INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• We have been working through a series entitled Why Do We Do That? Since you are here this week, I am glad we did not scare you off last week as we examined why do we take up an offering.
• This week we are looking at the question, WHY DO WE ASK YOU TO VOLUNTEER?
• When you consider how many people we need to be able to offer this gathering today, it takes over 40 volunteers to make this service happen.
• So, based on that thought it would be easy to conclude that we ask you to volunteer so that we can function, and on the surface, that is true; however, there are some deeper reasons we ask for volunteers.
• In a situation where we had enough financial resources, theoretically, we could hire people to be greeters, hostesses, to be a part of the Praise Teams and Praise band.
• We could hire folks to prepare and serve communion, and so forth…
• In some areas of service, we do hire some of the tasks out, Jerry and I are paid to help preach, teach, and lead.
• We have Paula and Linda in the office to keep consistency in the office. We also hire out the lawn care, and the nursery duties.
• But imagine walking into a Church were the person who greets you is paid staff, then you find out that there are no volunteers in the because ALL of the work is hired out, you can simply sit and be served.
• That would be weird!
• Today we are going to address the deeper reasons as to why we ask you to volunteer in the Church.
• The focus of the message today comes from the book of Romans in the New Testament. This was written by the Apostle Paul and it was addressed to the Church at Rome as Paul was trying to help the young Church to mature.
• SLIDE #2
• Romans 12:3 (HCSB) For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. Your gifts come from God.
• When we cover Romans 12, we usually cover verses 1-2. Let’s take a quick peek at the passage or context sake.
• SLIDE #4
• Romans 12:1–2 (HCSB) Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
• In 12:1–2, Paul has encapsulated the gospel imperative: honoring God at all times through a transformed life that is in keeping with his will.
• In 12:3–15:13, Paul unpacks some of the specific components of that will.
• He begins in 12:3–8 by reminding us that we live out our transformed existence in community.
• Central to our community life is a fair and sober estimate of ourselves in line with the Christian faith and with the gifts God has given us.
• I had never really given any deep thought to the tie in between verses 1-2 and the text we are unwinding today.
• The passage we are examining together this morning is the where the rubber meets the road application of verses 1-2.
• We are called to be an active part of the body of Christ, the Church!
• Verse 3 begins with the word FOR, meaning, “LET ME EXPLAIN FURTHER WITH I MEAN ABOUT DEMONSTRATING GOD’S WILL” from verses 1-2.
• Before he digs down deeper, Paul uses the phrase FOR BY GRACE GIVEN TO ME, to let everyone know that his position as an Apostle came to him as a result of God’s grace.
• This fits in with Paul encouraging one to not think of oneself more highly that one should. I am going to let Jerry build on this thought in two weeks.
• Where I am going to take us today with this thought is that we are called to realize that the gifts we possess are from God and therefore we are to think sensibly when we consider our gifts.
• When one realizes that their gifts are from God, it will help to keep one centered and not think too highly of oneself.
• When one thinks sensibly about themselves, they will neither exaggerate or think too lowly of the gifts that God has blessed one with.
• We are told that God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.
• This is not an easy phrase to grasp.
• The word measure means either the MEANS or instrument by, OR the standard by which something is measured, OR the amount or quantity of something after it is measured.
• Faith can denote faith as body of doctrine, or faithfulness as in personal faithfulness, or it can refer to the supernatural gift of faith as found in 1 Corinthians 12:9 and 13:2.
• The interpretation that make the most sense given the context and meaning of the words is to take the phrase in the genitive sense, or see it as possessive.
• The phrase MEASURE OF FAITH then means the faith in each one qualifying them for receiving and using correctly the gifts which God gave for the instruction, the rule, the confirmation, the direction, and the extension of the church.
• This fits into the vein of what Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 concerning faith.
• SLIDE #5
• Matthew 17:20 (HCSB) ... “For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.
• THE SIZE OF ONE’S FAITH IMPACTS THE WORLD.
• Faith is involved in not only becoming a follower of Jesus, but also in one’s day to day living (Philippians 4:13 shows this).
• In the church there is distribution of gifts and each member possesses his own measure for which there is the corresponding faith by which and within the limits of which the gift is to be exercised.
• The deeper our faith becomes, the more involved we will be willing to be in the body of Christ, His Church.
• So one of the reasons we ask you to volunteer is because you have gifts from God that you need to use!
• SLIDE #6
• Romans 12:4 (HCSB) Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function,
• SLIDE #7
II. God expects you to use your gifts for His glory.
• In verse three, the exhortation is directed to the entire church, “to every one of you.”
• The implication for the subject of spiritual gifts is that every Christian has a gift or a special ability of some kind that can be used to build up the body as a whole.
• When you think about it, why did God give you the gifts you have?
• The Corinthian Church was abusing their gifts, they were showing off, running other down because they were not perceived as being as special because of the gifts they possessed.
• God gave us gifts to we could use them for His glory and to build His Church until Jesus returns!
• Peter tells us in the book of 1 Peter…
• SLIDE #8
• 1 Peter 4:10 (HCSB) Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God.
• Peter tells us that we are to use what we have been given from God to serve others.
• When Paul was dealing that the Corinthian Church who was struggling with the misuse of their gifts, Paul sought to offer them a course correction.
• By the way, the book of Romans was written from Corinth in 58 AD, so maybe the verses we are digging into today were meant to be a preemptive strike before the churches Rome trudged down the same path.
• SLIDE #9
• 1 Corinthians 14:12 (HCSB) So also you—since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek to excel in building up the church.
• The text shows me that I must participate in the local church to help others grow.
• Whatever gift I have been given, I am under obligation to my Lord to use it to serve his people. That gift need not always, of course, be expressed only in a local church.
• In Ephesians we are told that God gave the various positions in the church so that we could build one another up.
• SLIDE #10
• Ephesians 4:12–13 (HCSB) for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.
• We ask you to volunteer because God has gifted you to help us to grow and develop the faith of others!
• SLIDE #11
• Romans 12:5–8 (HCSB) in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the standard of one’s faith; if service, in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.
• SLIDE #12
III. Your gifts were meant to be used in unity with others in God’s Church.
• This is something we need to understand, God did not call us to be Lone Rangers in His service, nor did He call us to be in the Secret Service in serving Him.
• God brought us together because our gifts, when exercised properly, can accomplish much for His kingdom.
• Churches that have the one-man show will fail or they will have such limited impact.
• It is imperative that ALL of us who are a part of the body of Christ at FCC use our gifts together.
• What do for God is a team effort. You could have the greatest preacher on earth at FCC, but if he has no one around him doing their part, the church will never operate as it should.
• A typical church does not lack talent and resources, it lacks participation!
• At FCC we have a HIGH level of involvement from you; however, until we get 100% participation we will always operate with a level of inefficiency.
• SLIDE #13
• Ephesians 4:16 (HCSB) From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.
• Many of you know how it is when parts of your body cease to function properly! You can get by, but it takes more effort, the church is the same way.
• Many folks have told me throughout the years that they do not need the church, that they can worship in the woods by themselves.
• There is some truth about being able to worship; however, that attitude reveals faulty thinking.
• We are called to come together not only for our edification, but to encourage others!
• SLIDE #14
• Hebrews 10:24–25 (HCSB) And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
• When one habitually sits at home and gets their “CHURCH” from TV, they are cheating their local church out of their talents and encouragement.
• Our unity is made stronger by our diversity of gifts, and we ask you to volunteer because when you fail to step up to the plate, the whole body of Christ is hurt.
CONCLUSION
• Part of our living sacrifice is serving the body of Christ, His Church. We ask you to volunteer because God has gifted you, and God wants you to use your gifts for His glory.
• Another reason we ask you to serve is that you will grow spiritually through serving.
• We have ministry involvement forms in the foyer, they are lavender colored and if you are not serving in some capacity, we want to be give you the opportunity to receive some great blessings from your faithful service to for the Lord!
