Ministering is Sharing our Treasures
Psalm 126:6
A couple of years ago, Tim Forneris, a 22 year old groundskeeper gave Mark McGwire, a million dollar ball, saying "I think I have something that belongs to you." McGwire in turn gave it to the Hall of Fame to display beside Babe Ruth’s and Roger Marris’ record breaking balls. Why? He said it didn’t belong to him, it belonged to the world.
Forneris and McGwire, both displayed the kind of attitude Christians should have about their salvation. We do not hoard our treasure, we share it with the world.
The whole idea of sharing our treasure seems to run counter to man’s nature, that is - to do our own thing, to think only of ourselves first.
INTRO.- ILL.- A man once prayed like this:
Lord, bless me and my wife
My son John and his wife
Us four and no more.
A childless couple prayed:
Lord, bless us two,
And that will do.
An old bachelor prayed:
Lord, bless only me,
That’s as far as I can see.
We’re generally more concerned about our likes and dislikes and our wants more than anybody else’s.
Even more than that of our mate and our family members and often, MORE THAN THE LORD!
We need to think about others! We need to think about reaching out to others and sharing our treasures with them.
What is the greatest thing we can do for others
It is to share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Psalms 126:6 NIV
6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
Regardless of the level of our gifts and abilities, God expects us to invest ourselves boldly for his glory.
You may be surprised to know that the word "minister" or "ministry" has in its root form in Greek the term for "service" or "to serve." Remember our Lord Himself "did not come to be served, but to serve," Mark 10:45.
Ministry is understanding people’s deepest needs, and concerns it’s showing them how & why Jesus cares, how He will provide for them. (Look at the consequences of serving without Jesus)
The danger ministering without Jesus (Not telling others about Jesus)
In Decision magazine, Peggy DesNoyers writes:
My job as a psychiatric home-health nurse brought me in touch with many people who were hurt or angry and who were searching for answers to problems in their lives.
I knew that Jesus was the answer, but I couldn’t bring myself to talk to them about him.
I was the master of excuses.
[Until] one patient changed my life.
Wanda was a 56-year-old widow in chronic depression.
All of her family had died, some of them tragically, within a span of 16 years.
The loss and her grief overwhelmed her until life for her became a burden she was unable to bear.
One day she quit her job, went home, pulled the curtains, and refused to leave her house. Eventually she stopped eating, and even the smallest of tasks became too difficult for her to do.
An observant neighbor had noticed the changed in Wanda’s behavior, and that neighbor made arrangements for her to be taken to a hospital where she was admitted to the psychiatric ward.
At the end of her hospital stay, when she went home, I was assigned to be her home-health nurse.
I visited her weekly to make sure she was taking her medication and was eating and taking care of herself.
Over the course of six months Wanda continued to recover.
Although I knew she needed to meet Jesus as her Savior, I reasoned that she would soon be attending church and would hear about him there.
One day I went to Wandas’s house for my regular visit, and I was surprised to find the door ajar. I knocked and when there was no response, I pushed the door open and stepped inside. The living room was vacant, so I went to her bedroom and found her lifeless body on the bed. There were several empty medication bottles beside her, and in her hand she held a noted addressed to me.
I sat on the bed beside her and took the note.
I read: "Dear Peggy, I’m so sorry. I tried it your way, but I got tired. Please forgive me. I tried. I just couldn’t do it. I got tired."
I slid off the bed onto my knees and cried my heart out to my loving, forgiving Father: "Lord Jesus, she tried it my way. I gave her the best that I had. But it was my way. I didn’t tell her about you. I didn’t tell her about your way."
On my knees beside [Wanda’s] lifeless body I promised God that I would never pass by another opportunity to tell someone about him.
[Regret for Not Witnessing, Citation: Peggy DesNoyers, "Silent No More," Decision (July/August 2000), p. 36]
A. Ministry is the outcome of our personal relationships with the Lord.
1st He’s more concerned for our walk with Him than our work with Him. If we guard the former, He’ll take care of the latter.
2nd The happiest and most useful Christians are those, whose outflow is spontaneous and proportionate with their intake, whose giving in substance and service is proportionate to their receiving.
3rd Every blessing received, is a opportunity to pass it along.
1. Ministry is sharing the beauty of God
It’s almost impossible to see a rainbow and not point it out to someone else. It’s the kind of thing that just must be shared. You see one and you want to tell someone about it. If you are by yourself and see one, it’s frustrating. The gospel is such a beautiful expression of God’s love that it just must be shared.
ILL: God’s beauty should show through.
One Sunday as they drove home from church, a little girl turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, there’s something about the preacher’s message this morning that I don’t understand." The mother said, "Oh? What is it?" The little girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. He said God is so big that He could hold the world in His hand. Is that true?" The mother replied, "Yes, that¡¦s true, honey." "But Mommy, he also said that God comes to live inside of us when we believe in Jesus as our Savior. Is that true, too?" Again, the mother assured the little girl that what the pastor had said was true. With a puzzled look on her face the little girl then asked, "If God is bigger than us and He lives in us, wouldn¡¦t He show through?"
B. Ministry is identifying with those we serve
1 Cor 9:18-20 KJV
18 What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.
19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
1. We minister by relating personally to those around us
2. We minister by sharing our experiences.
How in our Weakness Jesus brought us strength.
How in our Pain we brought us comfort, peace.
How in our Loneliness he brought his presence
How in our guilt and shame he brought reconciliation
How in our sin He brought forgiveness
How with a corrupt cancerous nature, We have a new life.
How we were condemned to die, now how we have salvation.
C. Ministry that is successful is faithful
God defines success in ministry as being faithful, serving others, loving and trusting Him, praying, pursuing holiness, and developing a positive attitude.
"No, I do not become discouraged," Mother Teresa once said, in answer to a question. "You see, God has not called me to a ministry of success. He has called me to a ministry of mercy."
D. Ministry is doing what you can
Do you know who Rockin Roland Stuart is? Before you answer, let me ask you another question. How many of you have ever watched a sporting event, a Super Bowl or Monday night football game, & have seen the giant sign saying "John 3:16?" How many of you have seen that? That’s amazing!
Rockin Roland Stuart is responsible for that. "Rockin’" is a nick name. His name is Roland Stuart. His story appeared in Peoples Magazine a few years ago, & it is a fascinating story.
Roland Stuart was a drunk, an alcoholic. He met Jesus, accepted Him as his Savior, became a Christian, & God healed him of his alcoholism. One day, the idea struck him that if he could just get into major sporting events & put the Word of God before the people, it would be seen by hundreds of thousands, & maybe even millions of people.
So today, Rockin Roland Stuart & his wife, Margaret, & a friend named William James, live a very spartan existence. They drive 55,000 miles a year in an old beat up van, telling their story, & using their money to buy tickets to major sporting events to hang out a sheet saying, "John 3:16."
Don’t you wonder how many tens of thousands have turned to John 3:16 & read, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" because of Rockin Roland Stuart?
Summery
1. When we are obedient to Gods word, it prepares us for life’s challenges, problems, and possibilities.
2. As we carry out our ministry Jesus enriches the personal life of his people.
Dr. Viktor Frankl was an Austrian physician who was imprisoned in one of Hitler’s death camps.
He and his fellow Jewish people suffered unbelievable atrocities. Everything about their living and working conditions were deplorable, including their medical care.
Dr. Frankl offered what little medical help he could to the sick and dying. Over time, he discovered a unique phenomenon he recorded in his book Man’s Search for Meaning. He said those people who kept their strength and sanity the longest were those who tried to help other prisoners and share what little they had. Their physical and mental condition seemed strengthened by their friendliness, compassion, and focus on something other than themselves.
Dr. Frankl concluded that if someone responds to life by trying to make life better for others, that effort reinforces the individual’s psychological and physical stamina.
Ministry energizes, contrary to the great fear that resources will be depleted if we help others.
Author Unknown
Lord, help me to live from day to day
In such a self-forgetful way
That even when I kneel to pray
My prayer shall be for ... others.
Help me in all the work I do
To ever be sincere and true
And know that all I’d do for you
Must needs be done for ... others.
Let "self" be crucified and slain
And buried deep and all in vain
May efforts be to rise again
Unless to live for ... others.
And when my work on earth is done
And my new work in heaven’s begun
May I forget the crown I’ve won
While thinking still of ... others.
Others, Lord, yes, others
Let this my motto be,
Help me to live for others
That I may live like Thee.
