Counting to one podcast notes

Who does the taxes in your house?

Here are 4 kind of Tax people

How many turbo taxers do we have?
How many people do their own taxes without turbo tax?
How many people hire someone to do their taxes for them?
Okay, I think there is one last group represented here. How many of you have your spouse deal with all of the tax stuff? You know what those people are called? No, not the lazy people, they are the smart people.

My wife falls into that group. She hasn’t had to figure out her taxes since she was a waitress at Coco’s. I’m the tax person in our house but I’m not really all

As far as I’m concerned the only two classes they should teach are how to apply for a mortgage and what an introductory APR is on a credit card is and how do I calculate my tip at Chili’s. That’s the math you need to know. I stopped being able to help my kids with their math homework when they entered the 3rd grade.

Perhaps this is one reason why several years back we decided to simplify our mission statement. It’s about the one

“The One”, refers to our relationship with Jesus. But once you know God and join his family, you’re work is not over. Once we are in relationship with the One, our goal is to grow and mature so that God can use us to reach the next one.

Do you know that pretty much everyone lives by this statement, “It’s about the one.” Every person you come in contact with lives by that statement. “I know it’s about the one. I’m the one. It’s all about me.” Well, I hate to break it to you but you’re not the one.

How do people make life about themselves?

It’s great that you found Jesus. But’s let’s not forget, it’s not about us. It’s about the one. Jesus makes the math pretty easy. All you have to do is count to one.

1 Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:1,2

Here’s the context. Jesus is hanging out with tax collectors and sinners. You know the type right? Low life’s, druggies, Raider fans, people who listen to country music. Listen, I totally get it. A couple of years ago when we started the process of choosing a college for my son I was trying to steer him to a nice, quiet Christian college where he would hang out with nothing but good kids. He’d be safe, I could sleep at night. It would be great. So what college did he choose? UCLA. The week before school starts was Bruin Bash. Down Bruin walk, every club at UCLA was represented. Here’s a list of the possible clubs my son could have joined.

University Buddhist Association
Sahaja Meditation Group
Baha’i Club
Thaqalayn Muslim Association
Latter-Day Saint Student Association
The Poker Club at UCLA
Gun toting, drug smoking partyers from hell

Okay, I made up that last one, but it might as well exist. This is not what I would have chosen for my son. I wanted him to go where I went. Biola. The Bible Institute of Los Angeles. There he could have chosen from all kinds of great clubs
The Bible Club
The Missions Club
The Feed the Homeless Club
The bathe the elderly club

Good wholesome clubs filled with nice boys and girls with good hair cuts and great table manners.

I took my family up to visit my son for my birthday last week and while we were there he had us drive through the greek life frat houses. I took one look at fraternity row and thought, this would be a great place for Riley to hang out. If he gets into recycling he could get collect enough cans to pay for his college education.

Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews…To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. I Corinthians 9:19,20, 22,23

Where is the line?

I’m not a morally pure person because of willpower

In Jesus day people had lost track of what their mission was on earth. So Jesus gives them a big dose of perspective by telling three stories.

Okay, three stories. All about lost things. Lost sheep. Lost coins. Lost son

Jesus makes the math easy. All you have to do is count to one. Reach one. Pray for one. Care for one.

Okay, so let me give you some insight into my life as a pastor. My life is filled with little chance meetings with people from church all the time.

I was wandering through Costco and I ran into a woman who had stopped going to the church. I greeter her warmly and then she told me why she stopped coming. She said “I just need someone who’s really in my face with the bible. Canyon Springs is great for beginners.”

This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. Philippians 1:9,10

It’s easy to read that verse like this, “blah, blah blah, knowledge and depth of insight.” But the point of the knowledge and insight is obvious. This is my prayer. That your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. The purpose of the knowledge and insight is that you would be able to love better. Get your graduate degree in love.

How do Christian people make it about themselves

Let me put it like this. When do you get your drivers license? Do you get it after you pass your written test? No, you get it after you pass your driving test. We don’t want people driving around who only have knowledge of what to do. We want people driving who have studied driving and know the rules but who have practiced putting those rules into practice.

We will do whatever it takes to count to one.

This last year we sent 178 people on international missions to reach the one. Do you know how much money the people of Canyon Springs spent to do that. If every mission trip cost $2000 that means that we spent $356,000 counting to one.

Last year it cost $85,000 to run our houseboat trip. Here’s the other reason why we do this. Last year 15 kids made decisions for Jesus. We spend $85,000 on this trip counting to one.

VBS is coming up. That one is cheaper. It only costs $14,000 to run that one. Last year 75 kids made decisions for Jesus.

Jesus tells three stories in Luke . One is about sheep and another is about coins and another is about brothers. Each time Jesus makes the math simple. All he asks us to do is count to one.

I want to close like this. Who’s your one? Who is the person in your life that God is calling you to reach out to? .

I’m not asking you for much. Some people think the challenge is too simple. All I’m asking you to do is count to one.