I have used www.sermoncentral along with several other resources in this message.
DEALING WITH THE MESS OF MINISTRY
October 21, 2007 Jay Davis Robison 1 PETER 3:8-12
Today our church honors support staff
Often in the background but essential to who we are
Often times clean up messes
Office managers quarterbacks who answer phones calm people down
Keep youth sleepover, away from the wedding can be a mess
Building managers clean up after the rest of us, a mess
Preschool directors have dealt messes we all made in diapers
At Trinity we believe no MESS no MINISTRY
What we do for the Lord will often be messy because people messy
Book of 1 Peter talking about r-ships in community and family,
3:8-12 deals with r-ships in church, church was facing persecution
from society around hostile but also division in the church
Sometimes we assume no conflict in church ideally no
But we are about real life…people have strong opinions\ agendas
Look at Peter’s approach for Dealing with the mess of ministry
1. A PICTURE OF GOD’S FAMILY
Peter raises the ideal, what should the church be like?
Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one
another; love as brothers (and sisters), be tenderhearted,
be courteous Vs8 NKJV
One mind=harmony does not mean always agree
But means we keep the main purpose serving Christ 1st
our agenda second if that is our focus overcome any differences
Have compassion=Empathize w\one another, bear the same emotions
Sharing of pain and joy all the life stuff we face can be messy
Display the power, love, and compassion of Christ.
Who have you helped this week bear a burden? In church or out
Bear one another’s burdens, & so fulfill the law of Christ (Gal 6:2).
Tenderhearted=word that pictured a well of emotion bursting forth
from your gut. to be moved w\tender feelings toward others.
Arms open tenderhearted vs. arms crossed and closed
Courteous-common respect for others and their feelings
Think of how many people in and out here each week
Work together, cannot be selfish & aloof; or demand own way.
God’s family is to be A COMMUNITY
Temptation of thinking better than someone else superior
When world looks at believers, should see most unusual unity,
a spirit of oneness that is not found anyplace else on earth.
Should see believers who are so unified & closely knit together they
support each through all the trials & temptations of life.
Sometimes world sees bickering complaining grumbling division
limerick: There once were two cats of Killkenny.
Each thought there was one cat too many.
They fought and they spit, they clawed and they bit,
till instead of two cats there weren’t any!
Community is nurtured love, love is the offering of one’s
most honest self through honest self-disclosure J Powell
In order to impact the world we must DEMONSTRATE LOVE
Says to this you were called testimony of God to world If church is going to have an impact on world, must demonstrate to world the reality of its faith. Only do that when Christian virtues are lived out daily by members of the Body of Christ
Do we really LOVE LIKE CHRIST?
In bible love is always an action word, not simply a feeling.
If we say we love, & don’t show it, we really don’t love.
Doesn’t mean we don’t speak truth in love hold people accountable,
Are there tangible demonstrations of your love of others at TBC?
Do you call & check on them when they are out?
Do you pray for them when they going through difficult times? I don’t bother them, they don’t bother me. Things are much better that way. No, this is not acting in love.
2. The PRESENCE OF CONFLICT
Then how do we deal w\those who do us wrong, in world or church When we are under threat, how do we deal with it?
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult Vs 9 a TNIV
Natural response to hostility is retaliation!
Jesus taught love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you
Respond to hostility with grace.
Besides if you do evil or insult me and I respond
It escalates and we will be at each other’s throats
Peter says stop the madness
Nothing tests your maturity LIKE CONFLICT
Conflict: marriage, children, work, neighbor-hood, and church
The difference between spiritual and unspiritual community is not whether conflict exists, but is rather in our attitude toward it and our approach to handling it. Larry Crabb The Safest Place on Earth p. 40.
On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. VS 9b TNIV
When you sling mud you lose ground.
To this you were called
We are called to BLESS
To go the second mile, to reach out in love
speak well of someone, friendly manner towards someone.
Even when they would not do so for us
Return evil for good is animal like, evil for evil is only human, but return good for evil
3. The POWER OF GOD AMONGST US
Peter says when faced with conflict
Look for the power of God amongst us
For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.” Vs 12 NKJV
In Hebrew thought the face of God meant his presence, his person His entire person is against those who do evil
God says I’LL TURN TO YOU IF Vs 10 11 and 12
From Psalms 34:13-17 Peter’s favorite Psalm. Psalm 34 – 2.9; 2.12-16a; 3.10-12 Psalm 34 Song of praise and instruction in righteousness
Keep your tongue from evil & your lips from deceitful speech Vs 10
Clean speech, keep tongue from evil, honest speech lips from speaking guile. Guile is treachery or deceit. Any words that are not uplifting, any words that are not edifying any words that are contrary to God’s words are deceitful. You might say I’m really not hurting any one. You could be hurting yourself, your family, & loved ones w\very words you speak. I shudder to consider the power of negative words
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. Vs 11
Controlling our actions when you are heated, seek peace still make the effort to listen to other side don’t be hasty sometimes things are more complex than they seem, and sometimes there are missing pieces of information
Dr. M.R. DeHaan "It is a dead giveaway when you meet a person who is always criticizing and finding fault with another. 99 times out of 100 he’s trying to divert attention from his own sins by pointing an accusing finger at someone else."
Man & wife once pulled into a full service gas station to fill car.
As tank was being filled, attendant washed windshield.
When he finished, driver said, "The windshield is still dirty.
Wash it again." Yes, sir," the attendant answered.
As he scrubbed windshield a 2nd time, he looked closely for any
bugs or dirt he might have missed.
When he finished, man in car became angry. "It’s still dirty!"
Don’t you know how to wash a windshield? Do it again!"
Attendant cleaned windshield 3rd time, carefully looking for any
place might have missed, could find no messy spots anywhere.
Now, driver was fuming screamed, "This windshield is still filthy!
I’m going to talk to your boss to make sure you don’t work here another day. You are lousiest windshield washer I’ve ever seen!" As he was about to get of car, his wife reached over & removed his glasses. She carefully wiped them w\a tissue, & put them
back on his face.
The driver embarrassingly slumped down into his seat as he
observed a spotless windshield.
Critical people view others through their own dirty glasses.
I like what AW Tozer said
Are 100 pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to
each other?
They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other,
but to another standard.
So 100 worshipers [meeting] together, each one looking away to
Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly
be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes
away from God to strive for closer fellowship. The Pursuit of God
