Make Your Move
Part 1: Let God’s Spirit Move In
“No local congregation will be what it should be, what Jesus prayed that it should be, what the Holy Spirit gifted and empowered it to be, until it understand spiritual gifts.”
John MacArthur
Key Text: 1 Corinthians 2:14-16; 3:1-3
Icebreaker:
Intro: If somebody were to ask you today what you felt was the most important church statistic, the one statistic that demonstrates the vitality of a local congregation, what would you say to them? Probably most of us would say, “attendance,” or “membership.” We say that a church’s health is determined mostly determined by how many people come on Sunday mornings. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret this morning: attendance isn’t the best way to really gauge the greatness of a congregation. In fact, some church may have 500 members, but only 200 of them attend almost every Sunday. And maybe only 50 or so of them may be involved in ministry.
-So really, how healthy is a church like that? (Not very). So here’s the secret: the greatness of a church is in how many people find out what their gifts are and use those gifts for the glory of God. That’s what makes a great church. You see, that’s where the strength of a church really is. Everybody, everybody, realizing what their gifts are and utilizing those gifts in their church, for God’s glory.
-The series we’re starting this morning is called, “Make Your Move,” and you may notice the chess piece that’s part of the graphic I’ve used for this series. Have you ever played chess? It’s a game that I’ve never been very good at, because it requires a lot of strategy and planning. I’m more of a checkers guy. Doesn’t require much “deep thinking.” But the great thing about the game of chess is that even the pieces that don’t have the power of, say, the queen or a knight, can still have a major impact on the game. Even the pieces known as pawns, the pieces that seem to be the weakest, can make or break the success of each player.
-I want to talk this morning about letting God’s Spirit move in. John, MacArthur, a great pastor and author, gives us this quote that’s at the top of your notes page, today:
“No local congregation will be what it should be, what Jesus prayed that it should be, what the Holy Spirit gifted and empowered it to be, until it understand spiritual gifts.”
John MacArthur
-Now, that’s a great quote, but I’d like to add one other thought to that: Not only when the church understands spiritual gifts but when the church utilizes their spiritual gifts. I think we have a pretty good understanding of spiritual gifts here at our church, but not everybody utilizes their spiritual gifts to serve.
-In fact, throughout this series, we’re going to have a link up on the church website, millvilleavenue.com, with a link to a free online spiritual gifts test. If you’ve never taken a spiritual gifts tests or if it’s been a while or if you’re just curious, check out the link on the main page. (http://www.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi?intro=1)
-So, let’s talk about letting God’s Spirit move in. In 1 Corinthians 2 and 3, Paul talks about 3 types of people. And as I go thorugh these 3 types of people and their characterisitics this morning, we’ll be able to look at them and I want you to ask yourself, “Where do I fit?”
-We’ll read the entire Scripture in a moment, but in Chapter 3, verse 3, Paul asks a question, “Are you not acting like mere men?” In other words, the Apostle Paul looks astonished, because he looks at the church and he doesn’t see a difference between them and mere men. He doesn’t see a spiritual power or anointing. He ays as he looks at the people, “Are we not acting like just mere men and women?” In other words, what’s the difference between you, Church, and the rest of the world?
-Hey, what is the difference? What’s the difference between the people in this service sitting and listening to this message and the pople who don’t even go to church on Sunday? Are we just walking around here this morning like mere men? Is what we do during the week just like mere men?
-You se, the Church is facing a credibility problem in our day, because in most congregations there is no difference between us and mere men. I heard a story one time about a guy that went to church one Sunday and had a heart attack, so the ushers called the paramedics. The paramedics came in and while their doing their thing, the pastor’s up there just droning on and on, totally oblivious to what’s happening. One of the ushers heard the paramedics says, as they were carrying the man out, “We had to pick up six people before we found the right one.”
-Now, obviously that’s supposed to be a funny story. But you know what’s not funny? The truth behind the joke. That many churches wouldn’t know what a fresh move of the Spirit felt like because it’s been so long since they’ve experienced it. Somebody said that a lot of churches are like decaffeinated coffee, they’re like the real thing, but they just can’t keep you awake. Are you awake this morning?
-Here are some statistics of members of mainline churches in the past 20 years or so:
50% of members are not certain of their salvation.
60% of members seldom attend church.
70% of members give less than one percent to their church.
80% of members have no ministry within the congregation.
80% of members do not attend Sunday School or a small group.
90% have never been discipled or trained.
3,500-4,000 close each and every year. That’s 10 a day.
In 1900, there were 27 churches for every 10,000 people in America. Today, there are 12.
-The average size of all churches in America is only 75 people, and 85% of those have either plateaued in membership or declined.
-So, what’s the problem? Well, there are several problems, but I think one looms larger than most of the others. And it’s just what Paul is tlking about ot the church of Corinth. Things haven’t changed. 2,000 years late, we are still walking like mere men. We as Christians are living beneath our privileges. We’re not letting the Spirit have complete control of our lives or our churches. We’re calling the shots instead of Him.
-Remember, Jesus said in John 10, one of my favorite verses – “I have come that you might have life…” and in the middle of that sentence is a comma – “and have it more abundantly.” “I have come that you might have life” COMA, “and have it more abundantly.” I’ve got to ask you a question this morning. This is for you in your personal life and for us as a church: which side of the come are you living on? Are you living or really living? Are you and I walking as mere men or as people that are empowered and equipped to do the work of the ministry? That’s the question.
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:14-16; 3:1-3
“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:
16"For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?"[a] But we have the mind of Christ.”
“1Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?”
3 Kinds of People and Their Characteristics
-Let’s look at 1st kind of person Paul talks about:
1. The Natural Person (non-Christian)
Scripture: 1 Cor. 2:14
“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Characteristics:
A. No appreciation for spiritual things.
-The natural person has no appreciation for spiritual things. They don’t accept spiritual teachings. They don’t embrace the Bible’s message or claim it for themselves.
-You may have heard before about how God is triune. That is, He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Well, He made us in His image and so we have the same imprint. All human beings are made of the body, the spirit, and the soul. The body, of course, is that part we can see. The spirit is part that has communion with God. The soul is the innermost part of us that is the basis of decision making. Now, in the beginning, when Adam and Eve sinned, the spirit part, the communion part with God, literally crashed down and instead of being a spiritual man and woman, they became a natural man and woman.
-I read a poem one time that I think best describes the natural person. Listen closely to this:
“Into this world, to eat and to sleep
And know no reason why he was born
Except to consume the corn
Devour the cattle, flock, fish
And leave behind an empty dish.”
-That’s the natural person. No appreciation of spiritual things. Living day in and day out in a routine existence. Never having a higher sense of values or purpose. Why? Because in the beginning, man sinned, and the spirit, that part that was made to have communion with God, fell down. And in the natural person, it’s still down.
B. No comprehension of spiritual things.
-In fact, the reason the natural person cannot appreciate spiritual things is because something inside of him is dead. So not only can the natural person not appreciate spiritual things, if you’re without Christ in your life and you’re just living as a natural person, you can’t comprehend spiritual things. You can understand them. It just doesn’t make sense to you. There’s a reason for that. You’re broken.
Illustration: Have you ever gone into a place where your cell phone signal was blocked? Some hospitals have special shields in the walls and ceilings to block cell phone service so that it doesn’t interfere with their equipment. It’s frustrating, isn’t it? You want to place or receive a call over your network, but you can’t. Or if you can, it’s all scrambled and it’s hard to hear the other person or for them to hear you.
-Well, Paul would say that the natural person can’t place or receive spiritual calls. Or maybe you can sort of get through to God, but it seems like you can’t really hear Him or He can’t really hear you. Why? Because there’s something blocking the signal. There’s something inside of you that is keeping you from connecting with the network.
-You remember when God loked at Adam and Eve and said, “If you take of that fruit, you’re going to die?” You know, God didn’t mean that they would simply physically die when they did that, but that they would also spiritually die. That’s what Paul says in Ephesians 2:1 when he says that we are dead in our trespasses and sins. We’re dead. We can’t comprehend or appreciate spiritual things at all. We have no ability to receive the spiritual in our lives without God’s Spirit coming in and reviving that part of us that’s dead.
-That’s why the Christian looks at the world and says, “Why in the world do people do the things they do?” I can tell you why. They’re dead inside. They can’t appreciate or comprehend in the spiritual. So be kind to those people. Show them grace and mercy. Because they are the natural person. And they need help.
2. The Spiritual Person
-So now we move on to verse 15 and 16, and Paul gives us a couple of characterstics of the 2nd kind of person, the Spiritual person.
Scripture: 1 Cor. 2:15-16
15The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:
16"For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.”
Characteristics:
A. Capable of discernment.
-The spiritual person understand and discerns what God is doing. That word “judgments” in verse 16 literally means “has the ability to evaluate the things of God.”
-Do you notice that Paul didn’t say that the spiritual person knows all things? And he definitely didn’t say, “is smarter in all things.” Paul said that the spiritual man has the ability to evaluate, judge, or discern all things. In other words, their heart is on the same wavelength as God’s heart. There may be other people who are more qualified, or smarter, or richer, but the spiritual person is able to accomplish greater things than all of them because where the natural person can only see the outward stuff, the spiritual person can see the situation with spiritual eyes.
B. Cause for amazement
-The other characteristic is that with the spiritual person, there’s a cause for amazement. People look at that spiritual person and they’re amazed at how they think and live. The natural man is amazed by the spiritual man, by the way he lives his life and the high road he takes. The Living Bible paraphrases this passage by saying that the spiritual person has insight that bother and baffles the person of this world.
-So let me ask you 3 important questions this morning:
1. Do other people express a desire for God when they’re around you?
2. Do you sense spiritual power in your life?
3. Do you walk a higher road than the world?
-Do you know what I’m asking? I’m basically asking you as Paul was asking the church at Corinth. Is there something in your life that is attractive and appetizing, so that the natural person migrates to you? Does your life make people hungry to know the God you know? Or do they even know that you know Him? Are we acting like mere men or are we on a higher spiritual plane? I’m not talking about being all “new-agey” and muttering to yourself and quoting Scripture all the time. I’m talking about living in a real world, with real joy, with a real testimony.
-You see, there ought to be a difference between the way the Christian views life and the way the non-Christian views life. Paul says that the spiritual person and the natural person are not the same. They don’t think the same. They don’t live the same. And there’s something about the spiritual person on that high plane of living that makes the natural person hungry for what they have. Jesus said it better and we talked about it a couple of weeks ago: He said we’re to be light in our world. And we’re to be salt in our world. I’m telling your right now, when we’re spirit filled, we ought to make people thirsty for God.
-Now, let’s talk about the 3rd type of person. And I’m just going to tell you up front. This type of person is dangerous.
3. The Carnal Person
-Paul talks about the carnal person in 3:1-3. Look at what he says about them:
Scripture: 1 Cor. 3:1-3
“1Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?”
Carnality can be defined as “Allowing oneself to be controlled by the human nature instead of the Spirit of God.”
Characteristics:
A. Immaturity
-Paul tells the church at Corinth that some of them are “infants in Christ.” They’re spiritual babies. Now guy, listen: there’s nothing wrong with being a baby. Everyone was born a baby. You threw up and pooped all over the place. Mandy and I babysat a few weeks ago for her 1 month old nephew. Let me tell you something, it was eye-opening. My whole life I have wanted to be a daddy. After 2 hours with a real life baby, I wanted to get fixed.
-And hey, you know what? When we give our lives to God, when we’re born again, we’re like spiritual babies. All of us are. We have to learn to spiritually walk and talk and clean up after ourselves and not spiritually throw up on people. But can I tell you something? Something is deeply wrong if you stay a baby all your life.
-Have you ever been in a maternity ward? There’s so much joy and excitement in that place! Everybody’s excited because of the potential of their baby. Their baby might grow up to be a doctor or a missionary or a president. There are a lot of hopes and dreams in the maternity ward. But now, I’m going to tell you something: there wouldn’t be near as much excitement and joy in that maternity ward if that mother was told that that baby she’s nursing would be a baby for the next 20 years. Am I right, parents?
-I mean, it’s all right to change those diapers for a few months. It’s all right to get up in the middle of the night for a few months. But about 2 or 3 month into this thing, you say, “Thank God this kid is going to grow up.” Nothing wrong with being a baby. But something’s desperately wrong if the baby stays a baby.
-I heard a great definition of a baby the other day: “A digestive apparatus with a loud noise at one end and no responsibility at the other.” Hmmm. A loud noise at one end and no responsibility at the other. Hey folks…sounds like some Christians I’ve met in my lifetime. In fact, you know what Paul says? Paul says there’s 2 things that a carnal Christian never does. He says in verse 2 of chapter 3 that they’re still on milk. That can’t eat solid food. And then look what he says:
B. A carnal Christian never gives in. (Selfish)
-He says in verse 3, “You’re jealous. You’re hateful. You’re petty. You’re picky.” When something doesn’t go your way as a carnal Christian, you know what you want to do? You take your ball and go home. You pout. You criticize. You gossip. Basically, carnal Christians, all they can look at is themselves and whterh they aren’t getting what they want - you know, either the sermon’s too long or the sermon’s too short. The music is too traditional or the music is too contemporary. Either the church is spending too much money on outreach or the church is not spending enough.
-It’s their way or the highway.
C. A carnal Christian never grows up. (Static)
-Then Paul says, “You know what? You’ve been on baby food for years now, and you’re still on baby food. Listen to what the writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 5:12-14:
Scripture: Hebrews 5:12-14
“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
Four Steps to a Spirit-Filled Life
A. Realize your need.
Scripture: 1 Cor. 13:11
“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.”
B. Repent of your ways.
Scripture: Rev. 2:5
“Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”
C. Release your rights.
Scripture: Rom. 12:1-2
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
D. Receive God’s power.
Scripture: Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Conclusion/Invitation
I heard a story growing up that I’d like to close with this morning. Maybe you’ve heard, maybe you haven’t. It’s the story of a man who was on the U.S. battleship West Virginia on the evening of December 6, 1941. They’d been out on maneuvers in the Pacific that week, and on Saturday night, as they pulled into Pearl Harbor everyone was given shore leave. Most of the sailors went into Honolulu for the usual activities, but this man considered himself a Christian with higher standards, so he accompanied a small group to a church near the base where a Bible study was being conducted.
Inside the church basement, the group of perhaps a dozen sat in a circle. The leader said, "Tell us your favorite Bible verse. Let’s start here and we’ll go around the circle." The guy panicked. He could not think of a single verse. Luckily, they started on the other side of the circle.
Finally, he remembered John 3:16 and began to piece it together in his mind. About the time he got it all assembled his mind, the guy to his left recited it as his verse. He was humiliated. He had to admit, “I’m sorry, I don’t know any other verses.” He went home that evening and was just spiritually whipped. He sat at home that night thinking, “some Christian you are. You don’t even know one Bible verse.”
The man says that at 7:10 the next morning, the sirens on his ship sounded and he was called to his battle station. It was December 7th, 1941. The day of infamy when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He said, “I looked overhead and there was smoke all around the harbor and those Japanese planes were flying right over us. I gabed my guns, but all we had available was fake ammo. As these planes are going over, I’m firing blanks for 15 minutes. I’m standing on the deck of a ship firing blanks.”
And he says, “While I’m there, God says, ‘That’s exactly the way your life is.’ Your life is full of blanks. No real power. No real effectiveness. No salt. No light. Just blanks. And there a real enemy all around you and they’re bombing you and shooting at you. And you have nothing to fight the enemy off.”
He said later that, “On the deck of the ship, I said to God, ‘If you’ll let me live through this, I’ll get out of the baby carnal stage as a Christian. I’m going to grow up spiritually and be spirit filled. I’m not going to fire blanks any more.”
-Listen, the thing is, there are a lot of people who can come to church and hide behind the pews, sing the songs, open the Bible and take good notes. But spiritually, they’re impotent. They’re firing blanks. They look right, they sound right, but they’re not right. I pray today, in the name of Jesus, that today, every one of us would determine that God will have all of us and that we would let the Holy Spirit move in as the leader of our lives.
-I don’t know where you are in your walk with the Lord. Maybe you’ve never started it and you’re one of those natural people. Maybe you’re vibrant in your walk with God and you’re close to Him and you’re one of those spiritual people. Or maybe you gave your life to Christ some time ago, but you’ve never grown up spiritually and the Spirit doesn’t have complete control of you and you’ve become one of those carnal people. Wherever you may be in your relationship with God, I invite you to an altar today to make the commitment you need to make to Him. You know what you need to do. Just come, kneel at an altar and talk with God.
