`Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10
Theme: What We Owe
Title: What We Owe The Church
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
What a joy it is to be with all of you today!
A couple of weeks ago we looked at “What we Owe the World/Others”. In doing so we examine the reality that We Owe
+Others/World – The witness that we have experienced a personal supernatural encounter with the LORD – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That we have been rescued and redeemed by the blood of Jesus and we have been filled with the Holy Spirit.
+Others/World – A living example of a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led life; a life in which the Holy Spirit continually falls upon a person and works with and through them.
+Others/World - Sharing of the Positive message of Salvation and Sanctification – the message of how we can live free of the power and penalty of sin. The positive message of what it means to bear the fruit, the gifts and the graces of the Holy Spirit in our lives each day. The positive message that we serve a Good God who wants us to enjoy an abundant life here today and forever on the New Heaven and New Earth.
This morning, I would like for us to continue on that same track of thinking only not looking at what we owe the world but what we as individuals and as a corporate body owe the Church. By using the word Church I do not mean a certain geographic building, but Church meaning the entire body of Christ that exists in our world today.
According the latest count the number of the body of Christ in our world is nearing 2.4 – 2.5 billion people. That means that almost 1/3rd of everyone in the world has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and LORD and have received the Holy Spirit in their lives.
That is good news. In fact, that is great news. We are living in a time when the message of Salvation is going to every corner of the world. Over 100 million people in China have received Jesus as their Savior and LORD. Despite the fact that the Church is undergoing some very stiff persecution it is growing. The same could be said in India where over 30 million have received Jesus as their Savior and LORD.
The Apostle Paul in his letters pointed out that as Christ followers we owe a debt to one another. That debt has to do with how we are living out our everyday lives for Christ. To get what I mean, listen to how Paul praises the church of Thessalonica on how they are living for Christ and how their example is helping others.
“1 Thessalonians 1:4-10 English Standard Version (ESV)
4 For we know, brothers[a] loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
The believers, the congregations that were around the area called Macedonia (Philippi, Berea, Corinth, Amphipolis, Neopolis etc…) were encouraged by the everyday witness of the Thessalonian Christians. These Thessalonian Christians were living out what it meant to be a true Christ follower. Their example encouraged and inspired all those around Macedonia to live a life of holiness. They had shown firsthand what it meant to live Presence Driven.
The same thing happens today. When we see a church building in a new neighborhood it gives us encouragement. When we see or hear about a church building an addition or hear about a revival going on somewhere it brings us encouragement and strength. When we see a church lot filled with cars or see children or teens gathered together for a time of worship it brings joy to all of our hearts. When we read stories of the great things God is doing all around an area it brings hope and joy to our hearts.
For it lets us know that we are not isolated little blocks of Christ followers. It reaffirms that we are a part of a great body of believers. It affirms that we serve a God who in interesting in co-operating with us to transform the world.
So, with all that in mind what exactly do we owe the Church, what do we owe one another as fellow believers this morning?
1. Being available – accessible to the LORD
Over and over again throughout both the Old and New Testament we see how God was able to work with people who were available; who made themselves accessible to Him. One of the most wonderful truths for all of us this morning is this little fact:
Our God does not need people with ability but people who are available, who make themselves accessible.
God is all Powerful. He has all the ability in the world. We know that God doesn’t need anything or anyone. He is complete. He is perfect. But God has chosen for us humans to co-operate with Him in sharing the message of Salvation and in transforming all of creation.
In the beginning God could have simply formed the earth, planted the garden and created all the other life. He could have then have left creation to take care of itself. He could have made the earth to be self-supporting never needing any tending or human beings at all.
But that is not how God created. On the six day of creation, God created human beings. God created us in His image and we were given the task of taking care of His Earth. We were given the task of making the whole planet look, smell, taste and feel like the Garden of Eden which was the Temple of God here on the earth. We were given the task of bringing Heaven to Earth.
That is still our task today thanks to Our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus defeated the powers of sin/evil and paid the penalty of our sin. Jesus did all of that on the Cross of Calvary. And He did even more. He came so that we could be rescued and redeemed and filled with His Holy Spirit and therefore be able to be continuously anointed/led by His Holy Spirit.
That anointing gives us the power, ability and authority to transform His Earth to once again look like Heaven. The Lord wants to co-operate with and through us to make our Earth feel like, smell like, taste like and sounds like Heaven. That is the message and mission of God’s People Today.
But in order to fulfill that mission we have to be available. We have to make ourselves accessible to the LORD. For example we have to be like Gideon and Esther.
Gideon lived in a time when the earth was being filled with violence and sin. God’s people were under great persecution. Their mission for the LORD was being stopped. Both they and the rest of the world needed a savior. They needed someone who wanted to work with God and make a difference.
The LORD sent an angel to get Gideon’s attention and then the LORD invited Gideon to help Him. Now, Gideon was not the brightest, the strongest nor the wisest man around. But he did have one thing to offer God – his availability.
God took Gideon’s availability and empowered him to raise up an army. An army that with God’s help defeated Israel’s enemies and allowed the People of God to live in peace. It was God’s intention that through that time of peace that the message of God’s salvation would be spread all over the land of Israel and beyond.
None of that would have happened if Gideon had not made himself available. None of that would have happened if those who followed Gideon’s example had not made themselves available. The victory was won through people making themselves available and accessible to the LORD.
We see Queen Esther in a similar situation. She was not the wisest woman nor was she the strongest woman in Persia. She may have very well been the most beautiful woman but even then her beauty was a gift from God.
What made Esther different than a lot of other people was she made herself available to the LORD. Even when she was a little unsure and afraid for her life she put herself in God’s hands to work with Him. The Bible tells us that God worked with Esther to bring about the destruction of a great evil. Satan thought he paved the way for all of God’s People to be destroyed.
Now, just because Satan maneuvers a way to destroy people doesn’t mean that it will happen. The Devil is always doing his best to create chaos, discord and disharmony. He enjoys stealing, lying and murder. Those things are like candy to him.
But as we read the story, the LORD worked with Esther to stop Satan’s plans. In fact, the LORD worked with Esther not only to stop the Devil’s plans but to destroy those who wanted all the Jews dead. Together, God and Esther made a way.
In both cases (Gideon and Esther) we see what can happen when a person makes themselves available to the LORD. We can see how God can radically change history. We can see how God can transform a nation and bring salvation, joy and peace.
Today, God’s Church doesn’t need the strongest, the wisest or the greatest to be victorious. God can provide all of that in mere moments. What God and the Church needs are people who are accessible and who are available to work with God.
All of this leads us to ask ourselves some questions:
1. Are we available and accessible to the LORD?
2. Can we put down our own personal agenda and pick up God’s agenda?
3. Are we ready to work with the LORD in whatever means and wherever He wants to work with us or do we expect God to work inside our box, our schedule, our will and our way?
II. Being a Servant For the LORD and Others
Our world, the one that exists so proudly outside of the Church and sadly at times even inside the Church is one that measures success in how many people serve you.
The world considers you successful if you are so popular that people buy your line of clothing, buy your songs, watch you on TV, go to your movies or do everything they can to imitate you.
You are considered successful if you have enough money that allows you to control other people’s lives as they work for you, serve you and take care of your needs. You are considered successful if you can make others do what you want them to do. That is the way of the world but that is not the way of Jesus nor of His followers.
Jesus’ modeled a radically different lifestyle. Jesus believed in agape love and in a life of service.
“Whoever wants to be first must take last place and the servant of everyone else.” – Mark 9:35
Gideon and Esther are great examples of what it means to be available.
Who is the Bible is a great example of service; of being a servant for others?
I believe that Ruth is one of the greatest examples of what it means to be a true servant.
Listen again to her words recorded in Ruth chapter one as she tries her best to tell Naomi how much she loves her and wants to take care of her.
“Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die – there will I be buried. May the LORD do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!” (Ruth 1:16 – 17)
Wow! Let those words sink into your soul for a moment. Those were not the words of a wife to a husband or a husband to a wife. Those were not the words of a mother to a child or even a child to a mother.
Those were the words of a woman to her mother-in-law; a woman who was drastically different than her. Ruth’s came from a different county, her skin tones were different, her native language was different and she came from a different social background.
The Torah states that Ruth was the granddaughter of Eglon, the king of Moab. That meant that Ruth was a princess. She had been raised in royalty. She knew what it meant to have her every need met. She knew what it meant to have other people follow her orders. She knew what it meant to have servants taking care of her every need.
But now she was ready to go to Israel to a country where her kind (Moabites) were hated and despised. She was ready to return to live a life of poverty for that is where Naomi found herself. When Naomi lost her husband and her children she lost everything. She was going back to Israel penniless.
All Naomi could hope for is that someone would take pity on her back home. All she could hope for was charity for in her grief and depression she was unable to work. Left on her own Naomi would no doubt have died within a few weeks or months.
Out of a heart of amazing love, Ruth took off her princess clothes and put on some servant clothes. She left her life of royalty and servants and returned with Naomi. She had never known what it meant to scratch around the dirt to pick up left behind kernels of wheat and grain. She had never known what it meant to work by the sweat of her brow all day long for a little bread to eat.
I can imagine it was not easy to go from being a princess to being poverty stricken. I can’t imagine it was easy to be spit on, cursed at and ignored because you were a Moabite living in the land of Israel. I can’t imagine it was easy doing everything she could to do enough to provide a little bread each day for her and Naomi. There were no grand parties to wear her former clothes. There was no one fixing her hair or fixing her nails so that she go out to a party.
Ruth choose a different life out of love. She could have gone back to her grandpa the king. No doubt, he would have provided her with a lavish home and perhaps even a new husband. Her grandpa would have provided for her the life she had always known; a life full of wealth, possessions, parties and good times.
But love is an amazing thing. It can cause us to put away the crowns, the princess dresses and grab a servant’s dress and work long hours out in the heat to just have some bread to eat. It causes us to do all we can to help others.
Jesus tells us that this is the life of those who want to follow Him. We are called to a life being a servant to one another. We can see all of this fleshed out in the New Testament in the lives of Luke, Timothy, Titus and Epaphroditus and how they did their best to help the Apostle Paul. We see a life of servant hood being fleshed out in the lives of Dorcas and Lydia as they did everything they could to help the poor, the innocent and the widows that lived around them.
It doesn’t mean that we must live in abject poverty. Abraham was a servant and yet he was one of the richest men living at his time. He generously gave to others. He had time for others. He prayed for others. He shared his spiritual blessings with others and he did everything he could to help others. The same is true of King David. He too was a very rich man and yet as you read his life you see how much that David did for all those around him. The same could be said for Daniel and many others.
Each one of us who have been transformed by Jesus are called to this type of life. We are called to serve one another. We are called to do all we can to help someone else enjoy a better life. We are called to help one another experience what Jesus calls the Abundant Life.
Paul reminds us in Romans 12:10 The Message (MSG)
9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
The Apostle Peter puts it this way:
1 Peter 4:10-11 The Message (MSG)
7-11 Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!
All of this leads us to asking ourselves some more questions -
1. Are we living the life of a servant or a boss?
2. Are we looking for how others can serve us or how we can serve others?
3. Are we helping someone else live a better life?
All of our questions this morning can cause us to take some time and think
1. Are we accessible to the LORD?
2. Are we living the life of a servant?
Those are not bad questions – the more we live for Jesus and live a life of a Spirit-filled Person the more we will be able to answer those questions in positive fashions. Let’s be challenged this morning to allow the Holy Spirit to work through our lives that we as individuals, as families and as a Church can be what the Church of Thessalonica was to the area surrounding it – a witness of God’s love, a Church that is both greatly accessible to the LORD and a Church that is known for its service to Others.
Open Altar/Communion/Prayer/Blessing
