Reaching the 412
“We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you.” (41256 Barnetts Creek, 41204 Boons Camp 41222 Collista, 41222 Denver, 41216 East Point, 41219 Elna, 41219 Flatgap, 41219 Fuget, 41219 Gillem Branch, 41222 Hagerhill, 41265 Johns Creek, 41226 Keaton, 41222 Leander, 41238 Manila, 41234 Meally, 41222 Mendola Village, 41240 Nippa, 41240 Offutt, 41238 Oil Springs, 41240 Paintsville, 41219 Redbush, 41240 Riceville, 41254 River, 41255 Sitka, 41256 Staffordsville, 41257 Stambaugh, 41240 Swamp Branch, 41240 Thealka, 41260 Thelma, 41263 Tutor Key, 41265 Van Lear, 41219 Volga, 41268 West Van Lear, 41240 Whitehouse, 41271 Williamsport, 41219 Winifred, 41274 Wittensville.) 2 Corinthians 10:13
Intro: Today we are going to think about reaching out to our community.
I spoke with David Havens Postmaster here in Paintsville
and he gave me some really helpful and interesting information
about the post offices and zip codes in Johnson County.
He said if we search back through records and history to the beginning of Johnson County
Johnson County, Kentucky was established in 1843, with Paintsville as the county seat.
People resided in Floyd County, Lawrence County and Morgan County.
One day its people were in their own home county
and seemingly overnight they became citizens of Johnson County.
It looked like a group of our ancestors had moved
But what really happened was the boundaries had changed around them.
A good guess is there have been about 37 different zip codes over the years in Johnson County.
Of course many of those post offices have closed and the zip codes merged or changed.
One example is the old Win Post Office near Pickle Fork is underwater when they built the lake.
Today people are constantly moving in and out of Johnson County.
People move from Barnetts Creek to Redbush or across from Van Lear to Staffordsville.
You probably know people who have moved twice in one year.
We as a church have to keep in mind that these are all our neighbors.
We have to keep up to date about the expanding and growing and changing boundaries of our outreach.
The title of today’s sermon is “Reaching the 412.”
We are going to talk about reaching those who are at the heart beat of our church
who live in one of the 37 communities whose zip codes begin with the numbers 412.
These are people outside the walls of this church that we need to serve and reach.
John Wesley’s famous quote: “I look upon all the world as my parish;
thus far I mean, that in whatever part of it I am,
I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty to declare unto all that are willing to hear,
the glad tidings of salvation.” –Journal, June 11, 1739.
When you attend this church.
When you attend First church you are making a commitment to serve and reach out.
When you join this Church
You made an even deeper, more intentional commitment to reach out to the people in Johnson county.
You took the vows of membership in the church.
You have made a promise.
What holds you accountable to that commitment?
First is your relationship with Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and the scripture
They remind us that we have a calling from God to serve and a duty to reach out.
Are you going to do…, what we said…, we are going to do?
It reminds me of my childhood when I would want to go play.
My mom would say…, before you can go ride your bike…,
you have to make sure your school work is done and you chores are done.
I know kids today still have school work.
I am not so sure that very many kids have chores to do.
Or that parents teach their children responsibility to homework like my parents did or your parents did.
But I was made to do my chores before I could play.
I was made to eat my vegetable before I could get up from the table.
I was made to brush my teeth before I went to bed.
I was even made to say a prayer before I went to sleep.
But much of that has changed in our society today.
I believe to the down fall of our morals and principles and our faith.
I want each of us to think about before we take time for leisure activities and time for entertainment
Do we have responsibilities?
Do we have a sense of duty first?
De we keep the obligations and do the things that we are supposed to do first?
Christ calls us to reach out to others.
The bible stories teach us kingdom truths that God wants us to learn and follow.
As we take a deeper look at 2 Corinthians there are two meanings that are of particular interest to us.
You would have to really study to understand the meaning here so just bare with me for a few minutes.
First the Apostle Paul is talking about the authority given of God to him
that is [within the boundaries of God’s plan.]
This is specifically talking about the precepts of God’s commandments
The law of God.
The instruction of the prophets and teachings of Jesus
The principle teachings of the Gospel.
There was a problem with people who claimed to be teachers of the truth
But instead of teaching the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ
They still taught adherence to the old testament Mosaic system of shedding the blood of animals
for forgiveness of sin
verses accepting the free gift of Grace and forgiveness through Jesus’ blood on the cross.
So that was one of the boundaries Paul is measuring as a limit on teaching.
The second meaning is again not a boundary of area.
Such as for example from Galilee to Samaria
But was more a boundary of Paul’s authority was more toward reaching the Gentiles
verses teaching the Jews.
In other words he was a pioneer missionary to the unlearned,
who does not acknowledge God
Who did not follow the Torah or Jewish Pentateuch or the first five Hebrew books of the bible.
So how does this help us understand how to reach the 412 around us
and Make Disciples for the Transformation of the World today?
One we want to make sure that our actions represent the love of Christ.
Second we are not here to take people away from other churches they already attend.
That we are intentional about reaching out to the lost, the unchurched, and the unserved.
What Paul is talking about here in verse 12 is not building upon another person’s foundation.
And then taking credit for their work.
I think Paul would be against church hopping and member swapping.
When you have a heart for God you will have a heart for people.
When you Love God you will love people
I remember as child going with my parents to the grocery store.
It was right on Main Street it was called Whites’ Market.
It was run by a little old couple Mr. and Mrs. White.
It was a lot like Floyds grocery store in Mayberry on the Andy Griffith show.
We could go into the store and fill up our cart
And when it came time to pay mom would say Mr. White just put that on our account.
And my dad would go in once a month and settle the account or pay the bill.
You want find any grocery stores in our community like that today.
Instead we have Supermarkets.
Some people like to go late at night…,
so late at night that that they don’t have to interact with a lot of other people.
We now have these things call self checkout lanes so that you don’t have to even talk to anyone at all.
And you know what is coming in the not so distant future are drones delivering stuff straight to your house.
You will never have to leave home you can just order it on line
And they bring it straight to your house and you never have to go out into the community in which you live.
Because of these changes in the concept of community
There has also been subtle but real changes in the church as a community also.
So when I share the idea of “Reaching the 412”
I am sharing the idea of reaching out to people with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
And also reaching people who are lost, or who used to attend church
but they no longer are part of any faith community yet they share the same 412 that you and I live in everyday.
How do we connect with the people of 412?
The idea of community that was so much a part of the lives of our grandparents and great grandparents is gone.
There are hundreds of churches that are dying.
I hear people blame it on the economy, job loss, drugs, even the lack of good places to eat.
But I am convinced that none of these are the real reason why many churches are not growing.
If we were to add the adjacent counties Lawrence County (north), Martin County (east),
Floyd County (south), Magoffin County (southwest), and Morgan County (northwest)
you get a total of over 114,000 people who live within a reasonable driving distance of
First United Methodist Church Paintsville.
If we just reach 1% of the population we would have to have add four or five more new worship services on Sunday Morning.
We would average an attendance of 10 times as many people as we have now all three of our primary worship services combined if we were able to reach only 1% of the people who live within driving distance of this church.
The reason why churches grow is because people become connect to the community.
I am not talking about a community of closed little circles of people just like us.
The kind of closed little circles that never change and new people are never added to it.
When we look back in 2026…, ten years from now.
And we look back at pictures of this church.
We should see different faces.
New people.
We should not see the same closed little groups.
The church replaces the loss of community that is missing everywhere else in peoples lives.
The more you are in church the more you experience community.
Church is a place to put down roots
Church is a place to have a connection
Church is not only about worshipping the God who is love
But in turn loving those who are around us in the 412.
To know God is to love God
But to love your neighbor is to get to know your neighbor.
How many of you really know your neighbor?
I heard about this comedian who was telling jokes about how the neighborhood has changed.
Twenty or thirty years ago when the door bell rang everyone in the house
would come running to the door to see who it is.
Kids we have company
You would invite the person into your home.
And before everyone was seated
There would be coffee or lemon aide or tea and cake or pie that would almost magically appear.
It was like. Where did that cake come from.
There sure wasn’t pie for us kids to snack on but let the neighbor show up and we having a party.
Today it is just the opposite.
Today the door bell rings and someone yells “get down on the floor.”
I don’t think they know we are home yet.
Your peeking through curtains trying to see if they have left yet.
You are whispering “kids stay down. Did someone invite someone over?”
I mean even when someone knows you are coming over.
You are supposed to text when you get to their driveway.
I am here.
Pulling into the drive away.
I just want you to know I am about to knock on the door.
As we think about who are the 412?
As we think about getting to know our neighbor and reaching out to the 412.
When we read the bible it does not say to turn to those who you already know and are closest to you.
When I read the bible my heart turns toward those who live in my area that I don’t already know.
We are Not living into our calling
we are not following commands given to us from God unless we are reaching out.
I want to encourage you this week to Meet your neighbor
Find some opportunity to connect
Not just because your backyards touch
But because Jesus Christ invites us to a Way of life…
When we as the church
When the 8:30 people reach out to the 10:45 people
And the 607 people reach out to the 8:30 people
When inside the building we are reaching across to each other
Then that love of God will come through to the visitors and the guests who come here for the first time.
See when we have a Christ like attitude and a loving heart for the people within the walls of this church
That spirit will surely show our heart and the love of God to others on the outside.
I love God and that means I love people.
People from all backgrounds and walks of life.
Not just the people in my own little circles but I love people
If there are no new faces and different people in the picture you look at from 10 years ago.
Then maybe it is time for a spiritual check up.
Verse 15 Paul talks about “a faith that grows and our work among you will be greatly enlarged.”
You see when we do something well inside the church
People outside the church can tell.
When First Church was organized in 1864 it was built to be a neighborhood church.
A place where people can come.
Get people in the door.
A place neighbors can come
Churches are dying not because they stop loving God
But because they have stopped loving their neighbors.
Your neighbor might be 8:30, 10:45 or 607.
Your neighbor is 412
This goes all the way to Leviticus 19
When Jesus quoted the Law of Leviticus
And said, our first priority is to Love the Lord thy God.
And the second is to Love thy neighbor as thyself.
You see we finding our true identity in Christ
When who you are in Christ
you can love yourself and love your neighbors more.
So you come here to worship God.
Then the second is to get to know the people who are inside this church.
And then to serve and reach the 412.
Loving God is not just about being in this room an hour
but reaching out to people inside and outside this building.
Reaching out to the 412 in whatever zip code they live in.
I would love it if everyone here would commit to just reach out to your neighborhood 412 this week and get to know them
To serve God is to serve your neighbor.
What am I suppose to do for those who live in the 412???
Do you remember right after the resurrection of Jesus
Simeon Peter comes up to Jesus
And he called to account, to be responsible while Jesus goes back into heaven.
So Jesus asks Peter “Do you love me?
Do you love me?
Do you love me?
Peter says of course I love you.
Jesus says “then take care of my people.”
Let us pray: Thank you God for loving us. Now as we know you we love you.
We Love this community. Blessing all who live in the 412. Bless the school teachers and the students.
Bless the police officers and the fire fighters. Bless the landlords and the renters.
Bless the business owners and bless the shoppers.
God you have called us to serve and reach out to this community.
God you have called us to reach out to the 412.
God hold us accountable to your calling. Amen.
