kojic. Kojic needs this with Presbyterians. Black folk need this with white folk. White folk need this with black folk. Unchurched people need this with church people. Church people need this with unchurched people. It does not matter who you are. Paul says, let your disposition be without discrimination.

16:18 And here's why you got to do it. Listen, put the scripture back up there, because the Lord is near. That speaks to your destination. You don't know how much time you have. You talking about the year of fun, preacher? What do you mean have fun? Here's why you better have fun. The Lord is near. He can come back any minute. People are dying that have never died before. My crazy uncle used to say that. The Lord is near. You don't know what variants may do. You don't know what viruses may do. You don't know what violence may do. You don't know what valleys may do. You don't know what bullets may do. You don't know what gangs may do. You don't know what diseases may do. Here today, gone tomorrow. In church today, gone tonight. Hey, hey, the Lord is near.

17:00 And you better hear me. Stop wasting your time because you don't know how much time you have. And don't let people waste your time in this season. Your favorite word of 2022 should be regrettably. Regrettably. It was my favorite word last year. It's now my new word. Favorite new word this year. regrettably thank you for the invitation regrettably i can't come thank you for thinking of me regrettably i won't be there thank you for inviting me regrettably i don't have the capacity thank you but thinking me thinking of me to be well enough to put another thing on my plate right now i got enough on my plate and to go play this pack too regrettably i can't because the lord is near somebody say celebrate somebody say concentrate i'm trying to talk to you get your spirit right Get your spirit right. Get your attitude right. Get your disposition right. And do it without discrimination.

17:53 Be nice to people that don't look like you. Be nice to people you don't agree with. Stop getting in wars on social media and learn how to spread love. You are a thermostat, not a thermometer. You set the atmosphere. You're not built or bent by atmospheres. You're the atmosphere shifter. And so you've got to walk in rooms, walk in your family, walk around messy people, deal with narcissists and coworkers and difficult spirits, and you got to bring the vibe even when their vibe stinks. You got to control the energy even when their energy is absolutely atrocious. Beware of your disposition. Beware of your discrimination and beware of your destination. Somebody say celebrate. Somebody say concentrate. And the last one is communicate. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Oh, now this is the verse we love. Oh, this is the verse we love. Verse 6.

18:45 Do not worry about anything. Verse 6, put it on the screen. Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Put that camera right on me. Can I tell you a secret? The secret to your celebration is knowing that you have access to divine communication. Listen, it ain't deep, it's direct. When you trust God, peace is in that place. You didn't hear me. I said when you trust God, peace is in that place. if it works out if it doesn't if they accept me if they don't if it works the way i want it to or if it doesn't i trust god and so after i celebrate after i concentrate now i'm gonna communicate and i'm gonna have a prayer moment with the one i trust and say god is me look and watch this when it come to prayer you ain't got to be deep god is me yeah it was an old deacon and an old deacon used to get down on his knees.

20:04 The late Dr. Manuel Scott said he knew a deacon used to get down, and on Sunday morning, everybody loved to hear him pray. He would say, God, it's me. You know me, and I know you. That's how he opened every prayer. I like that. You need some of that energy this year. God, it's sharp. You know me, and I know you. And from there, have a communication with the God you trust. and then when it says pray that's wrapping wrapping r-a-p-p-i-n-g that's a colloquialism for just talking when somebody's wrapping with you they just talking to you casually comfortably you're just wrapping but then that word supplication is requesting prayer wrapping supplicating requesting and then it says with thanksgiving that's remembering so i don't go to god in prayer with a laundry list of my wants i also go with the laundry list of my gratitude and then the bible says let your requests be made known to God. Somebody say celebrate.

21:05 Somebody say concentrate. Somebody say communicate. As we enter into this year of fun I pray that you would take this scripture right here. You would take the words from Richard Foster that you take the words from the art of pastoring and you ask yourself and challenge yourself if I am in a job where I'm not having fun if I'm in a season where I'm having no fun if I'm leading in a ministry and we're having no fun it's all drudgery and pain and schedules and wait and meetings and arguments either it's time for me to shift or it's time for me to shift things either it's time for me to shift out or it's time for me to shift things within where I am because I refuse to lead and work and live another year in misery.

22:10 Now you got to make your mind up about that thing. Come on, open your mouth and declare, I refuse to live another year in misery. Open your mouth a little bit louder and let heaven catch your request. God, help me not live another year in misery. Lift your hands to God. Lord, we ask that you teach us how to have fun, healthy fun, fun without alcohol, fun without weed, fun without having to go turn up and smoke a bunch of nicotine and hookah and party and twerk and have sex all over the place. God, teach us how to have holy fun. Teach us how to have righteous fun. Teach us how to have healthy fun where we don't need a sip to laugh, where we don't need a blunt or an edible to enjoy ourselves, but give us a peace, a richness of spirit that without any other accessories, without any other assistance, there is a joy that is constant day in and day out that is deep.

23:14 God I really do pray that you release us from the need of extra substance your word tells us we can have a drink but the drink shouldn't have us your word tells us that that a little wine is good for the stomach so God we're not against it but God for the addicted people for those that can't do it without it for those who need it to function God I pray that you break the chains of any other contradiction that is unlike you. Save your people, speak to your people, sustain your people, stabilize your people. God, I pray you send a fresh wind of the Holy Ghost right now so that laughter will be our portion. Enjoyment will be our portion. Adventure will be our portion. Satisfaction will be our portion. A smile that is not fake or forced will be our portion in this season. God teach us how to have fun in Jesus' name.