Dakota Community Church
July 5, 2009
In What Ways is the Force Mobilized?
The Field & the Force 3
So far we have looked at:
1. When the Church is the field
When the church is the field it is seen as the place people come to do the work of God.
2. When the Church is the (labor) force
When the church becomes the force – the world becomes the field.
3. When and where is the gospel to be proclaimed?
The gospel is to be proclaimed everywhere and in every way!
4. In what ways is the force mobilized?
a) The force works in the field by taking the gospel everywhere. (ears)
Learn to preach the good news effectively.
Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Mark 16:15-16
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Sharing the gospel is more effective than sharing your personal testimony!
Changing the world is not our goal!
John 16:8-11
When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
Why do bad things happen to good people if God is all powerful and all loving?
We should be asking “If there is an all knowing God, why am I still alive; knowing what I did, said, and thought yesterday?”
b) The force works in the field by glorifying God with compassionate works. (hands)
This type of field work is very popular right now because it is seen as being more socially and culturally acceptable.
Matthew 25:31-36
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, ’Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
• Feeding the hungry
• Giving drink to the thirsty
• Welcoming the stranger
• Clothing the naked
• Ministering to the sick
• Visiting the incarcerated
The sheep do these things naturally; they don’t know what He is talking about when He lists their good works.
It is a matter of motivation, earning favor vs. responding to favor freely given.
Romans 12:20
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
Acts 6:1-4
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."
James 1:26-27
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
1Timothy 5:1-8
Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. Give the people these instructions, too, so that no one may be open to blame. 8If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Looking after widows and orphans is a work that glorifies God.
Some doors appear to be opening for us in Africa, South East Asia, Dominican Republic and India.
Operation Sunshine
c) The force works in the field by living a humble, crucified, lifestyle. (eyes)
What if I am already totally exhausted from working my job and raising my family; does God still expect even more from me?
1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
Earning a living is a work that glorifies God.
Ephesians 5:15-6:9
15Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30for we are members of his body. 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
• Living a spirit filled sober life is a good work that glorifies God
• Worshiping is a good work that glorifies God
• Being submissive to one another in Christ is a good work that glorifies God
• Being a good husband or wife is a good work that glorifies God
1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2"Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3"that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." 4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
9And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
• Obeying your parent is a good work that glorifies God.
• Raising a family in love is a good work that glorifies God.
• Working as though your job was a service to God is a good work that glorifies God.
• Being a good employer or manager/boss is a good work that glorifies God.
Now all of this may bring up a couple of questions, first; “How are these things field work?”
People who do not know Christ will notice all of these things; they will be a strong evidence of His presence in your life.
“Don’t some pagans do these things as well?”
The answer is yes, there are hard working faithful pagans who bring up good citizens and live sober lives; what you must remember is the God factor.
Christ’s work is what changes our works from “filthy rags” to “acceptable offerings that glorify God”. We do what we do IN CHRIST and that makes all the difference in the world. It is about Him – not about us.
In the coming weeks:
5. What is the role of pastors and elders?
6. How do I know my part?
7. The Force at rest.
PowerPoint available (Free of charge) on request dcormie@mts.net
