A Caring Church by Sharing with the World

Intro:

AG: Robert Henry went to a large discount store one evening to buy a pair of binoculars. As he walked up to the counter he noticed he was the only customer in the area. Behind the counter were two salespersons. One was talking on the phone and refused to acknowledge him. The other was at the end of the counter, unloading merchandise.

Robert became very impatient and walked to the end of the counter where the salesperson was and asked for help. She said, “You got a number?” “I got a what?” asked Robert. “You got a number? You gotta have a number.”

Robert replied, “Lady, I’m the only customer in the store! I don’t need a number. Can’t you see how ridiculous this is?” But the lady insisted Robert take a number before agreeing to wait on him. It was obvious she was more interested in following certain procedures or rules than helping a customer.

So Robert took a number from the machine. It was number 37. He walked back to the lady. The saleslady looked at her number counter, which revealed the last customer who had been waited on was number 34. She called out, “Number 35...number 36...number 37.” Robert said, “I’m number 37.” “May I help you?” asked the lady without cracking a smile. “No,” said Robert as he turned and walked away.

TS: We have looked at our motivation, Loving God and Loving our neighbors, and our mission, make disciple. Now we are examining how to flesh it out as we seek to be a caring church.

Some churches do a good job as they preach the word and emphasize the gospel. Other churches do a great job at loving and caring for those inside the body. Still others emphasize the people outside the church.

The problem is when a church does only one of the three. Our vision is to follow Christ’s example and teaching by doing all three.

We cannot merely come here every week and discuss truth.

We cannot ignore truth and just love each other.

We cannot ignore truth and each other just to care for people in the world. Anything less than all the above, ignores part of Christ’s example and teaching.

RS: We are a caring church:

By Honoring God

By loving each other

By sharing with the World

We share with the world as we:

I. PRACTICE HOSPITALITY (1 PETER 4:9-10)

1 Peter 4:9–10 ESV

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:

1 Peter 4 speaks about Christian conduct when suffering unjustly.

In verses 9-10 Peter encourages Christians to continue to do two things essential to community:

show hospitality

use spiritual gifts for others.

Hospitality translates a word that means to “love strangers.”

For many new converts when they broke away from the old crowd, they often lost family, friends, and even jobs.

They needed someone to warmly receive them at their time of loss.

Traveling missionaries were dependent on Christians opening their home to them to stay.

Jesus taught in Matthew 25:35 and 38 that those who welcomed fellow Christians who were strangers welcomed Him.

This was just as risky and costly in that day as today.

Some took advantage of it in sinful ways.

Some lazy Christians overstayed their welcome.

Some lived off the charity of the body

Yet Peter added “...without grumbling”

Hospitality was one of the key building blocks in the first century which tied the churches together. It is still crucial today for building community.

Hospitality is how we can welcome newcomers.

In light of this very practical love, we build community by using our spiritual gifts.

Peter states that every Christian has a spiritual gift.

A spiritual gift is an enablement which helps God’s people when it is used.

The gift is for the benefit of others not you.

We are merely stewards of God’s gift!

One day God will audit our use of that gift.

Hospitality and using one’s gift for others are ways Christians can build a caring community.

We share with the world as we practice hospitality and :

II. SHOW KINDNESS (1 THESS. 5:15)

1 Thessalonians 5:15 ESV

See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

In the last half of chapter 5, Paul portrays the church as the family of God.

Words Paul used: brother, sister, and brotherhood

The fact that we belong to the same family affects our behavior toward one another.

Paul writes:

In verse 14 we see a list of the church’s problems:

the lazy, the fearful, and those finding it difficult to live moral, disciplined lives.

He tells the church to hold on to them. Put your arm around them, and do not let them go. Be patient with them.

He moves on in verse 15 to general behavior by the entire church family.

retaliation and revenge are forbidden by followers of Jesus.

We must aim to be kind and do what is best.

This action applies to Christians and non- Christians (everyone!).

We call ourselves Christians. We follow the One Who refused to hit back when He was whipped and crucified.

Sadly, it is a reality of life that at times, people will hurt others (accidentally or not).

We must resist the urge to seek revenge!

Paul says we must cultivate patience, restrain retaliation, and pursue kindness in order to build community.

In a heavily wooded area, on the side of a mountain, a young preacher pitched a tent and prepared for a few days of solitude and spiritual renewal with God and his Bible. He needed this time of prayer and reflection. In the early morning hours of the second night he was suddenly awakened by the sound of scratching on the floor of the tent. By the light of the moon he was able to distinguish the cause: a skunk had entered the tent and was rummaging through his belongings.

Within arm’s reach was a sturdy club he had used the previous day for hiking. The skunk was distracted, so he at least had a chance of clubbing it in the head before it saw the blow coming. However, on further reflection, he chose to do nothing. He lay there very quietly, not moving or making a sound. Suppose I do strike it on the head, killing it instantly, he speculated. It could still, in its dying act, ruin my tent and everything in it—not to mention make me feel bad and smell bad for days!

So the preacher determined he had nothing to lose, and perhaps everything to gain, by just remaining still. After a few minutes the skunk realized there was nothing for him in the strange location and he walked away—having done absolutely no harm at all. The preacher, breathing a sigh of relief that he had been spared a most unpleasant incident, returned to his peaceful slumber—happy he had not “created a stink” by foolishly defending himself, or initiating an attack against this foul critter who had invaded his space.

When some foul creature invades your space intent on rummaging through your life, actions, or motives, human nature says, “Clobber them!”

The wiser course, however, may be to be patient, refuse to retaliate, and instead do them good. Otherwise that skunk may wind up stinking up the place.

WE share with the world as we practice hospitality, show kindness, as as we.....

III. SHARE THE GOSPEL (JOHN 4:9-14)

John 4:9–14 ESV

The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

God’s love is for all people.

When we embrace the gospel it not only involves our relationship with God but with others too.

The story of the Samaritan woman at the well serves as an example:

A rabbi talking to a woman was unheard of.

Add to that the racism which normally separated Jews and Samaritans makes this an outrageously tall tale in the eyes of the world.

Jesus didn’t let any human difference nor prejudice stop Him from sharing the gospel in love

He changed her life and through her the life of that community!

IL: Water

Jesus compared the things we try to satisfy our souls with to water

It quenches thirst for a while, but is temporary

Jesus offered her living water which would permanently satisfy

He referred to eternal life through being born again!

ONLY the gospel will transform and meet the need of every human soul.

Over and over when the gospel is shared people are gathered into a new community.

Peter preaches at

Pentecost in Acts 2 and 3,000 people are saved.

They gathered every day in the temple to be taught and in houses where they fellowshipped and broke bread together.

In every city where Paul shared the gospel and people were saved, he formed them into a church to care for one another and continue sharing the gospel.

What you see happening in sharing the gospel is people are born again into the family of God

sins are forgiven

lives are changed

A community of faith grows (the local church!)

The vertical relationship is glorified by the way the horizontal relationship treats one another.

Sharing the gospel forms a new people.

A church which shares the gospel conveys to its community that it cares about what God cares about.

God loves all people.

A church which shares the gospel gives hope to a community that a new life is possible.

So many have given up hope; they thirst for something true and loving.

Sharing the gospel proves we seek to develop a community which embraces and includes everyone who God loves.

Sharing the gospel will give us a heart for God and for one another and for all those God loves. Look at all the care you have received because a church shared the gospel!

WE share with the world as we practice hospitality, show kindness, share the gospel and as as we..

IV. GIVE OF YOURSELF (PHIL. 2:25-30)

Philippians 2:25–30 ESV

I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

One example of Christian care Paul holds before the church of humble service is Epaphroditus. The passage describes a person who places himself at the disposal of the church because of his concern for others:

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He gave his energy serving the needs of Paul,

He put the church’s needs before his own.

He was trustworthy.

Epaphroditus discharged his task of being the church’s messenger and minister to Paul.

When Epaphroditus was ill what distressed him was not his sickness, which almost took his life, but that it caused the church to worry over him.

Epaphroditus was “all in” as he served GOD

Like a gambler who bets every dime, holding nothing back, this man gave everything to carry out his assignment by the church to care for Paul.

No wonder Paul admonishes the church to honor such men.

We must give our all in serving others

There are people right here in our community who need a loving touch

There are widows and orphans

There are the homeless people

There are hurting people

Conclusion:

As believers and a church, we must be focused on others

Show we care as we share with the world by:

practicing hospitality

showing kindness

sharing the gospel

giving of ourselves