How to Bring change to the world
It’s easy - let’s see now (jingle coins) 5 cents, 10 cents… not pocket change. Obvious, I’m not talking about that!
Ephesians 4:1-16
A. Intro: The World - examples of problems
Plastered in front page of our great city newspaper on Wed. were four faces. These four faces are now almost universally recognized. In fact est. an astounding 54 million tv viewers tuned in to see these four. Of course you know I am speaking of the summer tv hit game show Survivor. It is interesting that the participants say what was seen on tv about their character, is quite accurate. And then, one of them offered this explanation: they are not evil, just play evil characters.
Not evil who are they trying to kid? After the fact, and when asked about friendships, it is clear that none of them will go to each other to become life-long friends. I have to confess, I watched the last episode, only one I watched, but the impression I got was, people are willing, or to use their words form alliances, and “strategize” which are just politically correct words for scheming, conning, lying, back-stabbing, verbal abuse and other unethical, do anything, and cut each other’s throats to get the one million prize. The one that played the dirtiest won. What a great message? The world is dirty then Play dirty, it is to your advantage. It’s ugly. What a messy world!
This is further impressed on me when one recent study ask question how many would choose to stay home one more hour or to make more money. Option of overwhelming majority is make more money. In US partial birth abortion is beginning to take hold in some states, unimaginable that viable healthy babies within seconds of being born can be ushered in to a grave instead of a cradle.
Human life is no longer valued. While you may get a prison term if you chop down a tree, but to kill a baby no one cares.
Visiting a friend of mine in Silicon Valley, CA, he said that he worked at one company, and left after 6 months, cause as a Christian he couldn’t stand the cut-throat environment and the office politics. He asked a fellow worker why she is still there, knowing how bad it was - “I’m just greedy.” Everyone there seems geared to put each other down, in order to get promoted in a very fast-pace growing company. After 6 months, he quit to join a smaller firm, when everyone else wants to join the company he left.
In a movie called Mickey Blue Eyes, an unsuspecting auctioneer romances a mafia gangster’s daughter, when he proposed to her, he was suddenly introduced to this gal’s crime family and before you know, Uncle Vito does him a favor, as he naively received it, he is ask to a favor in return, which led to money laundering through the auction company he works for, things got bigger and eventually led to murder, which was furthest thing on his mind, more than he bargained for when he dated his school teacher girlfriend.
Can you see how this world operates? The key word seems to be self-preservation. and everyone else be damned. Isn’t it true that the principle of surviving this world get what you can out of it, step on people if necessary, look out for yourself, no one cares. And then folks wonder, why is there so much hatred, revenge, war, pride, crime, so many broken lives, shattered dreams, hearts that are filled with sorrow… In a world where grieving relatives of the doomed Kursk submarine, crying out for answers, the answer given to them in their grief is a tranquilizer shot. What can be done?
How can this world be a better place? If there is a way? What can we do to change the world?
Is the answer, … let’s turn this country into a Christian country, or vote for Stockwell Day in next federal elections… elect a Christian to power…
In many church sponsored conferences these days, numbers are being tabulated and thrown out, people getting excited as the results of people coming to Christ seem to increase. But in one of those conferences, a little African lady delegate headed to the platform and she spoke with her face showing obvious signs of sorrow:
“I am from the country that has been considered by many of you to be the greatest example of success in world missions. Told of church planted over a century ago and how today 85% of the people call themselves Christians. Much of the growth came from evangelical and Pentecostal churches, which exceed 25% of the total. Excitement grew in the hall as she described high interest in Bible study and prayer.
But then she asked “do any of you know where I am from?” many guesses were called out, all of which were wrong. “I am from Rwanda” the same country in which in 1994, 600,000 Tutsis and 400,000 Hutus died, many slaughtered with machetes as they huddled in churches. In all of your zeal for evangelism, you brought us Christ and never taught us how to live.”
James Engel rightly asks: how do explain it? Rwanda? So called Christian countries are not making a difference, where unrestrained materialism, oppression
Answer does not seem to be in politics. What then? as the Rwandan lady, we need to learn to live, to be taught to live… or as the Bible calls “a life worthy of the calling”
First to bring change to the world, recognize problem resides in us.
Friends, I don’t have to tell you that this world is going to the dogs, and it seems rather mean dogs, you see the evidence yourself- the human record is not pretty and the tv show survivor just confirms our gut instincts are right - no one really cares if my dignity is respected. History shows us people cannot be trusted, people fail, people just do not how to live. The countless numbers of murders, wars, con jobs, suffering. Left to ourselves we will destroy each other, since world cannot be trusted, we seek self-preservation right to the bitter end. Darth Vader looks like an angel because at least he knowingly acknowldeges that he has chosen to serve the dark side, whereas we humans claim innocence, we are not evil we just play evil characters. To really be able to live, we’ve gotta do away with the outright lie, that we are really at heart good people. Look at what is as recorded in Eph 2:1-3, …
Evil does not reside somewhere out there, it’s in here, all have fall short. To claim otherwise is a sheer act of denial, might as well claim that the land of Oz is really somewhere out there, over the rainbow. Most of all, it makes God out to be a liar.
but God still loves the world and still has a special plan for it, read v.4. He has plans to change it. Even though, world it seems out of control, sold out to evil, God did not abandon it. The Bible in the Letter to the Ephesians tells how he accomplishing this seemingly impossible thing to change the hearts of men.
The Apostle Paul as he wrote this inspiring letter says it all begins with knowing God better (1:17) a) he loves you, b) his will is always good (1:18) and c) he has the power to accomplish his will in us(1:19) and in the entire cosmos because of one fact alone: that if God can raise the dead than there is nothing he cannot do. and Paul just plays that card with all that’s he’s got.
No wonder Paul exclaims: He is able to do immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine.
Second, the solution is us too in partnership with God.
God, who could have change this world without us, but chose to include us as the solution to world. Somehow the unimaginable happened, that God cared about this miserable world, God love people. His job was to remove evil and the sin that dominates people’s hearts, through his death on the cross and then filling their hearts with His Spirit. That is why so often in this letter you’ll find the reference -
1:3 -spiritual blessings in Christ - alluding to Spirit
1:13
1:17 ff.
2:22
3:16 ff.
5:18
6:12 reminded struggle is spiritual, not physical
6:17-19
Great work of in conversion or the deliverance of a person from the power of sin says Jonathan Edwards is God “taking away the heart of stone and giving a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26). People that are stone cold dead in sin can be made alive with a heart responsive to God. He’s calling people all over the world, to be his disciples, not just converts, people who call from within Abba Father to God, change inside out.
Do you hear? Story of a Cherokee Indian strolling along with a friend on a busy city street. “I can hear a cricket”… Out his pocket…coins fall people heard it.
People choose what they want to hear?
Do you hear? You can choose to tune his voice out, but he is calling?
Yes, God’s plan includes us. he invites us to partner with him to become part of solution in changing world. He does not vote us out of his island, he chooses to bless, chooses to put his Spirit in us, replacing heart of stone with a heart of flesh, He voted us in through Jesus, and prize is to not let’s see who can survive as you compete for favors or immunity, and only one gets the million dollar prize money, the prize is we all get all the dollars (1:18) , everyone gets to be a millionaire, a million times over. Indeed every sp. Blessing is given to us in Christ. Evident that God has something great beyond wildest dreams… as it is written (1 Cor.2:9):
No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him.
Do you believe? Is your Heart tender like flesh, like stone? Only you God and you know… condition of your heart.
Third, true conversion of the heart is a life that is lived out to the fullest that God has designed his life for. God has a special plan for my life. Faith always needs a work out, real Christian faith is a faith that works. It is not enuff that we believe our problem is sin, not enough to believe even God loves us, even devil knows that, he knows the same Bible, our faith must have the substance of 3 things: practice, practice, practice.
Yes, Belief/Faith in God - never something passive, where you merely sit back, and soak in the rays. Friends, have you not heard, from God’s word:
What good is it , my brothers, if a man claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
Read James 2:14-26
there is a study conducted by Archibald Hart of a Fuller Seminary graduating class yielded the following:
5 years after entering ministry, 75 % had checked out by either leaving the field altogether or were ineffective or disillusioned.
10 years after entering ministry, half of the remaining 25 % had checked out.
As a result after one decade only 12.5% of those who entered the ministry were still in the race. No wonder there is a crisis looming as NAB triennial conference
predicts there will not be enough missionaries or pastors being trained in our seminaries to replace retiring ones. Many leaders checked out, exhausted, burnt out, gave up… Many are quitting call to ministry as they come face to face with reality, leads me to wonder, been in ministry serve, how many of you feel checking out too?
Service of God, to live life worthy of the calling we received, is hard work. Bible didn’t soft peddle it, romanticize it: says 4:2 - taxing…. Esp. when those obnoxious know it all, legalistic, hard-hearted folks come pour out invective after invective. Jesus didn’t have trouble with sinners and tax collectors, it was the know it all Pharisees, teachers of law who try to show why everything you do is wrong, show no appreciation at all . Did the text say it will be easy? Or does it say Bear with one another in love. Did not Bible say bless those who persecute you (Rom 12:14)
This is a job we’ve gotta do. Can u hear the Spirit calling to a life worthy of the calling… Do u hear?
Tiger Woods - amazing! What a golfer! Broke almost every record in golf. Just heard that he had his eyes corrected via laser surgery. If he could win so many with impaired eyes, can you imagine what he can do now that he sees clearly.
- Change the world of golfing because he used God-given talents to the best of his ability, nurtured and equipped while he was youngster, a kid to love the game and play it. He didn’t even let the fact that his eyes were not 100% to deter him.
Similarly, God has given us gifts says the Bible, but sadly it seems most have put it on the shelf or retired even before they started or they started but gave up, our got discouraged and couldn’t muster up the strength to do a job or thinking about giving up. Why should we serve? To serve, most of time, thankless job, don’t get paid even, and in a tough harsh world, but remember, nothing that’s of value will come easy. Gotta ask self, is it worth sweating for, practicing for, working for, the long hours of preparation, frustration, waiting, most of all is it worth dying for? Tiger did it because he spends time honing skills, focus, how about us.
Don’t wait too long to decide to enroll in God’s plan to change the world. Because there is always something else to do. Too busy playing, studies, work, kids, career, tired, old, retired, too dead… Too late..No one has been touched for Christ through you.
Lee Iacocca said “Even the right decision is the wrong decision if it is made too late.” There’s wisdom in that. When was the last time you initiated a move into the service of God, who knows it may one small step for you, but a giant leap spiritually to change world. If you lack the fire to do something, recognize problem come from the inside, not from others. Get fired up God wants to partner with us, in fact already sent His Spirit to live in us. Why do u hesitate? Discouraged by past failures. What is the Spirit of God who gave you hope of glory saying to you? You can choose to hear… Kids can make this choice… old people, young
May be you are scared of failure, being criticized… Tell the truth I am.
I know if you are close to God’s heart he’s already burdened you with something you can do, you just did not dare to do it, fear no support from church, fear ridicule, feel don’t have training… don’t let fear ruin the calling you received “each of one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it” Did you hear? Grace has been given!!
Great thing about God is that he doesn’t hold it against us, he knows like Robert Kennedy said it “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly”.
There is grace to cover slip-ups, will we dare to try it for God’s sake!!
Do u not see the potential here at Pilgrim, look at the harvest, see the people, no longer a predominantly white neighborhood that speaks English as first language, we have more Asians here (putting the Chinese and Punjabi together),
The sovereign Lord has strategically called you together, put you here on this earth at this time, to make a difference, would you live a worthy of the calling
Bring change to the world???
Ask yourself, how are we changing to accommodate new realities of life, can we do some thing, risk looking like a fool? It is not up to God at all to change the way we do ministry. God says, he has created us for good works, everything is put in place already, kinda like dream race car always wanted, comes assembled, paid for, and God hands us the key, but will we believe that it is there, unimaginable dream race car, never driven before, well, lessons by people who know how to drive, that’s why driver’s education classes are offered, but are you teachable?
There are people already here to equip us to do works of service/ministry, how have we avail ourselves to it, do we sit and stew and complain, bad mouth people who do the work instead of saying ‘good job’ and lending a hand, instead of harassing, and say what’s wrong with the church, do something, start a small group, meet a need, see if God through you can build up another as he said we should be doing. let’s work then together, as the church, then it will become a display to the heavenlies, creative genius of the manifold wisdom of our God, and we shall see how God through us can change the world. Give each room for mistakes, grace to cover wrongs, encourage the weak, carry burdens, pray with someone, give of your time, talent, treasure, realize
reality of verse 16… as each part does its work. Beautiful!
Yes, there is a body we belong to but it’ll be quite a mangled one without you. Jesus wouldn’t die for you, if he didn’t think much of you. If you need a hand, let someone know, don’t be Prideful and expect people to read your mind, let someone in your life to help you, ask them can you visit me, give them a specific time date, they have a schedule, a life too, don’t expect to hold your hands if you’re not willing to be hold yours out to be held. Spiritual reality is One Body, One Spirit, through Christ, but so often we hold back, our gifts to each other. Let’s resolve not to do it anymore as we hear God’s voice to live a life worthy of the calling, let’s bring change to this world. Let’s not just survive, let’s really live.
Do that then we see great Results: GROWTH
Growth in doctrinal understanding (truth) - equipped to take on “every wind of teaching” and the “cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming”
Growth in spiritual stature “grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ”
Growth in body with health maintained “as each part does its work”
There was a college boy said to his mother, “I decided that I want to be a political science major and that I want to clean up the mess in the world!”
“That’s very nice” purred his mother. “you can go upstairs and start with your room.”
Think that’s good advice? Look upstairs in throne room of God, head up there, start inviting Spirit of God to the room of our hearts.
is it my attitude, perhaps you know already, God’s been moving your heart by His Spirit, complaining rather than bearing another in love, creating disunity by insisting everyone become like you, so that they have the “right” music, hairstyle, clothes, right ministry job, develop and grow same way….you think that’s unity. Apostle Paul would say no, Unity is spiritual bond we have in Christ. Nothing observable outwardly, not color of skin, because no one can see where the wind blows, so it is with the Spirit’s work.
So many ways to serve Lord, perhaps gifted someone to teach, to pastor, to lead small group, to be a missionary, burden hearts to give up career aspirations, dreams, but we have never seriously thought about the call to serve, live out our faith with zeal, empowered by the Spirit. Let’s change the world, C’mon!
