We’re completing the series on teamwork today with some thoughts about showing appreciation to God and others. Thursday is Thanksgiving Day and today is our church’s anniversary – so how do we display gratitude.
After all, appreciation should be more than just a feeling. We should TELL and SHOW God and others that we appreciate them. But how is this done? In what tangible ways can we demonstrate our appreciation to God and others for who they are and what they’ve done for us?
We’re looking today at something written by the Apostle Peter on this subject. Simon Peter walked and talked with Jesus and the Lord taught him ways to show love and appreciation. So he shared these principles with the early church in a letter.
In one short paragraph of Scripture there are at least three significant ways we can show appreciation. This is certainly not an exhaustive list but it’s a great start.
8 Most importantly, love each other deeply, because love will cause many sins to be forgiven. 9 Open your homes to each other, without complaining. 10 Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others. Be good servants of God’s various gifts of grace. 11 Anyone who speaks should speak words from God. Anyone who serves should serve with the strength God gives so that in everything God will be praised through Jesus Christ. Power and glory belong to him forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:8-11 (NCV)
Let’s look at each of the three ways to show appreciation this Bible paragraph addresses.
1. I show love and appreciation to others by forgiving them.
Verse 8 says, “Most importantly, love each other deeply, because love will cause many sins to be forgiven.”
Sometimes the greatest way I can show that I appreciate people that I love is to forgive them.
This is a consistent topic in Scripture so it needs to be a consistent subject we cover in our examination and application of the Word of God. But today we especially want to see how this applies to teamwork.
Think about it. No one is perfect, not me, not the people I love. So everyone needs forgiveness. But what often happens is that relationships and community are damaged because people aren’t offering forgiveness to one another. Teamwork obviously suffers when people don’t forgive one another. People hold grudges and erect walls. Those walls have to be torn down in order for things to get done.
Let’s say someone I’m working with on a ministry team here at the church says or does something offensive to me. Or I say or do something that hurts their feelings. Even when we don’t even know we’re doing it happens. We’re all imperfect humans. We’re striving towards being more Christ-like but we still say and do dumb things sometimes.
But when the hurt occurs I have a choice. I can either hold a grudge, or I can say to myself, “You know what, I know that person well enough to know how much they love God and are trying to do the right thing. I’m going to show them that I appreciate them by forgiving them. Doesn’t matter what the issue is. It can be little or it can be big. But I’m never going to enjoy the kind of satisfying and fulfilling teamwork we’ve been talking about in this series if I don’t practice forgiveness.
This is the stumbling block for a lot of people.
This is why many don’t excel in their relationships or at teamwork, not in their marriage and family life, not on the job, and not in the church and community.
They haven’t learned the great need to forgive others.
Jesus taught us a lot about forgiveness. Even on the cross He asked His Father in heaven to forgive those who had sentenced Him to death and had nailed Him to a cross to die on Skull Hill. He taught forgiveness by His own example.
But He also said a lot about forgiveness because He knew it would be a hot topic in each of our lives.
Jesus said, “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” Mark 11:25 (NLT)
Jesus also said, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37 (NLT)
And consider this exchange between Jesus and the author of today’s text: 21Peter came up to the Lord and asked, "How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?" 22Jesus answered: Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times! Matthew 18:21-22 (CEV)
We need to be willing to forgive to another without keeping score.
In an article in Christianity Today (Feb. 9, 1998), Barbara Brown Taylor writes: “Staying angry with you is how I protect myself from you. Refusing to forgive you is not only how I punish you; it is also how I keep you from getting close enough to hurt me again, and nine times out of ten it works – only there is a serious side effect. It is called bitterness, and it can do terrible things to the human body and soul."
Jesus wants me to forgive for my own good as well as the good of others.
Even those who don’t necessarily use the teachings of Jesus as a guideline know the power of forgiveness.
Consider this quote from “Psychology Today”: “If physical exercise had a mental equivalent, it would probably be the process of forgiveness.” (Jan/Feb 2004)
Productive teamwork demands that we don’t hold grudges. Every successful relationship has to have this quality. Marriage, friendship, on the job, in the church – if I don’t forgive others I’m not going to accomplish much in life.
So the first way I show appreciation to others is, I forgive them. Secondly,
2. I show love and appreciation to others by practicing hospitality.
“Open your homes to each other, without complaining.” 1 Peter 4:9 (NLT)
When the Apostle Peter wrote these words hospitality among Christ followers was especially needed because of the persecution that was displacing great numbers of believers and making them refugees. They needed places to stay and friends to provide food and shelter until they could get resettled.
We might conclude therefore, that, although persecution of Christians is taking place in other parts of the world, it isn’t occurring here in America so this doesn’t apply to us.
But hospitality is necessary for other reasons.
One big reason we need to practice hospitality in our culture today is because people have an incredible sense of being disconnected. Our lives are so busy. And a great number of privacy measures have to be taken to protect our identity and to protect our personal information so that we have isolated ourselves in this hi-tech world in which we live. As a consequence we don’t feel close to very many people anymore. People are hurting but they don’t have a setting in which to let their hair down and be healed. Hospitality offers that setting. Even as a church we need to be careful to maintain a clear sense of purpose in being hospitable.
When we open our homes for a meal or even for a Friday night to fellowship with friends to play games, it becomes a great team-building measure. People start to feel connected again. It doesn’t matter if we entertain friends with a back yard barbecue or host a Christmas party; hospitality meets our God-given need for togetherness.
Right away we think of all the excuses for disobeying God’s Word.
The Bible says, “Open your homes to one another without complaining.” Do you know why God says not to complain? Because He knows that what we’re prone to do. We have complaints (excuses) about why we can’t be hospitable.
Here are some excuses from the book, “Hospitality Clues for the Clueless.” (1999, Promise Press)
“I know I should have people over, but I don’t know where to start.”
“I don’t know how to invite.”
“I don’t have an expensive or big house, so I can’t have people over.” (One a personal note: I’ve been in a lot of homes, all over the country, especially in my college days when I traveled singing and preaching, and I can relate that some of the most hospitable people I ever met lived in humble settings.)
“I don’t want to just ‘have people over,’ I want to do something fun, creative, and unique.”
“I’m not a very good cook, I wouldn’t know what to serve.”
And the book of course is written to those needing encouragement and ideas to be more hospitable. It’s a delightful book (and as a guy I don’t use the word “delightful” very often.) The authors give a great acronym using the word HOME as a quick biblical outline of what hospitality entails:
“H = Humility. Being hospitable means being humble enough to serve others. Abraham showed humility when he entertained three unexpected guests – the LORD and two angels. (Genesis 18) He gave them a humble greeting, arranged for their feet to be washed, and generally acted as if serving them was a privilege. Abraham’s story is a textbook example of hospitality… [“Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” Hebrews 13:2 (NLT)]
“O = Openness. Being hospitable means being open to the needs of your guests. When Jesus dropped by for a visit, Mary showed her openness by sitting at His feet and listening to Him, rather than busying herself with culinary duties. (Luke 10:38-42) After all, Jesus did not require a perfect hostess – just somebody perfectly content to listen to His words of wisdom…
“M = Manner or Mood. A host’s manner or mood sets his or her guests at ease. A bad mood or haughty manner puts a strain on guests. Lydia’s persuasive invitation to ‘come and stay at my house’ (Acts 16:15) undoubtedly made Paul feel welcome enough to stay at her house when he traveled in the area…
“E = Expectancy or Excitement. Zacchaeus showed a sense of expectancy and excitement at having Jesus over for a meal. As the Bible says, ‘he [Zacchaeus] came down [from the sycamore tree] at once and welcomed Him gladly.’” (Luke 19:6)
The book goes on to say the things that make us say “no” to hospitality are:
Worry. Worry over what we’ll serve or what your place looks like. [“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)]
Busyness. Although Martha of Bethany was the “Martha Stewart of the Bible” she was so busy she had little time to enjoy Jesus’ company. Jesus reminded her of what was “better.”
Obligation. If you’ve ever thought, “So and so had us over, now we need to return the favor,” followed by a groan, your hospitality will be an act rather than a genuine pleasure.
Hidden Agendas. Sometimes we think we have to prove ourselves when we invite people over. Either we secretly want to impress those we invite, or we think we have to set up the perfect evening to match an image we’re trying to maintain. “If I invite Sheila over she’ll see what a fabulous house I have” or “People think I’m fun, so this whole evening has to be fun.” Many a dinner party has been ruined by expectations that were too high or an agenda that was too crowded with “has to bes” or “shoulds.” God knows our hearts, and therefore our motives. Before making a guest list, think about prayer first. Prayer can help you examine your motives and expectations.
The book is full of so much more good stuff on hospitality. Practical stuff. I highly recommend “Hospitality Clues for the Clueless” if you want to follow the biblical injunction to “Open your homes to each other, without complaining.” 1 Peter 4:9 (NLT)
How can show appreciation and love to others in a tangible way?
1. I extend forgiveness.
2. I can be hospitable. I open my home to others to show them my love and appreciation.
Thirdly,
3. I show love and appreciation to others by serving them.
10 Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others. Be good servants of God’s various gifts of grace. 11 Anyone who speaks should speak words from God. Anyone who serves should serve with the strength God gives so that in everything God will be praised through Jesus Christ. Power and glory belong to him forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:10-11 (NLT)
I talked to you about this last week. I remind you that there is a TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) MINISTRY form in the worship folder that you are requested to fill out and return by the end of the month so that we can establish our ministry teams for next year.
Don’t feel like you have to turn it in out of guilt. Guilt is not a good motivation for service. But if you have a genuine desire to use the spiritual gifts, the abilities, the personality, the heart and the experiences that God has given you to serve others on ministry teams, then by all means pray over it, fill it out and turn it in.
I show love and appreciation to others by serving them. I use the gifts of grace that God has given me. Whether they’re speaking gifts or serving gifts, God gave me gifts so I could give them to others! I need to be a good servant of God and others.
He didn’t give them to me so that someone would give me glory.
Ever wondered why Alcoholics Anonymous insists on anonymity?
The purpose is not only so that people can attend AA meetings without being exposed to the outside world as alcoholics. There is the added reason that no one is allowed to use AA as a vehicle to fame. The founders realized the fatal lure of celebrity. (Even Bill Wilson, one of the primary founders of AA just used his last initial. He went by “Bill W.”) The only way to remain a fellowship of drunks helping each other is by this kind of service. No one is lifted up above another.
This is the kind of servanthood Jesus calls us to – a society of sinners helping each other, serving one another.
I realize that you can’t do everything you’d like to do for others but you can do some things. And sometimes you’ll see the need to do more than you first thought you would.
Jimmie Durante, one of America’s greatest entertainers with a career spanning from the 1920’s all the way to the 1970’s, was asked to be a part of a show for World War II veterans. He told the director of the show that his schedule was very busy and he could afford only a few minutes, but if they wouldn’t mind his doing one short monologue and immediately leaving for his next engagement, he would come and perform for them. The show’s director happily agreed.
But when Jimmy got on stage, something interesting happened. He went through the short monologue and then stayed. The applause grew louder and louder and he kept staying. Finally he took a last bow and left the stage.
Backstage someone stopped him and said, “I thought you had to go after a few minutes. What happened?” Jimmy answered, “I did have to go, but I can show you the reason I stayed. You can see for yourself if you’ll look down on the front row.”
In the front row were two men, each of whom had lost an arm in the war. One had lost his right arm and the other had lost his left arm. But together, they were able to clap, and that’s exactly what they were doing, loudly and cheerfully. (From “Holy Sweat,” by Tim Hansel, Word, 1987, pp. 104-105)
That’s such a great story on serving others AND on working together as a team.
We’re all kind of like those two WWII veterans.
We all need each other in order to serve God effectively.
In fact, you’ve probably wondered by now why this sermon was entitled, “How to Show Appreciation to God and Others,” when I haven’t talked about showing appreciation to God.
Get this. When I extend forgiveness to others, when I practice hospitality toward them, and when I serve them by using the gifts God has given me, guess Who is honored? Read that last part of verse eleven of First Peter chapter four again:
8 Most importantly, love each other deeply, because love will cause many sins to be forgiven. 9 Open your homes to each other, without complaining. 10 Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others. Be good servants of God’s various gifts of grace. 11 Anyone who speaks should speak words from God. Anyone who serves should serve with the strength God gives SO THAT IN EVERYTHING GOD WILL BE PRAISED THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. POWER AND GLORY BELONG TO HIM FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN. 1 Peter 4:8-11 (NCV)
I show appreciation to God when I follow the protocol that He has set for me to observe toward others.
