All Jazzed Up
Well, it’s that time of the year again when all good men and women prepare to fool themselves into believing they can truly keep a New years Resolution for more than a week this year.
Now we could go the conservative route and make a resolution to eat more and exercise less, which I’m sure most of could probably handle if we had to. But besides a few more inches and a few more pounds…..would it make much of a difference in my life?
What if we took it to the other extreme this year though? What if we really got a little creative and a slight bit radical in our resolutions this year? What if we quit calling them resolutions and called the revolutions. Just imagine….
So I offer up these two `revolutions’ to consider this year
1: I will quit giving my money to the church.
2: I will make my feet more beautiful.
Now I’m sure Mike Nance, who handles our finances, is gasping for breath right now. Likewise my wife is probably all for making my feet more beautiful.
But indulge me a little here this morning. I want to first take you all on a little journey. To a not so distant time in history. To a place of beginnings….To a place I like to call…The Jazz Zone.
For several of us that were here in the beginning of Wellspring, the very mention of the Jazz zone, more commonly referred to then as "all jazzed up" brings smiles to our faces.. All Jazzed Up….I’m not sure who coined the phrase first, though he must have been a very wise man, probably around 40 years old at the time, dark complexion , exceeding good looks, probably drives a green truck……
It was a state of mind that we had as God took us to a place that none of us had been before. We tried using words such as cool, radical, even tried groovy for a while, but none measured up to `Jazzed’.
Being jazzed up brought each of us closer to God, as well as closer to each other. I think there was 15 of us that were brought together from all sorts of different backgrounds, and we rallied behind the leadership and vision of our Senior Pastor here at Wellspring, Joel. Most of us came from traditional backgrounds, primarily Baptist or Methodist. Traditional in the sense that we were either one of the few that worked their tails off because no one else would, or were like myself that just sat in the pews each week and did nothing but hide when the offering plate came by.
But Joel, asked us to imagine.
Imagine a church where Jesus Christ is at the center
Rather than the self centered member who would let you know if you were in his seat
Imagine a church where ministry is shared,
Rather than one Pastor who was expected to be at every funeral, birth, marriage, fund raiser, and still only gets credit for working only one hour a week on Sundays.
Imagine a church where community is real,
Rather than a church where community meant a covered dish
Imagine a church where God’s "Good News" makes sense,
Rather than the same dry regurgitation that made no connection to anything I could understand.
Imagine a church where lost people find a savior.
Rather than expecting the previous church where they attended to handle that part of it.
I was hooked. We all were. This is what we were all looking for. However we had one small problem that I think is summed up quite well in this quote I found.
A vision without a plan is just a dream. A plan without a vision is just drudgery. But a vision with a plan can change the world.
-- Proverb
God soon provided us a plan though, and the jazz zone was open for business.
Then it came. I remember the day quite well. The reality of finances. What God was telling us to do was going to cost roughly $100,000 to start. A 15 member church faithfully contributing their tithes wasn’t going to get this done. Something greater needed to happen.
I remember Flip Wilson doing a skit on his show many years ago about a Preacher at the “What’s Happening Now Church.” Flip did a Skit where he told about this preacher. He’d shout out:
"IF THIS CHURCH IS GOING TO SERVE GOD IT’S GOT TO GET DOWN ON ITS KNEES AND CRAWL!!!"
And the audience yelled back "Make it crawl preacher, make it crawl!
"AND ONCE THIS CHURCH HAS LEARNED TO CRAWL, IT’S GOT TO GET UP ON ITS FEET AND WALK!!!"
"Make it walk preacher, make it walk" the audience moaned.
AND ONCE THIS CHURCH HAS LEARNED TO WALK ITS GOT BEGIN TO LEARN TO RUN!!!"
Make it run, preacher, make it run!"
"AND IN ORDER TO RUN, ITS GOT REACH DEEP DOWN INTO POCKETS AND LEARN TO GIVE!!!"
(pause) "Make it crawl preacher, make it crawl."
This is what I felt like at first. I wanted to go back to the crawling stage. But I also couldn’t deny the passion I was feeling to support this vision. Joel was asking us to sacrificially give. What is that you ask? Think of it in terms of a ham and egg breakfast. The chicken contributes….but the pig sacrifices.
This was something I had never done. Tithing had always been something that I just did, mostly out of obligation…or simply just to cover myself for the wrong things I had done. Never was it something that I was overjoyed about, but something I was supposed to do when I remembered.
But I tried it anyway. As did everyone else. We got a taste of it and we soon wanted more. It started out by doing these little commitment cards which were done mainly to give us an idea of what we had to work with. We all filled them out. I know that many of us went through a lot of figures before we could actually put a number down on paper. We would each start off with a number that seemed too low….then too high. We went back and forth until we got to one that was just like baby bears…..just right.
Or so it seemed. Soon we all started getting creative about how we could give more. We were actually getting jazzed up about giving money. Many of us were finding that the more we gave out, the more we found to give.
One person had an antique car, a 56 Thunderbird, that he had completely restored Even making it to the cover of the Thomasville Times. It was his pride and joy. It was beautiful. Best he had ever done. I speak in past tense because he sold it and donated the monies to Wellspring, to the vision.
Others donated stocks, some used their connections and savvy to purchase sound equipment. Others even took on side jobs and gave all profits towards the effort. And I want to assure you that not a single donut or chicken pie was harmed, eaten and/or sold in the funding of this church. We didn’t rely on fund-raisers…we relied on hearts and desire.
We were experiencing the same feeling that Paul writes about in 2nd Corinthians. Paul had been collecting money for the impoverished believers in Jerusalem. He found that the churches in Macedonia----Phillippi, Thessalonicia, and Bereau, had given money even though they were poor themselves. In fact, they had given more than expected.
2 Corinthians 8
1And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.
Let’s go back to our `revolutions’ for this New Year.
1: I will quit giving my money to the church
Let’s first understand that it is not our money. Have you ever noticed that when times are bad or not as good as they once were, we tend to question where God is and why is this happening. However, when times become good and plentiful, we tend to take most of the credit ourselves. We think it was due to our hard work and cleverness that got us there. Deuteronomy 8 gets straight to the point over that issue.
Deuteronomy 8
17 You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth,
God created the mountains where the metal for our coins is mined. He created the trees which supply the wood pulp for our dollar bills. And if there is still any doubt about whose money it is, Let me read verse 18 again;
18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth
God gives us each our own abilities to produce wealth.. He gives us the talents, the health, the wisdom and even just the pure opportunity to make a living. When we give, we are only returning to God what he first has given us. It’s not like we are doing him a favor by returning what is his.
What he wants, though, is your heart when you give. He wants your desire and passion to give to Him. He wants you to be jazzed up when you give to him.
2 Corinthians 9
7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
How can you be a cheerful giver? Simply put, give what is unexpected. Don’t wait to be asked, the rewards are far greater and comes from the heart when you do it unexpectedly.
Have you ever got a raise that you didn’t ask for? My youngest son, Dylan, who is 11 now, had been doing some work in my shop a summer ago. I was paying him and he really was doing well. For a young boy, he really knows how to handle tools well and he was actually being a big help in the shop. Well one day I pulled Dylan aside and told him that because of the work he was doing around the shop and such, that I was going to have to give him a raise. He really didn’t say much except that he nodded and said ok. A couple minutes later, he looked up to me and said…"Dad, …. is a raise good?" Now I was the most cheerful give in the world that day.
As employer and dad, I felt great that I had a son/employee, that did so well that I could give him a raise without asking, and as an employee / son, he felt great that I thought enough of his work and loved him enough to give him one. This is what God wants. He wants us to say ….God….I love you enough to give this to you.
And this goes back to our Revolution:
1: I will quit giving my money to the church.
It’s not the church you should be giving to but rather it should be to God. I’m going to be blunt and I may scare Mike a little more by doing so, but if the reason that you give is only because of a sense of duty or obligation. Guilt or because that’s what you have left over, then I would suggest that you keep the check book closed. Because in doing so, you are cheating yourself of the pure joy of giving from the heart, and your cheating God from the love he deserves.
In my office at work, I have a small little mustard jar that was once filled with different colored sands that my eldest daughter, Dena, made for me many years ago on my birthday. I’m not sure if she even remembers it. The colors are all faded and looks rather pitiful, but she painstakingly hand-crafted that for me when she young and it showed her pure love for me as her father. It was my money given to her in the form of an allowance that bought the materials for it. She was returning the money in a different form to me, but it was from the heart. No amount of money would ever be able to wrangle that jar from me. It’’s priceless.
You see Dena captured the essence that Paul writes about concerning the size of a gift.
2 Corinthians 8
12For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
This verse is saying two things here. One, that the size of the gift is unimportant if the willing heart is there. And two, to give in accordance of what you have. In other words,
It’s not how much we give that matters, but what we have to give up in order to give that amount.
Mother Teresa put it in beautifully simple terms:
"If you give what you don’t need,….it isn’t giving."
So instead of giving your money to the church, Give The Lord’s money back to Him..
Now this is where if I were a televangelist, I would be passing the plate because I may have you emotionally ready to give. But I don’t want that and I know God doesn’t want that. I want you to take it all home with you and pray over it this week. If you want to commit to this `revolution’ I want you with a willing heart. It can be a life changing experience to get to the point where your desire surpasses your obligation. If you want true spiritual growth, this is where it’s at. The blessings that you receive by giving from the heart and desire are greater than anything you can imagine.
Deuteronomy 15
10 Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
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Lets move on to our second `revolution’:
2: I will make my feet more beautiful
For some of you, this may seem almost hopeless. My wife would probably want to put me in that category as well…… but she can’t be trusted.
Webster’s Definition:
foot n. pl. feet . 1. The lower extremity of the leg that is in direct contact with the ground in standing or walking.
I can think of several words to describe these things on the ends of my legs. The words ugly, hairy, smelly and hideous are a few that Renee would choose. In fact, let me show you how Renee might describe my feet…….In fact, when I told her that I was going to be speaking about making your feet more beautiful….she just laughed and said…good luck.
The bible, however, describes feet in a much better way;
Isaiah 52
7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who
say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"
Now I don’t see ugly, hairy, smelly or hideous at all in that description. That says my feet can be beautiful. I told you that she couldn’t be trusted.
Romans 10
13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
Again, the promise that my feet can be beautiful. But you know what it also says….these feet are made for walking…. These feet need to take the rest of the body and start spreading the good news of the gospel around. That the kingdom of heaven has come and that God is with us and that he cares. Cares enough to offer us eternal life through the acceptance of his son, Jesus. Now that is good news…..
And the world is hungry for good news. In the book, the Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren talks of the waves of people that are in need and receptive to the gospel.. Due to a plethora of problems in our world, more and more people seem to be open to the good news of Christ. However, we keep missing them. We haven’t learned to recognize the waves. We need to stop trying to make them, but rather learn to catch them.
We need to start being intentional and consistent in our efforts . I’m sure that most of you out there have a friend, a loved one, sibling or child that you wouldn’t hesitate to give your life to save their physically in this world. But what have you done to save their life eternally? And I know it’s hard, especially with siblings. I fail at that miserably. I would rather get in front of you with bear slippers on than to face those I know and love.
Now how wrong is that?
However, I want to join in on the revolution. I’m willing to start polishing up my feet and make them beautiful again. (remove slippers) It will take some work, but I’m determined to start walking with these feet and as Frank Sinatra once sang,…"start spreading the news…."
I read where there was a church in California, that when they built a new addition on to their church, that before they carpeted it, they invited all the members to a graffiti party of a sort. What they did was each took turns writing names on the floor of people who they seriously wanted to pursue for their salvation. By writing under the carpet, it was a constant reminder for the members to pray and pursue those relationships. Many times, a new Christian would then be ushered to a spot on the floor and told of how his or her name was written there under the carpet. How they were on the receiving end of a commitment to bring them to Christ.
I would like to do our own version of that same idea. In your handouts, there is an additional slip of paper. What I want you to do is to write a person’s name down that you want to commit to pursuing a relationship with as well as praying for them. This is totally voluntary. Only if you feel led to do so and are willing to commit to them. There is also some room on there if you want to write a note to them. I also will have additional slips of paper if needed either here or at the front counter.
Then I will have this little time capsule, if you will, down here after the service and will probably carry it around. Just put the slips in here and I will be sealing it next week after the service so you can add them then. Then I will be hanging it in a prominent place so that you can always be reminded of that commitment.
Then next year, we will open it up and if you have someone that you want to show that you have been praying for over the year, show the paper to them.. It can make a huge difference in their lives to know that someone cared enough to make a commitment for them.
Lets get a little jazzed up this year and start making a revolution in our lives. The differences that you can experience in your life as well as someone that you commit to can be enormous.
I want to leave you with a story of commitment. A story of perseverance in both actions and prayer for the salvation of another. It is a story of one woman’s love for her family and her passion for wanting to see them come to Christ. Ann Cranford, Miss Ann as many of us call her, is who I’m talking about. I have known Miss Ann for about 7 or 8 years now and seeing her family all come to know Christ has always been at the top of her list. I have never known someone that has prayed for her family more diligently.
One of those on her list was her grandson, Scott. Now Scott was the rebellious type. He readily admits that when he does something…he goes all out. Problem was that a lot of those things were the wrong things. And from the stories that I have heard over the years, going all out was an understatement at times.
But still Ann persevered and she as well as others continued to pray for him. And to Scotts credit, he had always told hi grandmomma that he would change when his heart was ready. He just couldn’t feel right about going to church then leave and go straight over to sit around and drink beer with a bunch of friends. But when he was ready, he’d let her know.
Thursday, November 21s t ,2002 I still remember the call. Ann called me at work that morning. I could sense the tears by the sound of her voice….. Scott let her know. His heart was ready. Miss Ann’s commitment came to fruition. Scott had accepted Christ as his savior. And you know what else? It was a 2 for 1 deal as his girlfriend, Cynthia was ready as well. And for those that were here for the Christmas event, we were treated to an amazing voice from Cynthia.
Commitment and prayer can make a difference. Giving with a desire and love can make a difference. Let’s start a revolution in our lives this year. Lets make that difference.
