SERMON OUTLINE:
WIFE Acrostic for...
Worship.
Instruction.
Fellowship.
Evangelism.
"Making sense of the ministry", by Warren Wiersbe,
Statement #1: The foundation of ministry is character.
statement #2: The nature of ministry is service.
statement #3: The motive for ministry is love.
statement #4: The measure of ministry is sacrifice.
statement #5: The authority of ministry is submission.
statement #6: The purpose of ministry is to glorify God.
statement #7: The tools of the ministry are prayer and the word of God.
statement #8: The privilege of ministry is growth.
statement #9: The power of ministry is the Holy Spirit.
statement #10: The model for ministry is Jesus Christ.
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• A military commander had a sign on his desk that read,
• "The secrecy of my job does not permit me to know what I am doing".
• TRANSITION: Now that might be, ‘tongue-in-cheek,’
• But it is important to know what we are doing and where we are heading.
Ill:
There is a great episode in the book, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ by Lewis Carol.
• Alice is unsure of the way and so asks a question to the cat,
• “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
• The unhelpful cat replies,
• “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,”
• Alise responds, “I don’t much care were.”
• So, the cat says, “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,”
• And as an added afterthought Alice responds
• “So long as I get somewhere,”.
• The cat says,
• “Oh, you’re sure to do that, if only you walk long enough!”
• TRANSITION: As a Church we are not meant to be just going ‘somewhere.’
• We should have a focus, a plan, a direction!
• So that we are moving closer to our destination.
• That will require rethinking and reevaluating,
• Both in an individual sense and also a collective (as a Church) sense,
• Rethinking and reevaluating the why, what and how of who we are and what we do.
• Will difficult, and even painful!
Note: In Acts chapter 2, we see the church in embryonic form,
• This is the first and only Church,
• At this moment in history there is no other Church than this one.
• The Church has just been born and the cradle is still rocking!
• This is what the original looked like.
Ill:
We are used to cover versions of pop songs.
• e.g. Pet Shop Boys – ‘Always on My Mind.’
• Was it better than Brenda Lee, or Elvis Presley, in my opinion no!
• e.g. Take That - 'Could It Be Magic'
• Was it better than Barry Manilow?
• The Gypsy Kings - ‘Hotel California.’
• Was it better than The Eagles?
• e.g. Jimi Hendrix – ‘All Along The Watchtower.’
• Was it better than Bob Dylan, in my opinion it came close!
• TRANSITION: Normally we say the original was better,
• But that might just be a sign of getting old,
• And the new version adds to the original and gives it new life again!
• (there might be a spiritual parallel there!)
Question: What did the very first church look like?
Answer: If we can answer that question, we can determine two things:
• FIRST:
• We will be able to see the model we are expected to follow as a church.
• SECOND:
• We will be able to see why we need the church,
Ill:
• I am not looking at the early Church through rose-coloured/rose-tinted glasses.
• That is only seeing the pleasant things about it.
• Theologian Walter Elwell says,
• “In the New Testament alone, the early Church had to be corrected some 150 times.”
• TRANSITION: So, no local Church has ever been perfect,
• But in my opinion, this here in Acts 2 is as good as it gets!
• Now before we look, ‘The WIFE every Church should marry!’
• I want to spend a bit of time on something from a Warren Wiersbe book.
Ill:
• Warren Wiersbe was a radio Bible teacher, conference speaker and prolific author.
• In his book, "Making sense of the ministry",
• He gives ten excellent pieces of practical advice.
• So, I appreciate that 10 points by way of an introduction, may seem long,
• But I believe the points he makes are worth us taking the time,
• To think these things through.
Question: What do we mean by the term, ‘ministry’?
Answer:
• Another word for ministry is service.
• Ministry/Service is what we do as the Church,
• We work/serve in the name of God to bless other people.
• Remember from last week,
• In the New Testament Church is never a building but always a community of people.
• The Church is not a club we join, it is a family we belong to,
• In all families there are pros and cons, privileges and responsibilities.
• So, to in the Church of God.
• Being part of a Church fellowship should be active not passive.
• Quote: As the saying goes, “You don’t go to Church because you are the Church!”
• Being part of a Church fellowship should mean being active not passive.
• Now, let’s look at Warren Wiersbe’s Ten statements about the ministry:
• We could retitle them, "Keeping my ministry/Service/my part in the Church on target".
Statement #1: The foundation of ministry is character.
• The foundation is the most important part of any building,
• The story of the wise and foolish builders so clearly demonstrates that.
• (Matthew chapter 7 verses 24-27)
• Character is like the foundations of a house, hidden but essential!
• So, if your character is poor, make it a priority to correct it!!
• Because what we ARE is always more important than what we DO:
Quote: Jim Peterson (author & Bible Teacher):
"The existence of a unique people, whose lives are marked by God himself, has always been fundamental to his program of reconciling the world to himself.
His people incarnate his character; they audio-visualize the nature of his eternal reign".
statement #2: The nature of ministry is service.
Ill:
• As I mentioned a few minutes ago, the word “minister” or “ministry,”
• Service is another name for ministry.
• And all Christians are called to serve,
Quote: Alistair Begg (Bible teacher, author & Pastor).
“It is not that some are called to Christ and then go on to service,
but it is that to be called by Christ is to be called to service.
So, we don’t invite some to be the servants and others to be the served,
but all of us are called to be the servants.”
• A simple Google search will show you a variety of Bible verses,
• All clearly teaching that those of us who belong to Christ are to be servants!
• Those who minister to others.
• e.g. Let me share just one example - 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 10.
• “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.”
We have been brought together in the body of Christ – the Church:
• So that we can collectively, together build each other up,
• And that will outwork itself as we seek to encourage, support, and serve one another,
• The Christian life is not about receiving, it is about giving.
• It is not about taking; it is about releasing.
• It is not being served; it is about serving others.
statement #3: The motive for ministry is love.
Ill:
• On one occasion Jesus was asked a question by a Pharisee, an expert in the law,
• He asked, “Which is the greatest commandment?” (Mark chapter 12 verses 28-34)
• Jesus replied,
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Jesus takes all the laws and commands in Old Testament Scripture.
• And he summarizes them into two commandments.
• The first deals with our relationship with God,
• And the second deals with our relationship with other people.
• One naturally flows out of the other.
• Without a right relationship with God,
• Our relationships with others will not be right, either.
• TRANSITION: Our motivation for ministry/service,
• Is never personal prestige & honour.
• But a desire to please God and to bless others.
statement #4: The measure of ministry is sacrifice.
• Quote: John Henry Jowett (influential preacher at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century)
• "Ministry that costs nothing accomplishes nothing".
ill:
• A pig and a hen were walking down the road,
• The see a café and in the window is a sign that says, ‘Bacon & eggs for breakfast.’
• The pig turns to the hen and says,
• “That’s okay for you, for you it’s an offering, for me it’s a sacrifice!”
• TRANSITION: Ministry/Service always costs,
• It costs time and effort and in many other ways.
statement #5: The authority of ministry is submission.
Ill.
• Confession time, last week I broke the law.
• When I was heading up to London, I put the cruise control on my car to 78mph.
• The law of course says the limit is 70mph.
• I justified my actions because plenty of cars were zooming past me,
• And I figured if anyone was going to get done for speeding it would be them not me.
• If we are honest, we don’t like submitting to the government’s road laws.
• We tend to think we know best.
• We can determine what is safe and we can use our common sense on the road.
• TRANSITION: I use that illustration just to highlight,
• That we all prefer to do things our way!
• All people and not just Christian’s struggle with submitting to authority,
• Be it teachers, bosses, government officials, or Church leaders!
Note:
• Ministry cannot work with submission, without compliance, without agreement,
• Ministry is not ruling over people it is releasing people,
• If you don’t like the idea of submission,
• Think, this is for the good of the other person and not about me.
Ill:
• Philippians chapter 2 verses 1-5 is all about this,
• And the great hymn we find in that chapter about Jesus Christ,
• Is simply an illustration of these truths.
• Preacher, author R.T. Kendall says,
• (I am paraphrasing him from memory, so might not be 1000% correct),
“Most of the problems we face in the Church could be solved,
if we lived according to these verses in Philippians chapter 2!”
statement #6: The purpose of ministry is to glorify God.
• That is always the reason for whatever we do.
• Our ultimate purpose on earth is to glorify God.
Ill:
• The Westminster Shorter Catechism is best known for its opening question:
• “What is the chief end of man?”
• To which the following reply is offered:
• “Man’s chief end is to glorify and enjoy God forever.”
• TRANSITION: While this is not a phrase drawn directly from the Bible,
• The wisdom behind it surely is.
• Question: What were we created to do?
• Answer: We were created to know God, love God and to serve God,
• We glorify him when we do this voluntarily and joyfully.
statement #7: The tools of the ministry are prayer and the word of God.
• When the apostles were getting side-tracked by issues in the Church,
• Acts chapter 6 verse 4 tells that they prioritized.
• “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
• This statement concisely summarizes the job description for Church leaders.
• Prayer and the ministry of the word.
• But it should be true for all ministries, all services.
• Because if we get too far from either one-off those, we will be off target.
Quote:
"If we have all scripture and no prayer, we have all light and no heat,
If we have all prayer and no scripture, we have all heat and no light".
• We need balance,
• Whatever we do should be backed up by prayer,
• And we should be biblical in content, the message we share.
statement #8: The privilege of ministry is growth.
• Growing deeper.
• Growing closer.
• Growing larger.
• Size is important but no more important than:
• Growing deeper and growing closer.
• In fact, often growing just numerically can diminish growing closer together,
• Because there are more and more relationships to navigate.
• Growing deeper - Am I growing UP (maturing) in my walk with God?
• Growing closer – Do I want to get to know other people here at a deeper level?
• Growing larger – Am I doing might bit to grow the Church?
statement #9: The power of ministry is the Holy Spirit.
Quote: A.W. Tozer.
"If the Lord removed the Holy Spirit from this world, much of what we are doing in the church would continue and nobody, would not even know the difference."
Ill:
• Reminds me of the story of a little boy saying his prayers on Sunday evening,
• He enthusiastically prayed,
“Lord, it was awesome tonight at Church,
The music was good, the choice of songs was special, the people were kind, and the preacher was short, it was fantastic, Lord you should have been there to experience it!”
• TRANSITION: Well, our theology tells us the Lord is always present.
• “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
• (Matthew chapter 18 verse 20).
• But it might not always appear so!
Quote: Zechariah chapter 4 verse 6b reminds us of this necessity.
• N.I.V.: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit".
• Living Bible: "You will succeed because of my Spirit".
• There are no short cuts in ministry,
• You and I are only ever channels.
• The power and the lasting work come from and is done by the Holy Spirit.
• But the good news is…
• It is not Us and God, it is not even God and us, but always it is God through us!
statement #10: The model for ministry is Jesus Christ.
Ill:
• When I drive up to Speakers Corner, Hyde Park, London on a Sunday,
• I park near the Royal Albert Hall.
• Fifty to 100 yards further on from the RAH is a statue of David Livingstone.
• The sad thing is watching tourists’ cameras in hand,
• Walk straight by it and not even give it a second glance.
• I feel I want to say to them, “Stop! This is a reminder of David Livingstone!”
• One: He was an incredible explorer in central Africa,
• Two: He opposed the Arab slave trade flourishing along Africa’s east coast.
• Calling it, “this trade in Hell, this open sore of the world.”
• Three: He was also a great Christian missionary.
Quote: David Livingstone once said.
"He is the greatest master I have known.
If there is anyone greater, I do not know him.
Jesus Christ is the only master supremely worth serving.
He is the only ideal that never loses its inspiration.
He is the only friend whose friendship meets every demand.
He is the only saviour who can save to the uttermost.
We go forth in his name, in his power,
and in his spirit to serve him".
• TRANSITION: There is no greater example than that of Jesus Christ.
• And remember the Church belongs to him!
• i.e. He is the architect and the builder, “I will build my Church!”
• (Matthew chapter 16 verse 18)
• i.e. “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
• Ephesians chapter 5 verse 25
10 excellent pieces of advice from Warran Wiersbe:
• That would do us all good to read them every couple of weeks.
• And try to apply them to our ministry/service and lives.
Now with all that in mind:
• Turn with me to Acts chapter 2,
• As we look at ‘The WIFE every Church should marry!’
• There are four pictures of the church in embryonic form,
• As mentioned earlier, this is the first and only Church,
• The Church has just been born and the cradle is still rocking!
• From these four pictures,
• We will be able to determine the major objectives of any local assembly.
• These objectives are cross-cultural, they are cross-denominational.
• And they are true whatever size a Church may be.
• I cribbed the title and outline ‘The WIFE every Church should marry!’
• From, Charles Swindoll (Pastor & Author).
• The word WIFE is an acrostic, representing:
• Worship.
• Instruction.
• Fellowship.
• Evangelism.
(1). Worship (vs 42a).
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Question: What do you see in that verse?
Answer: We see committed, worshipful people.
Ill:
• Don’t miss that little word, “devoted.”
• It signifies a steadfast, single-minded commitment.
• There was nothing halfhearted when it came to worship in the early church,
• It was intense and notice it contained a beautiful simplicity:
• The breaking of bread and prayer,
• I wonder how many people would turn up the following few weeks,
• If every Sunday morning all we had was breaking bread and prayer?
• Reminds me of the quote from Spurgeon,
• “The prayer meeting where only God is the attraction!”
• Well, the early Church experienced God’s presence in a special way,
• Dr Luke records what happened,
• "Everyone was filled with awe" (vs 43) literally: "And there came to every soul fear".
• Now that would bring the crowds in!
Quote: Leonard Ravenhill (Preacher, author)
“You never have to advertise a fire. Everyone comes running when there’s a fire.
Likewise, if your church is on fire, you will not have to advertise it.
The community will already know it.”
I love the descriptive language of verse 46 "With glad and sincere hearts" (vs 46):
• GLAD:
• They were pleased and happy to be there.
• They met together "Every day," that alone is a sign of enjoyment!
• SINCERE - free from pretense or deceit; proceeding from genuine feelings,
• In other words, their worship was sincere!
• They wanted to glorify God and not just feel blessed themselves.
(2). Instruction: (vs 42a)
• The church is a learning congregation.
• "They devoted themselves to the Apostle's teaching".
Note: I find it interestingly that teaching is the first item mentioned on the list:
• Question: Why?
• Answer: Because babies need above all other things food.
• Just ask the new mums/ dads who have to feed their newborns on a very regular basis.
WE NEED FOOD/TEACHING FOR AT LEAST SIX REASONS:
• #1: It gives substance to our faith.
• (Faith is not blind it is rooted in the promises of God!)
• #2: It stabilizes us in times of testing.
• (When storms and testing come, and they will, make sure your foundation is good).
• #3: It enables us to handle the Bible correctly, so we can nourish ourselves with its meat.
• (“Man cannot leave by bread alone,” and Christians cannot live by one Sunday Sermon alone!),
• #4: It equips us to know and detect errors.
• (We have never been more blessed for teaching than we are today, you can go on YouTube/God TV and listen to the best in the world! The trouble is YouTube/God TV is also full of rotten false teachers – only regular study of the Word equips you).
• #5: It makes us confident in our walk.
• (If you know, “Your times are in his hands”, that, “All the way my saviour leads me,” why wouldn’t you be confident?)
• #6: It calms our fears and cancels our superstitions.
• (ill: The boxer Joe Louis once said., “I don't like money actually, but it quiets my nerves.” – that’s debatable! The word of God should calm our nerves!
• Instruction is given never just to inform but to transform.
(3). Fellowship (vs 44-45.).
• The Church is a caring flock.
• Church should not be a place where you come, worship, learn and leave.
• It's a place where you draw close to one another.
• Next week we will unpack this idea of fellowship,
• So, I will move on to the next essential.
(D). Evangelism (see book of Acts).
• The church is an out-reaching body.
• We will see that again and again and again in the book of Acts.
There is something in Acts, that we have forgotten or reversed:
• The church that's gathered is worshipping.
• The church that's scattered is evangelizing.
• These first Christians did not come to church to win the lost!
• They came to church to Worship, for Instruction and for Fellowship.
• Then they scattered to evangelize:
• Sharing Christ with their contemporaries as the opportunities arose.
• In their families, workplace, communities.
The foundation to their evangelism was:
• Close fellowship,
• Good teaching,
• Real, sincere worship,
• They enjoyed a healthy relationship,
• Firstly, with God and secondly with each other.
• And the side effect of that verse 47:
• Folks being added to their numbers daily,
Ill:
• British evangelical theologian and preacher Michael Green,
• Wrote the book, ‘Evangelism in the Early Church.’
“Christianity was supremely a lay movement, spread by informal missionaries…the spontaneous outreach to the total Christian community gave immense impetus to the movement from the very start.”
• TRANSITION: In other words,
• Everybody was doing it, and they kind of did evangelism all the time.
• Notice: The Church went from 120 people (Acts chapter 1 verse 15),
• To 3,120 people in one day (Acts chapter 2 verse 41).
• And it did not stop, it kept increasing day by day.
• In chapter 4 verse 4,
“But many who heard the message believed.
so, the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.”
• They have gone from, 120 to 3,120, to 5,000plus,
• It grew so big they only counted the men!
• I think that is pretty effective evangelism!
• SECRET: Everyone according to Dr Michael Green was evangelizing,
• And they kept on doing evangelism all the time.
Quote: David Winter:
"Eloquent speeches, visual aids, films, seminars and discussion groups are, after all, no substitute for the daily unspectacular witness of the rank-and-file Christian.
If that witness is consistent and open, then no improvement in tactics or strategy will better it as a means of winning people for Christ. If it is not, then no evangelistic program, no matter how ambitious or sophisticated, will make the slightest impact. That is a lesson we have been slow to learn".
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=FUX8BoEWcjZl7rFm8C2wJMjc9WieKxAf
SERMON VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/P1XyvnkRA6g
