#7 (Part 2) -God's gospel is now called the church

Most often serving didn’t start out this way. Sometime in the past you were approached with the chance to serve and you thought you would give it a try.

You stuck with it and yet the joy of the Lord didn’t arrive.

You then find yourself stuck and the serving has become a drudgery.

I have met many people over the years as they sit in my office and we begin to have a conversation. I find their ministry service in the church is at a point of drudgery.

I hope that for many of you, you have never been in this place.

I hope for many of you, you won’t be lining up to sit in my office and tell me you feel this way.

Why, because I am going to tell you the same thing I have told everyone who is serving in a church grudgingly.

Stop.

Not stop serving in the church but stop serving in a ministry grudgingly.

Paul wrote to the church and reminded them of this

Ephesians 4:11–15 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

He Gave gifts to equip and build up the body of Christ.

If you are looking for verses in the Bible to support ministry as a drudgery, you won’t find them. It’s not right, so we need to stop serving in the church in a position of drudgery

Serving out of Duty

The second way to look at serving in the church is Serving out of Duty

If you are thinking is this one a correct way to serve, the answer is both yes and no.

Now if your sitting in the audience and you have been tasked with the responsibility of leading a ministry and you can’t find someone to help you, you like to hear this message.

Serve.

If you want me to produce a list of many vacancies within the church ministries, those ministries which are in dire need of help, I can do that.

I could stand up here and plead on your sense of duty as one of the people in this church and you have an obligation to take your role in serving.

We could have a group of people with clipboards walking around pitching their ministry as the best to be a part of.

Like the first days of school and all the extra curricular groups seeking for others to join.

We could seek you out of guilt. If we don’t get volunteers for this ministry we will have to shut it down.

We can’t possible shut down that ministry, is the cry and people volunteer out of duty.

I remember when we were first married and I was attending seminary, Heather and I began to look for a local church to associate with. We started attending a church in Winnipeg and thought it wasn’t good enough to just sit in the pew week after week without giving of our time and gifts for God’s service.

I remember making an appointment with one of the pastor’s to introduce ourselves and find out areas in which we can serve.

To be honest, we began serving out of duty. Duty to serve God where asked.

This pastor was in the business of what I have coined, “Filling Holes”. Holes in ministry that needed filling.

Let me explain. We sat in his office outlining the various ways which we have seen God’s Spiritual Gifts working in our lives. We talked about the passion we had for ministry. Where we feel led to be involved. He listened, then proceeded to show us the various ministries that need people.

He asked us if we were willing to fill some of those spots. Some which had nothing to do with what we had just described to him moments earlier.

Now there is nothing wrong with this approach, but it based out of a sense of duty or obligation.

It is like being a part of a sports organization for your children and each person has an obligation to fulfill a part, or role, a duty.

In one other town as I was a part of a sports organization, we were in constant need of people to help run the organization. People were wanting the program for their children, but did expect others to do the work.

Rules were put in place to have people volunteer out of duty. It became a requirement.

That is an organization.

The church, is not an organization in the truest sense. It is a body.

An organism

Romans 12:5 ESV

5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

1 Corinthians 12:15 ESV

15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.

Colossians 3:15 ESV

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

When you read through the New Testament, there are countless more times that the Church is more of an organism than that of an organization.

There will always be the tension between the two, yet when you operate your serving out of duty, it becomes more of organization than organism.

The last way to look at serving in the church is not Drudgery, or duty, rather, a devotion or calling.

Serving as a Devotion

The final way to look at serving in the church and looking through scripture I tend to call this form of serving as a devotion

Let me pause for a moment as you have been listening an maybe wrestling with duty and devotion and wondering if they are part of the same intent.

Our duty as believers should be of service.

But may I suggest that service from a heart of devotion is sought out after more than that of duty.

When Samuel confronted Saul after doing what he thought was his duty to offer a sacrifice, Samuel was looking for a heart obedience, a devotion of obedience.

To obey is better than sacrifice

When Jesus asked his disciples,

who do They , the people, the crowds, the group, say I am: The duty answers were clear.

Christ dug deeper and asked, Who do you say I am.

He was asking his disciples, are you serving me out of duty as a disciple or out of devotion.

So let’s look at what the Bible says about service.

Before we look at specific verses, remember we are focusing in on two things.

The first is our purpose statement which outlines what we are doing as a church.

We are called the church and we are hear to serve.

Second, the individuals that are a part of the church are disciples.

A disciple is one who is seeking to know God, while being transformed into the image of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit in the context of community.

We are empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Let us now look at verses that apply to our service and serving from a heart of devotion

1 Corinthians 12:4–6 ESV

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

Serving should be and should come from that which which Gifts God has granted to us. One person writes,

Serving allows us to discover and develop our spiritual gift.

I remember in a church we served in many years ago, we were a part of a small group and the topic discussed was Spiritual Gifts.

We took the time to go through the scriptures and explored the various gifts mentioned and how they build up the body and are defined.

We had by the end of the study a clear understanding of spiritual gifts.

The leader of the group after several weeks of leading us, then asked the question, what shall we study next?

I then posed a question, a question to a group of believers who, by their own admission had been disciples of Christ for many years, the question was, what spiritual gifts have you seen in your life? What do you feel you have been given and how are you using them to build up the body?

I was met with blank looks on their faces.

Maybe it was an upbringing of do not boast for that with what you have been given

Or a sense of humility

But most of the people were not able to state the working of God’s gifts in their lives.

What was amazing is that we went around the circle and began to affirm one another in what we saw as the gifts given to each person and how it built up the body.

Empowered by the Spirit in the context of community.

Folks if you are questioning what gifts you have been given to serve the body. Have you asked fellow believers what they have seen in your life?

Recently in our church there has been a group of individuals with the gift of compassion and mercy begin to delivery bags to individuals within and without our church.

They are serving the church with a devotion driving by the Spirit within them to encourage one another.

Serving from the Gifts of the Spirit drives us to serve with devotion.

1 Peter 4:10–11 ESV

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Serving allows us to experience Joy and Peace

When we serve from a mindset of devotion it will come with Joy and peace.

We are serving God by using the gifts he has granted us and giving it back to him.

I am often puzzled by people who stop serving in a capacity in which they have been gifted by God to serve.

I have heard many reasons why they stop but when I look at scripture their reasons fall into the category of excuses.

I know there are seasons in life that will change your ability to use those gifts which God has given you, and I am not talking about those times.

I am talking of the people for one reason or another stop serving because just plain don’t want to.

Sometimes it has to do with a leader, or look what they did or said to me.

Sometimes it overlooking the gift and expecting other to step up to the plate and serve.

Afterall, I have been serving all these years, let someone else do it.

Sometimes it is just plain stubbornness.

Folks if you are in that camp, let me remind you who has given the gifts.

It’s not me, your pastor,

It’s not the leadership of the church,

It’s not the close friend and confident.

Ephesians 4:7 ESV

7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Christ, the head of the Body. His body ascended on high and gave out the gifts for His Glory, not mine, not yours.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be able to stand one day in the presence of my Lord and say without wavering without hesitation the way I stewarded the gifts he gave to me.

A good account,

gifts empowered by His Spirit

the gifts he has granted to me by His grace.

Nothing is more important to me.

Nothing is more important for you.

As your pastor, for me to see you using and exercising your gifts for his Glory brings peace and joy.

Matthew 25:40 ESV

40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Serving helps us to be more like Christ

As a disciple who is seeking to know God more, and desiring to be transformed into the image of Christ, serving His church does that.

Mark 10:45 ESV

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Is your devotion in serving like that of Christ?

Are you others focused or inward focused?

Serving allows us to experience God’s presence in new ways

Let me bring you in on a secret.

As an organization, the hardest committee that one can be on is the nomination committee.

But if the church is truly functioning as Christ would want and desire us to be, that should be the easiest committee to be on.

When people are placed in positions of their calling and giftedness rather than election or popularity it is truly amazing to See God at work.

Serving God in the church, the body will allow your to see God’s presence.

If you are struggling with your faith, let me ask you this. Where is your service?

Are you in a place of service that has become a drudgery?

Are you serving out of duty and the calling has left, but you still muster on knowing God’s leading you in another direction

Or are you serving out of devotion. Using the gifts, calling and abilities to bring glory and honor to Him.

Remember, God’s Gospel is embodied in what we call the local church.

Serving is a part of working out and showing the Gospel

Our purpose statement is

Our purpose is to glorify God while uniting as a family, training to spiritual maturity, serving in His Church and sharing Christ with others.

In this purpose as a local church we glorify God by

Uniting

Training

Serving

What do all these three have in common with one another.

They are all about US

We the Church

Inward focused.

The final and important purpose that we have as a church is the last part that brings honor and glory to God

Sharing Christ with Others. We are the church to the world

Many years ago I read this story or metaphor and it so distinctly reminds me that if the church does only the first three we are not fully fulfilling what God has asked us to do.

The Story goes this way

Life Saving Station

On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur, there was once a crude little lifesaving station. The building was no more than a hut, and there was only one boat; but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea. With no thought for themselves, they went out day and night, tirelessly searching for the lost. Some of those who were saved, and various others in the surrounding area, wanted to be associated with the station and give their time, money, and effort to support the work. New boats were bought and new crews trained. The little lifesaving station grew.

Some of these new members of the lifesaving station were unhappy that the building was so crude and poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those who were saved from the sea. They replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in the enlarged building. Now the lifesaving station became a popular gathering place for its members, and they decorated it beautifully and furnished it exquisitely because they used it as sort of a club. Fewer members were not interested in going to sea on lifesaving missions, so they hired lifeboat crews to do this work. The lifesaving motif still prevailed in this club's decoration, and there was a memorial lifeboat in the room where the club initiations were held.

About this time a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boatloads of cold, wet, half-drowned people. They were dirty and sick, and some of them were foreigners. The beautiful new club was in chaos. Immediately, the property committee hired someone to rig up a shower house outside the club, where victims of shipwrecks could be cleaned up before coming inside.

At the next meeting, there was a split in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club's lifesaving activities because they felt they were unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. A small number of members insisted upon lifesaving as their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a lifesaving station. The small group's members were voted down and told that if they wanted to save lives, they could begin their own lifesaving station down the coast.

They did.

As the years went by, however, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old station. It evolved into a club, and yet another lifesaving station was founded. History continued to repeat itself, and if you visit that seacoast today, you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that shore.

Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the passengers drown.

As Disciples of Jesus, our primary task is to go and make disciples. (See Matthew 28:19.) To put it another way, we are to go and save lives. Unfortunately, we sometimes forget our purpose. We need to recover our passion for lifesaving. We need to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. (See James 1:22.)

Sharing Christ

What does sharing Christ look like for you?

Is it the words you say to another as you share what Christ has done in your life?

Is it your actions that you live out with your co-workers or neighbors.

Do we struggle with the phrase, “Share Christ with others”

In that struggle are we afraid of saying the wrong thing or not being able to answer that tough question a unbeliever throws at us?

How do we as a church approach evangelism?

Can it be boiled down to a procedure, a way, or that is left up to the pastor. He is the one we pay to evangelize.

Do we struggle when we see others so easily talk about Christ with anyone they talk to, while we struggle to figure out how to bring up the subject with someone we have known for years.

Mark Dever in his book the nine marks of a healthy church takes a whole chapter on defining what evangelism should look like in a healthy church.

He answers the what, who, why and how we are to evangelize as a church.

What is clear is that a healthy church is one that is know by one that evangelize.

The exciting thing about this topic and that of our purpose statement can be found in our Big Idea for next week.

If you have carefully read the weekly email, and or have not been around two weeks ago, you would have noticed that the stated Big Idea in the email was not today’s topic.

I missed communicating with the email to update the Part two, but what it did give you a sneak preview into next weeks big idea

We will be looking next week into this very subject.

You see church, when we have done the first three things of our purpose statement well, it will compel us to want to reach out to others with the Gospel.

Conclusion

Response to worship

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