Community Thanksgiving Service 2000
INTRODUCTION:
I am Thankful to be the speaker
I hope I will be Thankful after the sermon
that I have not embarrassed my church or my self
I am Thankful that we only elect presidents
once every four years
I am Thankful that teenagers will grow up and
that one day they will have children
that will become teenagers of their own
I am Thankful that I am not a turkey this week
I am Thankful that the space available for messages
on T-shirts and bumpers is limited.
I am Thankful that hugs and kisses
do not add weight or cause cancer
I am Thankful that TVs, Radios, & CD players
can be turned off
I am Thankful that God’s love never fails
I am Thankful that we can come together this evening
in unity
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This unity or like-mindedness is what I want to address this evening.
Obviously we are not like-minded in all areas,
but there is common ground
The text for this message is Philippians 2:1-8
Text:
Philippians 2:1-8 :: New King James Version (NKJV)
1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through
selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
In the New International Version, verse 1 & 2, talks about …
… Being UNITED with Christ
… Being LIKE-MINDED
… Having the SAME LOVE
… Being ONE IN SPIRIT AND PURPOSE
I. We Come Together, LIKEMINDED,
United with Christ
George Barna in an effort to define true Christians for polling purposes came up with common beliefs that we can come together on.
Some of those are:
· We made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ
That is still important in our lives today.
· We believe that when we die we will go to heaven because we have confessed our sins and accepted Jesus Christ as our savior
· We believe that Jesus lived a sinless life
· We know that God is the only all knowing, all powerful, perfect Deity that created the universe and still rules today
· We believe that salvation is only available through the grace of God
· And most importantly, we believe that we each have a personal responsibility to share our beliefs about Christ with non-Christians
Unfortunately, today, only 8% of Americans meet this criteria.
Which makes that last one even more important.
II. We Come Together, LIKEMINDED,
Having the same Love.
Betty Ross of Akron Ohio told a story
about a busload of teens coming into a fast food restaurant. The doors opened and they poured in. A long line formed. Everyone was anxious to order… Everyone except one boy. He took a seat in the back of the restaurant away from everyone else.
A couple was seated near the boy and watched him as he sat alone. The husband watched as the boy opened his lunch bag and pulled out his meal. One dry peanut butter sandwich and nothing to drink.
The man got up from his table and went to the boy with $3 in his hand ”Here, get yourself a drink and whatever else you want.”
The boy thanked him and went to stand in line to place his order. After he made it thought the line, he no longer sat alone. He had food like the other kids and he joined them.
THAT IS CHRISTIAN LOVE IN ACTION…
WE COME TOGETHER HAVING THIS SAME LOVE
III. We Come Together LIKEMINDED,
Being one in Spirit and ONE IN PURPOSE
Think about that story for a minute, but think about us as the ones in line.
And think about those who do not know Christ as the ones in the back with only a dry peanut butter sandwich.
Many would say, “Well, I hope some man will come along and help them.”
Who? The preacher? The deacons or elders? The women’s bible study?
NO! This is the ONE PURPOSE we all have in common.
WE ARE TO REACH OTHERS FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
If George Barna’s statistics are accurate (8%), then there are too many to be reached unless we all get out of line and reach out to the lost in our community.
You might say, “I am more comfortable in line.”
OUR COMMON PURPOSE TAKES US OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONES!
IV. We Come Together LIKEMINDED,
with THE MIND OF CHRIST
The man in the story set an example for us
Christ set the example for us in Philippians 2:5-8 (NKJV)
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Some are afraid of losing their place in line.
We must humble ourselves to reach out.
There are too many sitting in the back of the room for any other attitude
V. We Come Together LIKEMINDED,
UNITED WITH CHRIST TO REACH THE LOST.
Guy Parrish of Muskogee Oklahoma tells a story about his family. After every one was in bed, he stayed up to study the scriptures.
In the quietness he heard a THUD. In a moment, his 9 year old son came into the room rubbing his head. He had fallen out of bed.
Guy asked his son how that could happen.
His son replied, “I fell asleep too close to where I got in.”
Many of us started our walk with Christ with zeal to reach the lost. But too many of us either never reached out or stopped too soon.
WE FELL ASLEEP TOO CLOSE TO WHERE WE GOT IN!
LET’S LEAVE HERE TONIGHT LIKEMINDED
WITH THE MIND OF CHRIST TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES…
· TO WAKE UP OURSELVES TO OUR COMMON PURPOSE
· TO WAKE UP OUR CHURCHES TO THE CAUSE OF CHRIST
· TO WAKE UP OUR COMMUNITY TO A RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST
Then next year when we come together for thanksgiving
we will rejoice together for all the souls that have been added to the Kingdom of God…
… because we were likeminded!
Join me in a prayer of thanksgiving for our community.
Lord we thank you for your blessing you have given us.
We thank you for uniting us in your precious Son, Jesus Christ. We thank you for our common goal of reaching others. We thank you for the opportunities to do this you have given us. Most of all we thank you for those we will reach in the coming months. In Jesus Name we ask for your guidance in all these things
Amen.
Pastor R. Duane Gryder
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Sometimes we need to know who we have become,
in order to become who we know we need to be
ebenezerstone@hotmail.com
