People Are Bringing Their Friends

El Dorado School District Superintendent Jim Tucker told reporters for The News-Times this past week that the first day of school is his favorite time of year. He said “The first days are what we look forward to. We love students, we love children. We love seeing them excited, and it’s our job to keep that excitement going throughout the school year. I hope every student has a wonderful experience this year. I hope they have an opportunity to learn a lot, build relationships with other students and build positive, professional relationships with their teachers.”

When I went to pick up Abby from school that first day, I saw that one of her teachers and the school guidance counselor were among those assisting children and parents for pick-up. Folks it was 150K degrees out there! Talk about above and beyond the call of duty. I’m sure Emily had the same positive experience when dropping the kids off. When the kids came home, we talked about their day. They had a great first day in our El Dorado schools. I couldn’t be more proud of our teachers, administrators, and support staff for what they did to make a start of a new year for the new kids in town a positive experience. Superintendent Tucker can be proud of the work his district did on the first day of school. They have a mission, grounded in their love for the students entrusted to their care, and they have a vision for the experience they hope students will have in the school year to come. They know their business: education, and they know who the primary beneficiaries of their efforts are: students.

Every healthy organization has a mission centered around the business they ought to be doing for the sake of the primary beneficiaries of their efforts. The mission of El Dorado schools is to educate students. Their business is education and the primary beneficiaries of their efforts are students. Or, Consider a corporation: a corporation provides a product or a service, or a mixture of both, so that the primary beneficiary, either the owner or the shareholders, makes a profit.

let me ask you: does the church have a mission? What is the business of the church? Who are the primary beneficiaries of the church’s efforts?

A helpful place to start would be to consider the mission statement adopted by the global United Methodist movement.

(Story: Great Commission Emphasis Week @ Asbury).

Christian people have read the story of the commissioning of the disciples at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, and recognized the mission of the church. To announce salvation through faith in Jesus to the world, to build relationships with people so that they will do the things Jesus taught us to do, so that they will accept Christ for themselves. This is what defines a biblical church, more than anything else: people are bring people from outside the church, into the church. In a biblical church, people bring their friends.

Scripture Lesson:

The New Revised Standard Version Paul’s Ministry to the Gentiles

This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2 for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, 3 and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, 4 a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. 5 In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6 that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

7 Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power.

This whole month we are considering the characteristics of a biblical church, a church that makes God’s word the center of our lives. This morning, we are considering how in biblical churches, people are bringing their friends to church. I recognize many of you have a desire to see this church grow by reaching new people. That’s a nice thought. I’ve had a desire to see every church I’ve been a part of, grow. Like when I grow tomatoes: I want to see those juicy red vegetables…or are they fruit? Whatever; hanging out there heavy on the vine, ready to pick, slice, and eat with some mozarrella and basil, a little olive oil and balsamic....yummmmmm. grill some steaks medium rare....sit out on the patio with a cold drink and some friends....somehow the kids all fell asleep at 6:30PM, so the house is quiet…and then the phone rings: “Congratulations, bank error in your favor. We’re sending you a check for 10,000 dollars!” My point is, I think sometimes we want something because of the benefit it provides to us. Think about it:

(1) If this church was growing, some of our older folks who have been serving faithfully for years and years could hand off their work to someone else.

(2) If this church was growing, we would have more of the church “bells and whistles” you know, children’s programs, youth programs, community events.

(3) If this church was growing, the money we need for mission and ministry wouldn’t be so tight. Maybe we could even hire some staff. That would take even more of the workload off of the members, right?

(4) If this church was growing, it would be like it was in the good old days.

I would love to see new folks step up into leadership in this church; I would love to see new programs for families and the community; I would love to see more money come in for ministry and staffing; I would love to see this church worshiping 200 or more on Sunday like it has in the past. That would be great!

The only question I have is: how do we get all these things? The way I figure it, there is really only one way to get all this: it is to do the work that God commissioned us to do, to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

Paul understood his mission clearly: He wrote in this morning’s reading: “ I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you gentiles-for Surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was give me for you.” And a few lines later, he laid it all on the line: “the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power.”

I sure am thankful for the mission God gave to Paul. You see, I am a Gentile. I

Do you know that the church has a mission? It is: “To Make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

Paul was commissioned- a greek word, oikonomia, which is the root for the English word economy. He was made a steward, or trustee, of a task: spreading the hope of salvation to Gentiles, to all the people’s of the world beyond the land of ancient Israel.

So then, Paul as the steward of this work, had a clear mission. His mission was to bring the gentiles to church. His business was what we today call evangelism. And the primary beneficiaries of his work were, you guessed it- the outsiders.

Think about it. In Paul’s day there were the Jews- they were the first and truest members of the people of God. And there were gentiles- who until Jesus came, were non-members of the people of God. God told Paul- go get the Gentiles. Bring them into my family. If you do, we’ll change the world together.

Church, I think the members of St. Paul UMC have the same commission as Paul. We, too, are stewards of the work of spreading the hope of salvation to Gentiles, which is a word that really just means: “all the people of the world.” This is our mission, to bring unchurched people to church. The primary beneficiaries of our work are the unchurched people to whom we reach out and invite.

So now, maybe you can see where things start to get twisted up in churches. It’s when we who are members of the church start to see ourselves as the primary beneficiaries of the church’s ministry, and not as people who are commissioned by God to the work of saving lost souls.

In other words, if you are a member of this church and you make the church all about you and what you get out of it, you’ll always be disappointed. Because churches where the members make it about themselves are churches that decline and shut down. It’s not about us, folks. It’s about the lost and broken people God is calling us to reach with the gospel. They are the ones for whom God created the church.

Now, I’m not saying you won’t experience any benefits from being a member of the church. In fact, far from it. Thriving, growing churches are places where people, members and non-members alike, can experience the joy of the Lord in deeply meaningful ways. But it only works if non-members are the priority. We must make bringing people to church our number one priority. It’s not that gentiles are the only beneficiaries of a healthy church. It’s that they are the primary beneficiaries of a healthy church.

So, how do we do that?

Make a Friend, Be a friend, invite a friend to church.

True definition of hospitality: the only way people come to church is when they receive a personal invitation from someone they know and trust. Concept of a Host.

Conclusion: In a biblical church, people are bringing their friends. Take the invitation printed in your bulletin and use it. Invite someone to church. For the sake of the Gospel, for the sake of the church. It is our responsibility, the business to which we have been called in Jesus Christ.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen.

So to the members of this church who have been serving at their post for a long time