The Horizontal Shift Series

The Horizontal Shift

(Romans 12:3-8)

1.A customer walked into my clothing shop and asked to see the pants that were advertised in the paper that day. “We don’t have an ad in the paper today,” I told her. She insisted I was wrong, so I got a copy of the paper, and we went through it, eventually landing on an ad for pants from another local store. Exasperated, the customer glared at me and said, “In my newspaper, the ad was for this store!” —[source: Edward Oppenheimer, rd.com].

2. Some people are so proud they cannot admit they are wrong. And, when you have to deal closely with such people, it can be rough. Even in a church fellowship.

3. The great theological truths of Romans 1-11 culminate with our response, presenting the members of our body to God to serve him with a surrendered will. Now we turn 90 degrees, and our text discusses presenting ourselves as members of the Body of Christ to serve one another.

2. I call this the horizontal shift. And although we are to do good for all, the emphasis is upon doing good toward our fellow Christians in the context of a local congregation, what we call Body Life.

3. Jesus refused to separate 2 Great Commandments from one another. Loving God was and is first, but in same breath we need to remember that includes loving others, especially in the Body of Christ.

Main Idea: Being a disciple of Jesus Christ demands us to surrender in two directions: vertically toward God and then horizontally to serve fellow citizens of the Kingdom. We cannot choose just one.

I. To Serve My Fellow Christians Well, I Must Habitually REIN in Arrogance and Evaluate Myself REASONABLY (3).

A. We must CHECK our tendency to think too highly of ourselves (3a).

Moses was called the most humble man on the earth. Yet even he had pride issues. He became so angry at the people that he disobeyed God and struck the rock when he was supposed to speak to it. This was an instance when Moses failed to control his pride, and he was disciplined for it (Num 20:11).

B. We must aim for an HONEST evaluation of ourselves (3b).

1. Real humility is connected to what we are willing to remember about ourselves and ponder.

2. People who put themselves down in an effort to become humble are often the most arrogant. It is facing the truth that should humble a person. Beating yourself up in an attempt at humility is in essence saying “I have to make myself humble because if I face the truth I will be arrogant.”

3. “Humble people do not think poorly about themselves, they just don’t focus on themselves.”

4. A good memory of our own faults and failings, and choosing to remember them – can go a long way toward making us humble. Self-honesty Vs. our auto-correct memory is what we need.

C. This evaluation should be based upon our ACTUAL maturity in the Lord (3c).

1. Spiritual giftedness does not equate to spiritual maturity.

2. Here, and in I Corinthians, when Paul discusses spiritual gifts, he always brings up the trap of pride, and the need to focus on loving others, not exalting ourselves.

3. What is the “measure of faith?” The faith? Personal trust? Faithfulness? Perhaps all three.

4. Spiritual maturity and emotional maturity: Young adults are often idealistic and sometimes arrogant, this is typical. Some people do not grow up, either emotionally or spiritually.

II. To Serve My Local Church, I Must ACCEPT That I Am Needed and that I Need OTHERS to Be Complete (4-5).

A. We are meant to pool our individual STRENGTHS for a stronger whole.

When I was a boy, doctors routinely removed tonsils at the slightest sign of trouble, because they believed that tonsils severed on function. We now know that they help the immune system, and we are better off with them, unless they become a real problem.

The more varied body we have – even the ones in the background -- the better the body.

B. We BELONG to one another in the sense that we are to serve one another.

1. We should do some serving but also welcoming of service.

2. Pride shows if we think we are above serving, or we are willing to give but not receive.

3. We have to fight the anonymity syndrome (spectators).

III. Rather Than Hesitating, I Must Use My Gifts to Serve Others ZESTFULLY (6-8).

A. We have graciously-given gifts that differ in NATURE and INTENSITY.

Sometimes the idea of gifts refers to ongoing qualities or enablements we have; sometimes is refers to instances, such as “gifts of healing.” There are gifts that help determine our functions within the body (as in this context), and then there are instances of giftedness that come and go.