VBS Monday

Bible School 2025: The Pursuit of God Introduction The goal for the week is to dive deep into spiritual topics as adults while the children receive special instruction. The church has been praying for the Holy Spirit to saturate and fill every room, heart, and teacher throughout the week. “It takes the Holy Spirit to do anything that is spiritually important.” The focus will be on the pursuit of God, revisiting a topic from the previous year with expanded lessons. Notes will be available for those who want them. Pastor Tommy emphasizes the importance of God’s people “getting into that normal, expectant, pushing toward apprehending God every day.” The devil uses many “thieves” to steal the relationship with God. Pastor Tommy credits A.W. Tozer’s book, The Pursuit of God, as a significant influence. Tozer was a pastor who gave away all royalties from his books and lived a simple life dedicated to serving God. “Here was a man that gave everything he had to serve God…he gave it away and he wrote never owned a car him and his wife would road a bus everywhere they went.” Revelation 2 and 3: Churches of Ephesus and Laodicea The Revelator, through the Holy Spirit, provides a chronological picture of the church age, from the New Testament church to the church of Laodicea. Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7): A powerful, growing church filled with the transforming power of God. Known for its works, labor, patience, and intolerance of evil. Criticized for having “left thy first love.” The church is urged to repent and return to their initial devotion. Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22): Represents the modern church, characterized by talk of religion but lacking substance. Materially rich but spiritually “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, leading to the threat of being “spewed…out of my mouth.” The church is warned to repent and return to God. Pastor Tommy suggests that elements of both churches may be present in contemporary congregations. Some may have lost their first love, worn down by the world. Others may be living in sin and indifferent toward God. Both conditions require change and repentance. The Pursuit of God: An Urge Within Us The pursuit of God is spurred by an urge that God places within us. The Holy Spirit wants to help individuals move from where they are to where they need to be. John 6:44 states, “No man can come unto Me except the Father draw him.” It was the Holy Spirit that led individuals to conviction and opened their hearts to faith. Pastor Tommy emphasizes that salvation is not the end but the beginning of a journey. “When a person is born again, that is but the inception.” The Holy Spirit’s work is essential to prevent individuals from taking credit for their spiritual achievements. “If it wasn’t for the Holy Spirit of God I wouldn’t be saved.” The impulse to pursue God originates with God, and the outworking is our following hard after Him. Even in pursuit, individuals are already in God’s hand. Apathy and indifference toward God are prevalent among Christians. People come to church and leave unchanged, without engaging in personal prayer or Bible study. Examples of Pursuing God David (Psalm 63:1, 8; 42:1-2): Sought God early and thirsted for Him. His soul followed hard after God. “O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee; my soul thirsteth for Thee.” A man after God’s own heart, always wanting more of Him. Moses: Spoke with God face to face but desired to see His glory. God honored his request by allowing him to see a glimpse of His glory from the cleft of the rock. Moses’ face shone brightly after the encounter. “Moses got to see it because he asked him for more.” Apostle Paul (Philippians 3:12-14, 8-10): Acknowledged that he had not yet attained perfection but continued to follow after God. Pressed toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Counted all things as loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. Desired to “win Christ” and “know Him.” “I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” The Current State of the Church Many Christians are satisfied with a salvation experience and have a meager opinion of God. There is a commission and purpose that should burn in the soul, causing a desire for God. Pastor Tommy contrasts spectators with participators in churches. Some are indifferent to the presence of God, even when the Holy Ghost is moving. “In churches today, there’s as many spectators as there are participators, if not more.” Pastor Tommy emphasizes that individuals should come to church to get excited about God, not just to watch the preacher. “If you come on Sunday morning expecting to see the preacher get excited and hoping you’ll get blessed somehow from that interaction, you have missed the whole point.” The joy is in the journey, the pursuit of God. Pastor Tommy encourages listeners to pursue God for a greater experience and to come boldly into His presence. “Come in boldly.” Symptoms of a Lack of Pursuit No Appetite (Matthew 5:6): Lack of hunger and thirst for righteousness. People go for weeks, months, or years with no spiritual appetite. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” This is often because they are “snacking off the devil’s pantry,” filling their lives with junk. Lying Tongue (Matthew 15:8-9): Drawing near to God with the mouth but the heart is far from Him. Worship becomes a spectator sport, lacking genuine experience. No spiritual activity or awareness away from the church. “This people draw nigh unto me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” Proud Heart (James 4:6): God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Resistance to God due to pride, unwillingness to let go of self. “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” Requires submission to God, putting self down and Him up. Fear the Deep (Ezekiel 47): Shallow praying and worship, lacking depth and personal connection. Relationship with God is not deepening. “Shallow praying, shallow worship plagues most Christian churches.” Challenge to go deeper with God and follow hard after Him. Blindness (Revelation 3:17): Spiritually blind to the truth, unaware of their true condition. Indifference to God’s presence and the moving of the Holy Ghost. “Thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Complacency: A deadly foe of spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present for Christ to manifest Himself. “Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people.” The Disease: Self The root cause of these symptoms is self (S-E-L-F). Luke 9:23 states, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself.” 1 John 2:16 identifies the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life as being of the world, not of the Father. The self-life is fueled by lust and pride, innate within our sin nature. The best one can do is daily bring it before the Lord to be crucified. Individuals cannot crucify themselves; they need the Holy Spirit’s help. “You can’t crucify you.” The Holy Spirit knows how and why to crucify self and will do it when asked. James 4:6 reiterates that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Romans 12:1 urges believers to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. Different Self-Problems Self-Righteousness: The belief that one is right in their beliefs, attitudes, and behavior and that others are wrong. “Self-righteousness literally means self-right.” Self-Pity: Self-indulgent dwelling on one’s own sorrows and misfortunes. A snare used by the enemy. Self-Confidence: Confidence in one’s self and in one’s powers and ability. Dangerous because it ignores that our strength comes from God. Self-Sufficiency: Able to maintain oneself without help. Denies the need for God and the church. Self-Admiration: An exaggerated opinion of one’s own qualities or abilities. Makes one an easy target for the devil because their eyes are on themselves, not on God. Self-Love: Love of one’s self, which is pride. Everyone is capable and probably guilty of these due to the shared sin nature. To pursue God, one must deal with self. Conclusion The remaining sessions will focus on things that help accomplish the pursuit of God. The joy is in the journey of pursuing Him. Pastor Tommy encourages listeners to seek God and apply the message to their lives.