01-30-2022 - Sermon - Small Church - Big Heart

OPENING

Back on the first Sunday of January we had a Church Membership Ceremony where several came forward to join the church. If you recall, as part of that ceremony, we reviewed a Statement of Faith, or a list of our core beliefs. And one of those Statements covered what we called the Mission of the Church. I want to take a look again at that statement:

The Mission of the Church: We believe that the Church is the Body of Christ and is made up of all believers who have been saved by faith in Jesus Christ and that every believer is an integral part of the mission of the Church which is to (1) worship God, (2) evangelize the lost by spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, (3) build and edify the body of Christ, and (4) meet human needs with Godly love and compassion.

Now each of these is included in our overall mission of “Knowing Jesus and Making Jesus Known.” And we have covered the first three areas in some way, shape, or form in previous messages: Worship, Evangelism, and Discipleship. So today, in the final message in this series, we are going to focus on area no. 4: Outreach.

The title of today’s message is “Small Church - Big Heart.” In other words, we might be small in number compared to some churches, but we don’t want to be only measured by the number on our attendance record, but we want to be measured by the size of our heart. And so, in addition to Worship, Evangelism, and Discipleship, we want to be known for our Outreach into the community and meeting people’s needs with Godly love and compassion. And as we continue to grow spiritually and numerically, as we grow from a small church, to a medium church, to a big church, we also want our giving and outreach ministry to grow exponentially.

SCRIPTURE

Luke 6:38 NKJV

38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

MESSAGE

Wall’s Pharmacy

It was December 1931. Ted and Dorothy Hustead had bought a small drugstore in the town of Wall, South Dakota. People had warned them that this was Godforsaken country. The truth is, there were only 326 people who called Wall home and most, if not all, of them were poor. They were a farming community and most had either been wiped out by the Depression or drought.

Business at the drugstore was almost non-existent. But Ted and Dorothy were determined to make their little store successful. So they set a goal of five years. If within five years, their store hadn’t grown, then they would consider whether to continue, or sell out and move on.

By the time the summer of 1936 rolled around, not much had changed. They were still barely getting by. There were only a few months remaining in their five year trial. So it was decision time. What were they going to do?

One hot afternoon in July, Dorothy left the store to Ted and went to put their two children down for a nap. An hour later Dorothy came back in the store. Ted asked, “Too hot to sleep?” Dorothy said, “No, I’ve been laying there listening to all the cars passing by on Route 16A and I think I have an idea how we can get all those travelers to come to our store.”

Dorothy asked Ted, “What do all those travelers really want after driving across that hot prairie? They’re thirsty. They want water. Ice cold water! We’ve got plenty of ice and water. Why don’t we put up some signs on the highway telling people to come here for free ice water? I even made up a few lines for the sign: Get a soda…Get a root beer…turn next corner…just as near…to Highway 16 and 14…Free ice water…Wall Drug.”

Over the next couple weeks they made signs. Each phrase of Dorothy’s poem went on a 12”x36” sign board. Ted and his son went out one weekend and spaced the boards out along the side of the highway so people could read them as they drove by. Before they finished putting up all the signs, people had already started showing up for their free ice water.

For hours they struggled to keep up with number of customers that were coming into the store for free ice water. Free ice water turned into orders for ice cream cones and other items. Almost instantaneously, Wall Drug was on the map.

Today Wall Drug is a thriving tourist attraction. More than 2 million customers pass through their store every year. All because Ted and Dorothy had the vision, and one God-inspired idea, to take something they had plenty of, and give it away to people who needed it. Something as simple as free ice water was the catalyst to their eventual success!

Ted Hustead later wrote this: “Free ice water. It brought us Hustead’s a long way and it taught me my greatest lesson, and that’s there’s absolutely no place on God’s earth that is Godforsaken. No matter where you live, you can succeed, because wherever you are, you can reach out to other people with something that they need!”

That’s really what this message is all about today. Reminding us that God has given each and every one of us something that someone else needs. And His Word encourages us to give. God is a giver. “For God so loved the World that He gave...” Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve and to “give His life as a ransom for many.” If we’re truly focused on “Knowing Jesus and Making Jesus Known,” we are going to have a heart of giving too!

The Principle of Sowing and Reaping

In our Scripture text from Luke 6, Jesus says that His blessing toward you is directly proportional to your willingness to give it away. “With the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” In other words, what size measuring cup are you using to pour out blessings to someone else? If you’re using a 1/4 cup, you can expect God to measure your blessings in 1/4 cup increments. If you’re using a 5 gallon bucket, you can expect God to measure your blessings in 5 gallon increments.

This is God’s Economic Plan. The more you are willing to use the resources that God blesses you with to bless others and further God’s Kingdom, the more He entrusts you with. Paul puts it this way:

2 Corinthians 9:6–7 NKJV

6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

The message in these verses is very clear. If you sow a little bit, you will reap a little bit. If you sow a whole bunch, you will reap a whole bunch. God responds in proportion to our faith. And the level of our faith is measured in our willingness to use the resources God has blessed us with for His glory.

Let’s pause here and talk about the dimensions of giving. Up to this point a lot of you have seen nothing but dollar signs and $20 bills flying out of your wallets. Money is certainly involved in giving, and financial giving is very important, but it is not the only type of giving. We also give of other resources like our talents, our abilities and our time. Time is actually a more valuable resource than money. And when we are willing to give of our time to others, to have a meaningful conversation when they’re lonely, to give them a word of encouragement when they’re down, to prepare a meal when they’re hungry, to work on a project around their house when they are physically unable, or any number of other things, we are fulfilling Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves and fulfilling the spirit of giving.

True giving, whatever it is, must come from your heart. It is not about what you give, it is about how you give it. It is not about the amount of your gift, it is about the size of your heart. Stop looking at the glass half empty. Don’t focus on what you see is your inability to give and just simply be faithful with what God has given you. Look at what Jesus said about the poor widow:

Mark 12:41–44 NKJV

41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

Small things can make a big difference. Remember, if Jesus can take a couple fish and a few loaves of bread and feed 5000 hungry men plus their wives and children, God can take every mite, every penny, every dollar, every minute, every hour, every meal, every word of encouragement, every hospital visit, and multiply it a million times over! Don’t place limits on what God can do through you by sowing sparingly instead of bountifully!

It’s not what you give, it’s how you give it. The widow woman gave out of the abundance of her heart. It wasn’t the amount she gave that was important. It was about the fact she was willing to give everything she had.

And notice that nobody forced her to give. She gave because she wanted to give. Paul said, “God loves a cheerful giver.” If you’re going to moan and groan about it you might as well keep that $5 bill in your pocket. Because it is not going to do you any good. But if you give cheerfully, I don’t care if all you have to give is a single plug nickel, God sees your heart and He will honor your faith and He will bless you with what you have need of according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus!

The Principle of the Least of These

You’ve probably heard me make this statement as we’re preparing to take up the tithes and offering, “Give as you would unto the Lord.” I know it’s old school and sounds a little cliche, but there is truth in that statement and the Word of God backs it up:

Matthew 25:31–40 NKJV

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

When we give, it is as if what we are doing we are doing for the Lord Himself. The Bible tells us, “Whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. for you serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24). When we feed the hungry, we are glorifying God. When we give clothes to the homeless, we are glorifying God. When we visit and pray for the sick, we are glorifying God. When we visit those in prison and share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them, we are glorifying God. Who are the “least of these” that God has put in your path. Who are the “least of these” that God has put in Farm Hill Church’s path?

If we are true believers in Christ, and have been born again, we will want to love our neighbors as ourselves. In fact, we will want to “esteem others better than ourselves.” The Apostle John put it this way:

1 John 3:17 NKJV

17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

CLOSING

Remember our story of Wall Drug? One God-inspired idea changed Ted and Dorothy Hustead’s lives forever. The tourist attraction that Wall Drug is today is a testimony to their dedication, determination, and willingness to step out on faith and give away what others needed.

The same it true with us today. I keep saying that I feel like something good is about to happen. I feel like some of us have all but lost hope at times in the past that this church would ever return to its former glory. But I’m here to tell you, I’m expecting greater things. Greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city and in this church. God is not done yet. He’s just getting started. All it takes is one God-inspired idea, coupled with a little bit of faith, and a whole lot of prayer to ignite a revival!

As your pastor, I could not be more proud of the heart of our church and what our small group has been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time. I have no complaints in the giving department. God has blessed our tithes and offerings. We have a food pantry. We have given out care packages to the homeless. We blessed a family and their children during Christmas. You guys have gone above and beyond for Ana-Lois and our family. I am amazed at what God is already doing through you!

But I know God is not done yet. Small Church - Big Heart. But I told you I have a big vision for this church. We might fall into the category of Small Church today, but as we grow into a medium church, and then a Big Church, and then a Bigger Church, and then a Super-size Church, we need to make sure that our giving continues to grow exponentially.

I’m looking at some Living Stones this morning that are being built up into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, that are offering up spiritual sacrifices to God. I see a group of people who are passionate about “Knowing Jesus and Making Jesus Known.” I see a group of people who have decided that they want to be a place “Where the Presence of God is Present.” I see a group of people who have bought into the message “Come As You Are and Leave Better Than You Came.” And I see a group of people that have a heart to give of the resources God has blessed you with in order to bless others and further His Kingdom.

Maybe all it is going to take is one God-inspired idea to set the wheels in motion for the growth we’ve been craving and praying for. What is the next God-inspired idea? Is it something as simple as free ice water? Is it something as simple as handing out popsicles at the park on a hot summer day? Is it organizing a work day at a neighbor’s house that is in need of repair? Is it finding ways to put our God-given talents and abilities into use for the Kingdom of God? Is it sacrificing our time or other resources for others?

ALTAR CALL

What has God called you to do?

Are you fulfilling that calling?

When is the last time you gave until it hurt?

What is going to be the next God-inspired idea that could change our momentum?

Are you ready for what’s next?