A Church Family 3
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Last week we covered the first two parts of our membership covenant as church members.
I will:
protect the unity of my church
share in the responsibility of my church
serve in the ministry of my church
support the testimony of my church
I will:
serve in the ministry of my church
support the testimony of my church
"If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale, and gave all my money to the church, would I get into heaven?" a teacher asked the children in her Sunday school class.
"No!" the children all answered.
"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would I get into heaven?"
Again the answer was, "No!"
"Well," she continued, "then how can I get to heaven?"
A five-year-old boy shouted out, "You gotta be dead!"
So “Serve.” We often think of that as duty driven…”this is what we’re suppose to do.” Serve. Again, like we talked about last week … checking boxes.
Now I think when we talk about the word “serve” there’s probably lots of different pictures we get in our brains about what that looks like.
Last week we opened up with the account of Jesus praying, recorded by John, chapter 17 in his book. Jesus prayed for the unity of His church.
That we would be one together…and one with Him and the Father. One in purpose and mission.
We’re to live … try to live…with original intent. A picture for the world of heaven on earth…what it might have looked like in Eden before sin.
So serve comes into play here too. What did serving look like before sin.
Jesus gives us a good picture of this just before the last supper.
John again records this for us…you know the story.
John 13 - Jesus washes the disciples’ feet.
1 Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 Now when it was time for supper, the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray him.
3 Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into his hands, that he had come from God, and that he was going back to God.
4 So he got up from supper, laid aside his outer clothing, took a towel, and tied it around himself.
5 Next, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel tied around him.
12 When Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer clothing, he reclined again and said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you?
13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are speaking rightly, since that is what I am.
14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.
I think John we very specific in how wrote this. Before he writes the play by play of Jesus doing this, he writes
3 Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into his hands, that he had come from God, and that he was going back to God.
Then near the end of the passage, Jesus says:
John 13:13–15 (CSB)
13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are speaking rightly, since that is what I am.
14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.
Serve…to Jesus, there is no menial service…it is loving others as you love yourself. Even putting others before yourself.
So this is a principle for us as we serve...
Serve in the Ministry of my church...
by discovering my gifts and talents.
1 Peter 4:10 says this...
10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
Stewards of God’s grace…evidenced in the gifts He has given us. Yes, God has given us personal strengths and gifts…but Peter lets us peak into a principle that he’s probably found in his life as a follower of Jesus.
These are from God. Always point to your gifts or abilities as from God…then you’ll never talk about yourself…it will all be about God and His glory. This helps us point to Jesus.
So discover those gifts of grace God has given to you. Now…sometimes they are evident…even other people might see gifts or abilities. But be careful to say that you’ll never do something because “its just not my gift.” Why?
Through the Holy Spirit…all things are possible. God might have you in a spot where you’re the one who’s there and willing. And He… the HS… will give you what you need for His purpose.
So know and be open to God’s gifts of the spirit.
Serve in the Ministry of my church...
by being equipped to serve by leaders.
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,
12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Self explanatory. We all have ways to serve…people to serve. And to be honest…there’s no formality to serving.
Many times we think well “serving” means that I need to join up with a ministry and do something through the church …that can and does happen for sure. However…God might have you in places through each week where He has you around certain people for His purposes…serving.
Serving can look like that…God’s spirit leading you to love other people.
Serve in the Ministry of my church...
by developing a servant’s heart.
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.
4 Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.
The next part of this passage tells us what this looks like...
Paul continued to write…you should have the same attitude..the same mind…the same heart of Jesus.
There’s the principle. Look to the interests of others....as Jesus did and does. He did personally when here on the planet. Now, he continues to do the same in different ways....sometimes including you in His service…He uses you to love others.
And why? That first passage told us....a call back to Jesus prayer. That we can reach that unity Jesus prayed for…a full faith in Jesus.
I will:
serve in the ministry of my church
support the testimony of my church
Support the testimony of my church. This word…testimony, is a term that we seen in court. Testimony is given when someone wants to know truth. A witness will often give their testimony as to what might have happened.
Here …in the Christian walk…we, as followers, give testimony to truth. Who God is…what Jesus has done. We live life to remind people of truth.
I will support the testimony of my church...
by attending faithfully.
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,
25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Let’s consider....what? How we can stay encouraged. Encouraged to do what?
Live out our testimony.
Meeting together is super important to this thing called testimony.
Why?
If you say your a Christian, which, biblically speaking means you are a part of the body of Christ…but you never meet with the body...
What do you think that does to your testimony of the truth? What do others think about truth?
One part of our testimony is there’s an “us” factor in Christianity. We’re not perfect…but we’re together to remember that Jesus died for us. To remind each other of His truth…His testimony.
In a real way…we testify…to His testimony of who He is. God son…sent for us…to bring us back.
I will support the testimony of my church...
by living a godly life.
Philippians 1:27 (NIV)
27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel...
Together … living a united testimony of the one truth of who Jesus is.
If we all have different ideas about Jesus…let’s just say it…that’s dangerous. Eternity…ours or someone else’s might be at stake.
Let’s just stick to who He says He is…and share that testimony as ours.
If 10 of us go and say well we believe this or that about Jesus…about grace…about sin....wow…all different ideas.... That’s not united. That’s living with a separate testimonies. Life a godly life together.
Jesus prayed that we would be united in purpose and mission (that’s how we live)…not to believe what we want to believe about Him…but to, as one body…believe the truth as He defines it. Because He is truth. Live together according to what we believe is true.
I will support the testimony of my church...
by giving regularly.
2 On the first day of the week, each of you is to set something aside and save in keeping with how he is prospering, so that no collections will need to be made when I come.
The context here is that, as Paul is traveling to and between churches, he is taking up a collection for the Christians in Jerusalem. Some of the disciples had asked Paul to remember the poor in Jerusalem as he traveled. And it seems he wanted to to good on that.
Plus…this matched with what Jesus called us to do. Share in the purpose of our faith. It is part of our testimony and our service to others.
There was, it very much looks like chronologically and historically, a severe famine happening in Judea, where Jerusalem is located. So this was churches serving each other. Giving to support their own mission in their own area…but also sharing with each other in different areas.
Paul’s principle is this…the idea of giving is set. If we have given our lives to Jesus, then we’ve given everything to Jesus. In our hearts and minds and soul, we should plan and decided, along with Christ’s spirit in us…we should plan, not via ritual, what we will give for the purposes of the local church.
And that could be for regular items that happen in the church family, or special offerings, special things as well.
Know how God’s spirit inside of you has gifted you. Be open to learning from leaders…elders and ministry leaders. Keep developing that servant’s heart (Jesus’ heart inside you).
Keep getting together (make it a habit). Live Christ-like. Give with purpose as Jesus gave and gives to us.
John 17:21 (NIV)
21...so that the world may believe that you have sent me.