Frogs Or Lizards?

“FROGS OR LIZARDS” Matthew 18:16-20

FBCF – 7/23/23

Jon Daniels

INTRO – My wife hates frogs & lizards. That’s not a good thing for 2 mischievous 3 yr-old grandsons to know!

Question: Are we a “frog” church or a “lizard” church? FBC, B’haven literally was a lizard church! When I was Youth Minister there, once during a morning worship service, a lizard came out on railing in front of congregation. Pastor handed me his handkerchief & made me catch it & take it outside!

Truth is that it is better to be a lizard church than a frog church. According to an article in SBC Life, “frog” churches are churches that “sit fat & complacent on their lily pads & wait for the world to come to them.”

- Great programs, staff, facilities, people

- “Y’all come!” mentality

These churches are becoming a thing of the past. Churches that have this mindset & stay in this mindset will miss out on all that God desires for them to accomplish for His Kingdom.

“Lizard” churches on the other hand are churches that “adapt to their surroundings & aggressively pursue converts…they are willing to do change their colors & expend enormous amounts of energy to bring the lost into the family of God…it’s a ‘whatever it takes’ attitude.”

- Still have great programs, staff, facilities, people

- But instead of “Y’all come”, it’s “Let’s go!”

Truthfully, churches like ours run the risk of becoming a “frog” church.

- Been here a long time

- Well-established in community

- Strong financially (NO reason whatsoever for us to be behind in our budge!)

- Strong programming

- Strong heritage

- THE Baptist church in town

- Don’t want things to change, both in community & in church

I’m so thankful for all that God has done & is doing in this HIS church. Don’t believe that we are a “frog” church. But there is always the possibility that we could slip into a “frog” church mentality if we don’t stay vigilant & guard against it.

So how do we avoid being a “frog” church & be the “lizard” church that God wants us to be? 3 principles from our passage:

OBEY – v. 16

Do you see the obedience in the disciples’ lives in this verse? Jesus said go to Galilee & to the mountain & that’s what they did: They went where He told them to go.

- Matthew 26:32 – Jesus told Peter, “after I have arisen, I will go ahead of into Galilee.”

- Matthew 28:7 – Angel told women who went to tomb to go & tell the disciples & remind them that Jesus would be in Galilee.

- Matthew 28:10 – Jesus Himself met the women & said, “…Go & tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

If the disciples had not obeyed Jesus & had skipped out on going to Galilee, they would have missed out on hearing some of the greatest words ever spoken. If they had decided they didn’t want to go the mountain Jesus told them to go to, they would not have heard the most important commandment that Jesus gave them at their end of this earthly life.

Simple, consistent, faithful obedience will be the difference in our church being a “lizard” church instead of a “frog” church.

Obedience in costly.

- Reading 19 Minutes to Live – story of helicopter pilots in Vietnam War – avg life expectancy – 19 minutes.

- Courageously flew their helicopters into enemy territory to attack enemy, support troops on ground, & rescue downed pilots or retrieve bodies of those killed.

- Did it in obedience to command of their superiors & love for their fellow warriors

- Costly obedience – 4800 KIA

We must remember that we, too, are in a battle – a battle against our enemy, Satan, & all his forces. We fight against him for the salvation of those who are lost. We must simply be obedient to our Commander, Jesus Christ! We have to be willing to pay the price to be obedient.

WORSHIP – v. 17a

“When they saw Him they worshiped Him” – We need to see Jesus! Not physically, of course, although we will one day! But “see” Him in His Word – “see” Him as He works – “see” Him as He walks w/ us & lives in us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

One reason that we don’t worship deeply & passionately is b/c we’ve become so familiar w/ Jesus.

- These disciples had spent virtually every waking moment w/ Jesus for 3 years, & yet, they still worshiped Him when they saw Him.

- Author Philip Yancey story about Old Faithful. Restaurant close to geyser. Large digital close close by. At one minute until eruption, everyone in diner rushed to windows to witness the event. Yancey glanced back & noticed that waiters & busboys descended on the tables to fill glasses & clean tables. Not a single one, not even those who had finished their jobs, looked out the huge windows. Old Faithful had grown too familiar to them – had lost its power to impress them.