Sermon Tone Analysis

Two Bright Lights

LET’S HONOR OUR GREAT GOD AND STAND AS WE READ HIS GREAT WORD

PRAYER

PRAYER

Julie and Bob Clark were stunned to receive a letter from their church in July asking them to “participate in the life of the church” or worship elsewhere.

“They basically called us freeloaders,” says Julie Clark.

“We were freeloaders,” says Bob Clark.

In a trend that may signal rough times for wallflower Christians, megachurch Faith Community of Winston-Salem has asked “non-participating members” to stop attending.

“No more Mr. Nice Church,” says the executive pastor, newly hired from Cingular Wireless.

“Bigger is not always better.

Providing free services indefinitely to complacent Christians is not our mission.”

Freeloading Christians were straining the church’s nursery and facility resources and harming the church’s ability to reach the lost, says the pastor.

“When your bottom line is saving souls, you get impatient with people who interfere with that goal.”

Faith Community sent polite but firm letters to families who attended church services and freebie events but never volunteered, never tithed, and did not belong to a small group or other ministry.

The church estimates that, of its 8,000 regular attendees, only half have volunteered in the past three years, and a third have never given to the church.

“Before now, we made people feel comfortable and welcome, and tried to coax them to give a little something in return,” says a staff member.

“That’s changed.

We’re done being the community nanny.”

Surprisingly, the move to disinvite people has drawn a positive response from men in the community who like the idea of an in-your-face church.

“I thought, A church that doesn’t allow wussies—that rocks,” says Bob Clark, who admires the church more since they told him to get lost.

P.S.

This is not a true story.

—Joel Kilpatrick, “Mega-Church Downsizes, Cuts Non-Essential Members,” Larknews.com

(September 2006)

Not a true story but it is a picture of what the German Pastor, killed for resisting the Nazi government, Dietrich Bonhoeffer called “Cheap Grace.”

“Cheap Grace” is what is held in the hands of people who claim the name/title of Christian but seem no different from most anyone else in the world.

Lost people cannot see Jesus in a picture of “Cheap Grace.”

But Christians like these two men, are worth watching and following because this is what it looks like to be born again, having a transformed heart and living examples of Jesus, faithful servants.

This is important because:

Faithful Servants Point to the Faithful Savior

The Commendation By Paul

The Commendation By Paul

Paul speaks very highly about both men as he writes to the church.

The Philippians Christians were very familiar with both men.

He describes Timothy in as being “like-minded” with him, literally meaning equal soul or spirit, having the same affections, attitudes and actions of Jesus.

Which - implies that time develops and sacrificial situations reveal.

He had a deep concern for their well-being as God’s church in Philippi.

Timothy was Paul’s figurative son, a special relationship Paul had with him, teaching him to advance the gospel, plant churches and make disciples, together.

Timothy reciprocated the relationship, being a true friend to his pastor being there when he needed him most.

Epaphroditus, a layperson, according to trusted by the church to go as their “messenger” of encouragement, with their financial gift, according to , so he could “minister” to any needs of Paul.

Some kind of deathly illness had befallen him, either on the journey or after arrival.

Epaphroditus, the church or both, may have seen that as shameful and incomplete.

Paul turns it positive, saying every faithful Servant like Epaphroditus needs to be honored because they give God glory.

In , we see he is homesick and distressed over the anxiety the church has about his illness.

He wanted to give generously to his Lord, and Paul calls him “brother.”

In - we find this is something that time reveals - proven character.

Timothy spent much time serving with Paul in this fashion.

The message these men shared was the message these men lived.

Because of Timothy’s like-mindedness with Paul, he absolutely cared about the church and not his own selfish agenda.

He had a deep concern for their health and well-being as God’s church in Philippi, and over the weaknesses of fellow believers.

Paul implies there was no one else, besides himself, who matched Timothy’s level of concern either.

Paul reveals Epaphroditus’ deep love for his home church describing his homesickness in , and his distress over any anxiety of the church about him.

Just like his savior Jesus, though Epaphroditus, as says, faced death considering fellow members more important than himself.

Epaphroditus had exposed himself to physical danger because he wanted to give generously to his Lord and his fellow soldier.

He placed his gifts and talents at the disposal of the church.

Serving God and serving others was Epaphroditus’ act of worship.

These two men had taken the example of the Lord seriously becoming the type of Christians and church members we are supposed to be.

Transitional Sentence and Keyword: What will it take for you and me to be like these men - Paul gave us 4 Credentials that we must exhibit to qualify as or be considered a faithful servant.

These two men had been radically transformed by the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

These two men had taken the example of the Lord seriously becoming shining examples of authentic Christians - the type of members we are supposed to be like.

4 Credentials of Faithful Servants

To live as a faithful servant who points to a faithful savior it takes:

To live as a faithful servant who points to a faithful savior it takes:

Character

The message these men shared was the message these men lived.

Jamar Andrews (Jonesboro Arkansas) asked, How many tongues do we have?

Not just 1.

We have 3, 1 in our mouth and 1 on each shoe.

He said we must make sure our mouths and feet are going in the same direction.

The message these men shared was the message these men lived.

Jamar Andrews (Jonesboro Arkansas) asked, How many tongues do we have?

Not just 1.

We have 3, 1 in our mouth and 1 on each shoe.

He said we must make sure our mouths and feet are going in the same direction.

At the 1993 annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Atlanta, three hundred thousand doctors, nurses, and researchers came together to discuss, among other things, the importance a low-fat diet plays in keeping our hearts healthy.

Yet during mealtimes, they consumed fat-filled fast food, such as bacon cheeseburgers and fries, at about the same rate as people from other conventions.

When one cardiologist was asked whether or not his partaking in high-fat meals set a bad example, he replied, “Not me; I took my name tag off.”

—Stephen Nordbye, “Always an Example,” PreachingToday.com

Your character will make way for your conversation - gospel conversations that people will believe.

Your character will make way for your conversation - gospel conversations that people will believe.

Godly character will lead you to see that living as a faithful servant takes:

Compassion

- The world and even churches are full of people with selfish agendas, only looking for Number 1, but Timothy looked out for others 1st and is the Christlike contradiction of carnal, self-centered members of any church.

He was concerned over the weaknesses of fellow believers needing help.

Epaphroditus, as says, was like his savior, facing death yet considering fellow members more important than himself.

After an accident in which she lost her arm, Jamie refused to go to school or church.

Finally, the young teen thought she could face her peers.

In preparation her mother called her Sunday school teacher and asked that he not call attention to Jamie.

The teacher promised, but then he got sick on Sunday and had to call a substitute.

At the conclusion of the lesson that day, which was about inviting friends to church, the substitute teacher led the class in doing the hand motions to the familiar children’s poem:

Here is the church,

Here is the steeple.

Here is the steeple.

Open the door,

And see all the people.

Jamie’s eyes filled with tears.

A thirteen-year-old boy sensed Jamie’s pain and knelt beside her.

With one hand apiece, they supported each other, making the church, steeple, and people.

Together they illustrated what real church is.

—Billy Waters, Teacher Touch (Cook, 1999)