Sermon Manuscript080606
Sermon Manuscript – 8/6/2006 Robert Hutcherson, Jr.
Sermon: “Every Member A Minister”
TEXT
Ephesians 4:1-16
_________________________________
In the Living Bible, Ephesians 4:15-16 reads:
We will lovingly follow the truth at all times – speaking truly, dealing truly, living
truly – and so become more and more in every way like Christ who is the Head of His
body, the church. Under His direction the whole body is fitted together perfectly, and
each part in its own special way helps the other parts, so that the whole body is healty
and growing and full of love.
If you are looking for the characteristics of a good church, you won't find a better description than that: healthy, growing and full of love. If you want to know what God has in mind for this church or any church, you don't need to look any further than that verse. God wants our church to be healthy, growing and full of love. If you are interested in knowing what preachers hope and pray and long for their churches more than any thing else, I believe most would say they would like for their congregations to be healthy, growing and full of love.
How does that happen? As simple as it may sound, we need to remember that God uses people to create churches like that. His plan is people, not programs. The people God uses to create healthy, growing and loving congregations are those who are committed to doing ministry. They are excited and want to invite others to share in what they enjoy. The people God uses are those who know the great joy of discovering that God can and wants to work through them.
The people God uses are those who are aware that God can use them to meet the needs of others. The people God uses are more interested in sharing what God is doing through them than fault-finding and criticizing others. When you are rowing the boat you don't have the time or interest in rocking the boat. The people God uses create a contagious environment for inviting and encouraging others. Their love and enthusiasm just rubs off on everyone. Simply put, the people God uses to create healthy, growing and loving churches understand that every member is a minister.
The apostle Paul set forth three powerful affirmations about the church in the first few verses of Ephesians 4 that help us to discover how each one of us is called into the ministry.
FIRST - Every member belongs to one Church. Look at Ephesians 4:4-6 again:
There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
Did you notice how many times the word "one" is used there? SEVEN times. Is Paul trying to make a point? Absolutely. When a person becomes a Christian, he/she becomes a part of the spiritual Body of Christ that transcends denominational expressions of faith. There is one Spirit that is the source of spiritual life and energy. There is one hope that encourages the believer that God's plan will ultimately work out. There is one Lord who is overall and before whom we all bow. There is one faith that leads to truth and eternal life. There is one baptism, one means of publicly professing Christ as Lord. And there is one God and only one God, our Father who personally loves each of us as if there was only one of us.
For every member to understand his/her call into ministry, we must begin by affirming that we are a part of all that and more. You have heard it before: "There are NO Lone Ranger Christians." None of us can fully appreciate our place in the ministry of Christ in the world apart from other believers. We are all part of the Body of Christ, the One Church unified NOT by organization, but by the Spirit of God. None of us can be expected to do anything of significance without the love, support and counsel of others. All ministry is a team – a Church – experience.
There is a touching story told of a young boy who attended a Sunday School class for the first time. Due to a birth defect, this boy had a deformed left arm and hand which were unusable. The teacher did not know this boy was coming, but she warmly welcomed him and encouraged the children in the class to do the same. As she was concluding her lesson on "the church" that morning, she unwittingly told the children to take their hands and follow her motions: "Here's the church, and here's the steeple, open it up, and here's the people." Suddenly, she saw the new student sitting there, unable to participate, and she realized what she had done. Almost as suddenly, the little girl sitting beside the new student took his right hand with her left hand and said, "That's OK. We can make the church together."
Before we begin to think of what we can be doing in ministry, we must first have that wonderful assurance of belonging to Christ and His Church. We are in this together.
SECOND - Every member is given gifts. Every Christian shares in the gifts of God. This fact above everything else explains why there have always been and always will be differences in our churches. It has been been God's purpose all along to have diversity in the church just like there is diversity in the world. Each one is gifted, and there is quite a variety of gifts.
To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gifts; and He himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastor-teachers....
That is not an exhaustive list, but it gives us an idea that God gives tailor-made grace in order to raise up ministers within the Body of Christ to get the work done. In healthy, growing, loving churches, the members discover and share those gifts as they fulfill their ministry. The ministry of the church is not limited as to what is done by the professional staff.
I hope that is not a new concept for you, but I am afraid that it is to many in our churches today. Many people think that the professional people...the preacher, the youth worker, the music director....are the "hired guns" who are paid to do the ministry and the laity are the recipients of that ministry.
GOD FORBID that we should ever fall into that mindset! If you read your New Testament carefully you will notice that a whole lot of ministry took place by people who never went to seminary. The ministry of the church belonged to the people, not the clergy.
You are very unique. There is only one “you.” According to Scripture, there are 5 things God has used throughout your life to make you unique. One pastor refers to this as our individual SHAPE, the unique design God is creating in each of us in order to do through us what God wishes to do. We understand the acronym S.H.A.P.E. as:
S - Spiritual gifts. These are abilities and talents God gives you and develops within you as a Christian believer. These are special abilities you did not have when you were born. When you give your life to Christ and open your life to the work of God’s grace, you begin to discover additional gifts you had not know before. For example, I know brothers and sisters in Christ who have a wonderful prayer ministry. Of course, anyone can pray, but there is something about these folks that is much deeper than uttering a few syllables to God. People seek them out for their prayer support. Spiritual gifts are given to people whose lives are open to the presence and work of God.
H - Heart. One of the key verses in Scripture is Proverbs 4:23, "Out of your heart flow actions of life." Your heart is your motivations, your interests. Some things turn you on and some things bore you to tears. Some things you are of great interest and some things are of no interest. God put basic motivations, core passions in your life, and He put them differently in different people because He wants us to do different things in order to get it all done. Each of us has a different physical heartbeat, and each of us has a different emotional heartbeat. That's intentional. God gave you the desires of your heart.
A - my Abilities. These are the natural abilities you are given when you're born. You were born with a certain set of abilities that other people don't have. Some of you are very good with numbers, so you just soared through math. Others of you hated math. Some of you are good with words, and so you're good at writing or speaking or writing poetry. Some of you are good with animals. Some of you are good with people. Some of you have certain musical abilities. Others of you are “prison singers” [always behind a few bars and never have the right key].
Some of you have athletic abilities. Some of you have mechanical abilities. Some of you are artistic. That's just the way God made us. Your ability is a part of your shape. God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well.
P - Personality. God loves variety. He works through introverts and extroverts, ENTPs and ISFJs, loners and clingers, thinkers and doers. Every personality is special made. No two are alike, even in this day of cloning. Isn’t it amazing how opposites seem to end up together and develop long-lasting marriages? In order for everything to get done in the world God gives different personalities. Personalities make this life very interesting and meaningful. Amen?
E - Experiences. Experiences come in at least 4 varieties: Vocational Experiences, Spiritual Experiences, Educational Experiences, and Painful Experiences. The amazing thought is that God is able to take all these experiences and use them to shape us to do His will. God doesn’t cause everything that happens, but He is able to use what happens for his purposes. “We know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.” (Romans 8:28). God uses all our experiences.
Here is a good definition of success: Success is being what God shaped me to be.
To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gifts.... Each believer has been given gifts, and grace to employ those gifts in the ministry through the church. Each one of us uniquely shaped individuals has been called into the ministry.
THIRD - Every member has a job to do. Every member is a part of the whole purposes of God in the Church, the Body of Christ; every member is sovereignly given gifts by God to work out his purposes through that person in his Church. Therefore, the logical conclusion is that every member has ministry. Every member has a job to do. According to Ephesians 4:12, that job has a two-line job description: to equip God's people for work in his service to build up the Body of Christ. It is very important that we remember what we are here for Sunday after Sunday, day after day, year after year. We've got a job to do.
Eric Sevareid was one of America's most able and popular news commentators. On his retirement, he was reminiscing about his many years as a news cor-respondent and commentator in the nation's capitol. He talked of another commentator who, he said, knew everyone worth knowing: the president, the diplomats, the senators, the president's cabinet, key bureaucrats, and the socially elite. He had the contacts; he was stuffed with information. There was only one problem, Sevareid said; he never used it. "He forgot what he was here for."
Why are WE here? Most of us came in the door of the church looking for something meaningful, asking, "What does this place have to offer me?" It is important to realize, though, that once we are committed to Christ and His church, the only real satisfaction comes in answering the question, "What can I offer God through this church?" How can I be equipped and equip others to work for God? How can I help others experience the love of God?” That is why we are here.
Friends, it is time for us to do more and meet less. With less meetings and more ministry. I would like for us to expand the theme of Annual Conference for this coming conference year: “Serving Well” to include “Doing What Disciples Do”.
We need to spend less time discussing what we need to do and start doing things we know need to be done such as a tutoring ministry for struggling students; equipping members for personal evangelism and visitation; small groups for study, support, and training; assimilation of new members and stronger relationships with our present membership; finding new ways to care for the poor and needy around the community. What is on your heart and mind? I hope people will be “freed-up” to be in ministry, start new ministries, do what they do best in serving Christ and others in his name. A church does not grow nor become healthy and full of love when it spends all its attention on its own needs. When every member says to Jesus Christ, “You can count on me!” the church comes alive!
Every member is a part of God's eternal purposes on earth. God has chosen to fulfill those purposes through people like you and me…. And He has no other plan. Every member is given special gifts to be used for God's purposes in ministry, and, therefore, every single one has something to contribute. When we truly believe that and commit ourselves to intentional, meaningful ministry, the result is a church that is healthy, growing and full of love.
A bit of prose someone once wrote goes something like:
I wonder, oh, I wonder, what this church would be if every member was just like me?
Have you wondered lately? Let us pray…