Three Keys to Success
1 Corinthians 16:5-12
A traveler was between flights in an airport and she was a little bit hungry, so she went tot the lounge and bought a small pack of cookies. She sat down to read her newspaper and to snack on her cookies. Gradually she became aware of a rustling sound beside her and she looked up from her newspaper and she was flabbergasted to see a well-dressed businessman beside her, eating from her package of cookies. She didn’t want to make a scene so she leaned over and took one of the cookies for herself. A minute or two passed and there was more rustling and he was helping himself to another cookie. By this time she was coming to the end of her wits and she was angry. But she just bit her lip and didn’t say anything. To add insult to injury, there was only one cookie left in the package and that stranger took it, broke it in half and shoved the other half over to her. Sometime later, still fuming, when the flight was announced, the woman opened her handbag to get her ticket and to her shock and embarrassment she found her unopened package of cookies.
Have you ever made the wrong assumption? That lady certainly did that day. Wrong assumptions can be dangerous. In studying through the book of 1 Corinthians, it is easy to make a few wrong assumptions about the Corinthian church. There are so many corrections that are directed toward the Corinthian church. So much so, that you might be tempted to assume that this church had so many problems that needed correcting that it was never a church that you wanted to imitate.
Certainly there are many areas where that’s true, but we would be wrong to assume that God didn’t love the Corinthians and we would be wrong to assume that there are things about them that are unworthy of imitation. In fact, when we come to chapter 16 of 1 Corinthians, Paul spells out some of the dynamic health that was a part of that body there, issues that are worthy of our imitation today.
What are the vital sings of a healthy body? For our human body it is pulse rate, blood pressure, and temperature. If my pulse rate is 60-70 beats/min.: not too bad. If blood pressure is 120/80, I’m in good shape. If my temperature is 98.6, I have no complaint. These are dynamic signs of good health.
Certainly there are similar signs in the health of the church body. Signals that indicate whether or not a body of Christ is enjoying the dynamic good health that God wants it to have. This 16th chapter, I think is filled with vital signs to help us check our pulse rate, determining if we are alive and well, or headed down a path to destruction. Today it is my goal that we discover together what it means to be a healthy church so we can evaluate our own congregation and so we can evaluate our own spiritual life. A healthy church is a natural byproduct of healthy people. A healthy church requires that each of us make our own unique contributions to the life and health of the body of Christ. Let us begin today discovering that each of us holds within our grasp 3 Keys to a healthy, successful, dynamic church. Now you have the keys, every one of you, the question is – Are you willing to use the keys? Well here they are: Healthy, dynamic churches…
1. Develop a Specific Mission
[READ TEXT] Paul points out some principles of success, of health for a congregation. Look at v. 5 again because it is easy to overlook some important words in this verse (v.5) Look at the word “go” and “going”. These words have a larger impact than we can realize in the English language. In fact these words are used to describe following a systematic plan. Paul says that after I go in a step by step systematic way through Macedonia, it’s my plan then to come to you in a step by step systematic way. Paul says here that he has a predetermined plan, I have a goal in mind, I have a very specific mission that I want to accomplish. His trip through Macedonia was a part of that systematic plan. In fact, as you read this letter, then as you read in Acts and as you read in 2 Corinthians, you will see that Paul had to change his plan 3 times before he was able to carry it out. But in the end Paul achieved exactly what he had hoped to achieve.
What I would like you to see today is that healthy churches are willing to make plans, they have a specific mission, a specific purpose, they are goal-oriented. They have a specific job they want to get done for Jesus Christ. A church without a mission, a church without a purpose, a church without a goal with which it is aiming is not a healthy, dynamic church. We need to have a purpose. Healthy congregations recognize that they have a job to do and are willing to state some specific, intentional ways of accomplishing that job.
BGCC’s mission is to evangelize the lost, to strengthen the body of believers, to be a moral compass in the community, and to prepare God’s people for works of service.
God wants us to have a global vision. His purpose is to win the world. His purpose is to reach lost men and women wherever they are to bring them to faith in His Son and to bring them back into a relationship with Him. God wants us to have a global vision coupled with a local impact. Do we have this kind of specific mission for our church? I know that we have this mission/vision written down on paper. But how many of you have this mission in your heart? What are you doing in your daily life to accomplish this purpose…our purpose to seek and save the lost? We all have to be doing something together to accomplish our purpose. We have to work together as a team.
Do you have a specific purpose for your life? Are you planning to accomplish anything in your lifetime by your effort and the strength that God provides for Christ? We live in a culture that too often only drifts through life. There are very few people who intentionally plan anything for God. I want to challenge you this morning to have the kind of intention that Paul had. He had the determination to do something for God while he had the opportunity. So let’s make our plans, but we must trust God and follow His lead. God wants us to be involved in something big, something much bigger than ourselves.
You know, part of the Christian message is letting people know that the gospel makes a difference. What we can do in Bowling Green can change the world. Do you believe that? Paul certainly believed that his life could make a difference. Healthy, dynamic churches recognize that they can change the world with the strength and power that God provides.
What are the elements of a dynamic mission, of a plan that works for God? Let me give you several key words that you may want to write down. Elements that I believe a dynamic plan involves:
1. Purpose – we know that our purpose is to make disciples of all nations for Christ.
2. Plans involve Pressure – with any kind of planning opportunity there is going to be opposition, pressure to get the job done.
3. Plans demand Perseverance – If you give up easily you are not going to accomplish what you could for God.
4. We must be Pliant – we must be flexible. Not everything will work out like we think it will. Are we willing to go with the flow, to flex, to change to be better?
5. Providence – God works out things differently than we think He will. We ought to seek His guidance and follow His leading.
6. Good plans are Practical – If you will look at v. 8, Paul says, “I will stay in Ephesus because a great door for effective work has opened to me.” Paul was a very practical guy. These are 6 qualities that will surely guide your life.
So know today that healthy, dynamic churches have a specific mission. Paul was going about his work in a systematic way and we should approach our lives in that same sort of way. Notice also that healthy, dynamic churches not only have a specific job, but they…
2. Build Relationships
Notice in v. 6-7 and then later the number of people that Paul mentions and what he hopes to do. (v. 6-7) You see God wants the church to be a placer where people help people. That is simple enough and we believe that don’t we? Mutual ministry is always a part of Biblical relationships. Look to v.10, Paul says, “If Timothy comes to you, you see that he has nothing to fear, but you take care of him while he is there, you bless him, you minister to him—because he is ministering to you.” In the Kingdom of God, He wants us to have bridges of relationships; He wants us to bless one another, to love one another, to care for one another, to build up one another, to pray for one another.
You know this week has been an incredible week for me. I have witnessed so much care and compassion towards me that I think it is absolutely been incredible! I have had people help me put shelves together, install phone lines, put in my beautiful desk, have me over for dinner, take me out to lunch. It has just been an incredible, wonderful week. Please don’t stop. You know, when I came here one of the most important things as we were being led by God was we were looking for a church where the people loved us and we loved the people. That’s true here at the Bowling Green Christian Church. You love God and you love people. See that’s the difference between religion and a relationship. That’s what we’re developing here. A place where you belong. A place where you call family. A place where you come and people love you, not for what you’ve done for me lately, but because of Christ working in you and through you.
You know, we won’t know how to build one another up; we won’t be able to care for one another if we don’t first take time to build good, solid relationships in this family of faith. Friendship is the greatest joys of life and in the church we have an awesome opportunity to build those kinds of relationships. Many people would have fallen down and never to have gotten up if it weren’t for our friends. That’s true for me and I know it’s got to be true for you. Life is fortified by friendships. Friendships double our joy; friendships divide our grief. Friendships are earnestly desired by most Americans, but unfortunately the desire exceeds its existence. Most Americans feel that they don’t have enough close friends and maybe that describes you today, because we can fall prey to our culture. Transient lifestyles, fragmented schedules, ineffective communication are all the things that conspire to keep us from forming effective relationships. So today, Paul is challenging us that if we be healthy we need to build bridges to people who are around us, to make friends.
That’s the beauty of small groups. Within a small group you have the opportunity to let your hair down with people that care for you, that want only the best for you. You really get to know each other, where your strengths/weaknesses are. You can be accountable to a group of people that love you. And believe me, we need that. If we are going to fulfill our mission, if we are going to succeed in our purpose, we can’t do it alone. We need each other. I need you and you need me. How will you get to know me? How can I know you unless you join a small group where a common cord binds you together? You get to know each other, you build each other up. One of the greatest things that I will miss about Indianapolis will be my small group, so I know the value of relationship. Let’s grow together in this business of building relationships. Small groups are essential to a dynamic, healthy, growing church.
If we desire to grow in building relationships, then we need to realize that we have to get our focus off ourselves and our focus onto others. A friendly person has learned to expand his focus to look beyond himself to include others in his circle of interest, to have a vision for people and a concern for people and a willingness to give to people. Paul was that kind of person. He was concerned for the people that he met and we should be that kind of people too.
If you want to build relationships… Rule #1 – Care about people. Dale Carnegie said it best, “You can make more friends in 2 months by becoming interested in others than you can in 2 years by trying to get others interested in you.” Jesus was a master at building relationships. Every person he met was important to him. He expressed concern for everyone: for loose women, for blind beggars, for snotty-nosed kids. No one was beneath his notice. Everyone was a person of his concern. Live with an “others” attitude and you will be living a healthy Christian life and you will be a part of a healthy, dynamic congregation. How long would you want to live on this planet if you were the only person on it? Not long. People make life worth living. Unfortunately some of us never learn that friends are more valuable than funds; that relationships are more important than riches; that comrades are more precious than careers; that pals are more desirable than prosperity. We need to be interested in people. Roger Dawson says that you should, “treat every person you meet as if they are the most important person you will meet that day.” Good advise for building relationships.
Healthy, dynamic churches have a specific mission; dynamic churches value people and build relationships and finally this morning, dynamic churches…
3. Seize Open Doors of Opportunity
Look again at (vv. 8-9) Dynamic churches are always looking for what God is doing. Always looking for the open doors of opportunity that God provides. Notice 3 things about these open doors of opportunity.
1. Open doors come from God. God opens some doors and God closes others. Both to congregations and to individuals. Notice also…
2. Open doors are limited. Opportunities don’t last forever. You need to be able to seize the moment, strike while the iron is hot. Not everything I going to stay in terms of opportunities. So are you ready, willing, able to act when God opens doors?
3. Open doors are opposed. Now what does that mean? In individual lives and in congregational lives, there are times when we must be willing to act, when we must be willing to recognize that God is calling us to do something dramatic, something risky, something that may be opposed, but something that will produce great results for God.
What’s the greatest door of opportunity that God’s ever opened for you? The best door of opportunity that God is opening for you right now (if you don’t have a relationship with Him) is the opportunity presented by Jesus himself. In Revelation it says, “I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door I’ll come into him and I will dine with him and he with Me.” You have an opportunity this morning to be in a right relationship with God. If you’ve never seized that moment, I encourage you to do so today. If you’d like to put your faith in Christ as Lord and Savior, if you’d like to accept his call to be immersed into Him and be raised to the newness of life. Open the door to Him today.
