Increasing effectiveness

Well hunting season has started. With bear season in full swing and soon the woods will be full of bird hunters, moose hinters, deer hunters and so on.

So this morning I would like to talk to you for just a bit about camouflage. Not all camouflage is created equal, and most importantly camouflage misused will make you stand out like a sore thumb. For example a person wearing camouflage in say Saks on fifth avenue NY would stand out real bad. Put that same person in Walmart in Woodstock NB they would blend right in.

So to talk about camo we should probably look at some. I want to show you some pictures of effective camouflage and then some pictures of some ineffective camouflage and see if you can spot the difference.

First let’s look at some effective camo...

Now let’s look at some ineffective camo...

What was the main difference between effective and ineffective camouflage? The situation it was used in right?

For example if I took the guy dressed in white camo here and plunked him down in the jungles of the amazon would his camo be as effective? Of course not.

For it to be super effective you have to have the right camo for the right conditions. That makes since. But what about some of the examples of ineffective camo I gave you. Yes if you put them in the right spot they might be more effective. Even pink camo can be effective if you are trying to hide in an insulation factory.

What if

But just because they were not as effective as say this guy, does that mean they are completely ineffective? I mean look at these guys. Is their camo as effective as this guys? No but is their camo still effective? Yes!

So why am I talking to you about all this? Mainly because I wanted to teach you a little bit about effectiveness.

Specifically 2 things

1. Effectiveness is situational

2. Effectiveness works on a scale

It’s not like a light switch that is either on or off their are different levels of effectiveness more like a dimmer switch.

But now the real reason I wanted to talk about all of this is because this year I would like to put an extra focus on....

Anyone have any guesses?

Effectiveness

We believe we are Stronger Together, and in that we said we want to gather together, serve together and grow together.

These are very important and over the past few years we have leaned really hard into unity in all we do. As a result I would like to think we have reached a certain level of effectiveness as we gather, serve and grow together.

But the question is...

Can we be more effective?

The answer is Yes! We can always become more effective. Not that we are not effective now but that we can become more effective.

So over the next year we are going to be talking about things like.

Effectiveness in disciple making

Effectiveness in relationships

Effectiveness in finances

And so on. Because as a church we want to become more effective in all we do.

Which leads me to this mornings question.

What do you need to know about effectiveness?

Well I’ve already told you about situational effectiveness, and how effectiveness is on a scale, but there is something I really want you to know before we dive into this emphasis on effectiveness.

So let me read to you.

Colossians 1:3–10 NLT

We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace. You learned about the Good News from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker. He is Christ’s faithful servant, and he is helping us on your behalf. He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you. So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

What do you need to know about effectiveness?

It has nothing to do with comparing yourselves to others! It is about self improvement!

Me: When I started this morning we started by comparing different camouflages. But was that fair. If effectiveness is situational, how can we compare one to another as neither have the same situation. As we said take the white camo to a green place, it becomes ineffective. For this guy to say I need to be more like that guy, so he goes and buys all the same gear that guy had is not going to make him more effective. What will make him more effective is by honestly looking at himself, his situation and his gear and asking the question. How can I be more effective in my situation?

We: That is the question we need to start answering? Not how can we be more like Moncton Wesleyan, or Saddleback church, but how can we as individuals and as a church be more effective within our own context?

God: This was Paul’s prayer for the church in Colosse. He starts by commending them for their faith and determination and love for all God’s people. In other words they already had a certain level of effectiveness in their church but Paul also prays in verses 9-10

Colossians 1:9–10 NLT

So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

It was not a prayer that they would be more like the church in Phillipi or anywhere else. It was a prayer that as they learn to know God better and better they would grow. Producing every kind of good fruit.

Again in other words, that as they grow in faith they might also grow ineffectiveness.

It had nothing to do with comparing themselves to other churches, just that they would grow in effectiveness in their own context.

You: We want you to grow. We want to you to grow as a Christian, disciple maker, employee, spouse, parent. In everything you do we want you to grow in effectiveness. Not because we want you to be like someone else but because we want you to always be growing as a person.

We: We can always be more effective.

Next step: So let us evaluate ourselves and our context and ask 1 simple question...

How can we be more effective in our context?