Revelation 3:14-22
“Putting Faith Into Action”
By: Rev. Ken Sauer, Grace United Methodist Church, Soddy Daisy, TN www.graceumcsd.org
In February 2007, Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz sent a memo to his CEO, Jim Donald, that somehow found its way onto the internet and then onto the computer screens of Starbucks fans everywhere.
In the memo, Schultz expresses concern that his company has veered off course.
He cites a series of internal decisions that eventually led to a dilution of what customers had come to expect from a visit to Starbucks.
Decision makers in the company had allowed America’s Premier coffee-drinking environment to drift from its vision.
In the memo, Schultz urges his CEO to create a course that will lead Starbucks back to its original vision.
This underscores the point that vision doesn’t stick without constant care and attention!
When it comes to making our Vision for Grace United Methodist Church stick, here is one of the most important things to remember—YOU are responsible.
YOU are responsible for keeping the vision for Grace Church at the forefront.
It’s up to each one of US to make sure there is alignment between what we do and the Vision for this Church!!!
Jesus had a vision for the Church at Laodicea, but they were not living into that vision.
Therefore, Jesus states: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.
I wish you were either one or the other!
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am going to spit you out of my mouth.”
Those are some pretty heavy words.
When I was an Associate Pastor in Macon, Georgia…
…the Senior Pastor preached a sermon on this passage of Scripture.
He titled it: “The Church that Made Jesus Sick.”
We don’t want to be that Church!!!
Soup and Coffee are supposed to be hot.
Many, if they took a sip of one or the other and it were lukewarm—would spit it back out…
The same goes with Jesus and the Church.
We are called to live into God’s Vision for us!!!
We are called to put our faith into action!!!
In verse 15, Jesus says: “I know your deeds…”
The “deeds” at the Church in Laodicea were…well…not much to write home about…
They weren’t doing much.
They weren’t putting their faith into action.
And faith that leads to action is the only faith that counts.
In James Chapter 1, James the brother of Jesus declares: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.
Do what it says.
Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a [person] who looks at [his or her] face in the mirror and, after looking at [themselves], goes away and immediately forgets what he [or she] looks like.”
We must be intentional in making sure that the Vision for Grace United Methodist Church—sticks!!!
We must take it seriously.
This is not to be an effort in futility.
We are going to have to be intentional in putting this Vision into action, if it is going to mean anything at all!!!
When it comes to making a vision stick, there are at least 2 things we can do to significantly increase the adhesiveness.
First of all, we should state the vision simply!
If our vision is going to stick in people’s minds, it must be memorable.
People don’t embrace paragraphs.
They remember and embrace sentences.
We must clarify and simplify!!!
And as we evaluate our vision statement, remember this: It is better to have a vision statement that is incomplete and memorable than to have one that is complete and forgettable…
…just as the Christian faith is a journey—not a destination…
…the vision of this Church should be a journey as well…
…it should be alive and flexible!!!
That way, our Vision will be open to the Holy Spirit’s direction, correction, and call to address unforeseeable issues and circumstances!
One example of a memorable Vision Statement is this one from Internet Giant eBay: “to provide a global trading platform where practically anyone can trade practically anything.”
Notice that the eBay Vision Statement doesn’t even mention the Internet.
And there’s nothing in there about bidding on things.
I don’t know anyone who has ever traded on eBay.
They usually buy things.
This Vision doesn’t give you the whole scope of what eBay is about, but it’s intriguing and memorable…
…and it’s unfinished…
So, keep the vision clear.
If a vision is too complicated for people to embrace, nothing changes!!!
It needs to be easy to communicate.
The second imperative to making vision stick is to cast it convincingly.
We must communicate it in a way that moves people to action!!!
James writes: “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
It’s useless!!!
Might as well not even be there!!!
The same can be said of a vision statement!
A Vision Statement that doesn’t move people to action is dead…useless, no good, a waste of time!!!
James goes on to say, “someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do…
…faith without deeds is useless…”
A lukewarm Vision is useless!!!
Jesus will spit it out of His mouth!!!
The Church is a radical movement.
It’s not a country club, and it is not of this world!
It has serious, life and death business to deal with!!!
The Church is here for the salvation of the world!!!
It cannot be lukewarm.
Too much is at stake!!!
Think of the problems that surround us.
Think of the people who are suffering in our community and in our world.
A Vision is a solution to those problems.
And the problems are great, indeed!
This takes a clear, precise and action-oriented Vision!!!
The Vision of this Church should set us on fire!!!
It should make that soup piping hot or that Coke-a-Cola ice cold!!!
Jesus tells the Church in Laodicea: “So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
Grace United Methodist Church…
…do you hear Jesus’ voice?
…will you open the door?
Next week we will have Lunch on the Grounds immediately following worship.
During lunch we will begin the process of casting THE VISION for Grace United Methodist Church.
Now I know that not everyone usually stays for Lunch on the Grounds…
…but next Sunday, please stay!!!
What is more important opening the door of this Church so that Christ can come in?
We will live or die by our decision!
In Matthew Chapter 7 Jesus says: “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name…Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you.”
Acknowledging God, but not putting our faith into action can lead to deadly consequences indeed!!!
One Sunday morning a pastor encouraged his congregation to consider the potential of the Church.
He told them, “With God’s help we can see the day when this church will go from crawling to walking.”
The people responded, “Let the church walk, Pastor. Let the church walk.”
He continued, “And when the church begins to walk, next the church can begin to run.”
And the people shouted, “Let the church run, Pastor. Let the church run!”
The pastor continued, “And finally the church can move from running to flying.
Oh, the church can fly!
But of course, that is going to take a lot of work.
We are going to have to live into our vision to feed the poor, pray for the sick, witness to our faith, tithe to our money. It’s going to take a lot of action, a lot of work for the church to fly!”
The congregation grew quite and from the back someone mumbled, “Let the church crawl, Pastor. Let the church crawl.”
In our case, I suppose it would mean, “Let the church die, Pastor. Let the church die.”
We have important work to do.
We say we have faith.
Are we going to prove our faith by our action?
Are we gonna fly for Jesus and this community?
Remember, YOU are responsible for the Vision of this Church!!!
Jesus has left it in YOUR hands.
Let this church fly!
Let this church fly!!!!
Amen.
