To compete for a championship, during a game a great team has to make some adjustments.
I sometimes think of the New Year as a kind of halftime. My personal internal calendar starts in August when the kids go back to school. The first semester is over. Now, it’s the halftime before the second semester begins. And at halftime, great teams must make some adjustments if they want to win the game.
We’re going to have to change the way we think about things as a church if we are truly going to win in 2003. Some people call these “paradigm shifts.” What I’m asking for is for us to begin to think differently as a church family.
How our church can change for the better
For today, let’s think about some adjustments we need to make to be more effective for Christ in the months ahead.
There are some non-negotiables. Our commitment to Jesus will stays the same. Our commitment to the Bible as God’s word and the source of truth will stay the same. Our mission and vision will stay the same. Our core values will stay the same.
We cannot continue to look at things the way we always have. Here are five commitments I hope you will make.
In 2003, I will help our church shift …
1. … from “serve us” to service.
I’ll never forget several years ago when a staff member was trying to share a word picture to describe a problem we faced at CVCC. We were facing a volunteer shortage. She said, “The problem with some of our people is that they have this attitude: ‘Here, tie my shoe!’”
Too many of us have a “serve us” attitude. There’s no question that a church ought to meet your needs. We want to meet yours. But I have found that when I am focused on having my needs met, then I most likely to gripe and grumble. That’s when I am most likely to be miserable and not grow. But when I shift from serve us to service, I find my needs miraculously being met. I grow!
It is NOT the responsibility of the staff at CVCC to do ministry on behalf of the members and attenders of CVCC. Here’s the job description of the staff:
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-12
Our task is to equip you and to mobilize you to be obedient to God’s call on your life to serve. We just have to broaden our definition of “ministry.” Most of us have been conditioned to think of “ministry” as something that pastors do. But here’s a definition of “ministry” that might surprise you. Ministry is meeting another’s needs with the resources God gives to you. Serving others ought to be a normal part of life for every Christ-follower.
You may not be a Bible scholar or a Billy Graham, but no matter what your present level of maturity, you can meet someone else’s need with the resources God has given you.
We’re going to be more intentional to investigate and communicate the needs in our church and in our community and to look for entry points where we are being “invited to serve.” Right here in NE Ohio there are human service agencies that are morally positive and spiritually neutral who are always looking for volunteers. Every time we hear about a need for volunteers, we could see this as in invitation from our community to “come and show us what the love of God looks and feels like.”
Our goal this year is to see an increasing percentage of people serving in some ministry. We’re going to have to figure out a way to measure our effectiveness in mobilizing people. We’re coming after you!
Last week, Maryanne and I went to see Antwone Fisher. It’s the story of a young man who grew up in Cleveland in an abusive home. His mother gave birth to him in prison and never claimed him. His father was shot before he was even born. He joined the Navy after he found himself on the streets. Fisher was ordered to see a naval psychiatrist about his temper. With the support of the doctor, Fisher found the courage to stop fighting and start healing. One of the most moving scenes for me was when he shares a poem with his counselor.
Who will cry for the little boy, lost and all alone?
Who will cry for the little boy, abandoned without his own?
Who will cry for the little boy? Who knows well hurt and pain.
Who will cry for the little boy? He died and died again.
Who will cry for the little boy? A good boy he tried to be.
Who will cry for the little boy, who cries inside of me?
Listen, there are lots of Antwone Fishers in this world. Some of them go to this church. They wonder, “Does anyone care?” Lots of broken people who wonder, “Who will cry for me?” You volunteering to serve in ministry inside the church and outside the church can make a huge difference.
Key question: What will I do to be mobilized to serve in some area of brokenness in 2003?
God has blessed CVCC and raised us up in numbers and resources, not to take pride in being one of the influential churches in our city, but to be His instrument in fulfilling His mission to serve.
In 2003, I will help our church shift from “serve us” to service.
2. … from impressing from a distance to impacting up close.
When I was in seminary, Maryanne and I were part of a great church – a mega church. One of the most influential pastors in America, Adrian Rogers, spoke virtually every Sunday. I loved listening to him speak. But if you were to ask me who impacted my life the most while I was in seminary, I would say it was a small group of guys who met with me week after week. We’d pray together. We’d share what we were reading in the Bible together. We’d encourage each other. Now, nobody has ever heard of any of those guys. But they impacted my life. Adrian Rogers… impressed me. John and Chuck and Steve… impacted me.
Small group impact has happened to me over and over and over again. We grow best and we grow most in a small group environment. We can impress people from a distance, but we can impact them up close.
The reason some of us here aren’t gaining victory in key areas of our lives is because we won’t make a commitment to get into a small group. That makes us very unlike the followers of Christ in the early church. Look at their commitment to small groups.
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe… And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common… Day by day… breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Acts 2:42-47
We want to see an increasing percentage of people here at CVCC involved in small groups. We’re going to have to figure out a way to measure our effectiveness in finding out how many of you are in groups and how many of you are not. We’re coming after you!
Key question: What will I do to strengthen my small group involvement and commitment in 2003?
In 2003, I will help our church shift from impressing from a distance to impacting up close.
3. … from suppressing the generations to supporting the generations.
Some of us are way too uncomfortable with the attitudes and appearance of the youth and young adults in our culture. So, we make it difficult for them feel welcome, to be involved, to lead. But these are the words I believe God wants us to use to describe how we treat younger generations. Empower. Equip. Prepare. Affirm. Encourage. Look at God’s heart toward the generations.
So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture will give thanks to You forever; to all generations we will tell of Your praise.
Psalm 79:13
And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.
Psalm 71:18
I will sing of the lovingkindness of the LORD forever; To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.
Psalm 89:1
In 2003, we will focus on supporting generational ministry - to our children, our youth, and our young adults. This is a way for us to touch tomorrow today.
Youth workers regularly share that 85% of those who know came to know Him before age 18. That means that a very strategic area to invest your life is with youth. We need people to volunteer to serve our youth in our Positive Impact ministry here at CVCC. See Dan Anthony or Dale Piscura to find out more.
And you’ve been hearing about a new ministry here called 707. It’s s ministry to young adults being led by Dan Burgoyne. On April 6, we will be launching a new service at 7:07 on Sunday nights specifically designed to reach people between the ages of 18-30.
707 is going to be reaching a different target audience – a young adult population that is not being reached effectively by any other church in NE Ohio. I’m thrilled that we will be offering services with different paradigms. It’s OK for people to worship differently. If you are over 40 and you go to 707 and you really like everything about it, then they are probably doing it wrong.
Yesterday, I was at Kaufmann’s looking for a coat on sale for one of our sons. I found one and was headed out to look around the store a little more when a young sales clerk chased me down and said, “Things are slow and I could really use the commission from this sale. So, when you are ready to pay, would you come back to me?” I was happy to. But before I did, I asked him how old he was. He said he was 24. I said, “We are starting a new service at 7:07 on Sunday nights our church on April 6 just for people your age. Here’s a card.” He lit up! He stuck it in his pocket. I won’t be surprised to see him.
Listen, the generations need Jesus! They will come and see if we will go and tell.
Key question: How can I help launch 707 and/or strengthen Positive Impact in 2003?
In 2003, I will help our church shift from suppressing the generations to supporting the generations.
Want more information? Just write Positive Impact or 707 on your CARE card.
4. … from watching the service to worshipping the Savior.
Way too many of us are spectators during Sunday services. Because of our relationship with Jesus, we’ve been given the greatest gift of all – forgiveness of sin, freedom from guilt, purpose for living, power to live abundantly, and a home in heaven when we die. Yet, for some reason, some of us are held back from offering the praise and thanks to God that He deserves. Look at the scriptures:
I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
Psalm 13:6
Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright.
Psalm 33:1
I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
Psalm 104:33
Never forget. You aren’t the audience. God is. You’re not here to watch. You’re here to worship! God is the audience. And believe it or not, you are in the choir.
Recently, the group planning our services were thinking through and talking about what we want to accomplish each week here. We want you to experience God – to encounter Him. But you have to understand the process necessary for you to engage. You have to take initiative to participate – to move spiritually.
Following the people flow through the temple in Jerusalem is a good model to keep in mind. After rushing to get here, you might feel far from God – like in the court of the gentiles.
But you focus on God and pray and the first song or prayer brings you closer to the outer court.
Then as we sing 2 or 3 songs back to back, you find yourself even closer. You’re in the inner court.
God’s word is taught and you feel conviction of sin. You confess it and are reminded of what Jesus did on the cross to forgive you. You’re encouraged to move even closer to the holy place.
Finally, because the curtain covering the holy of holies has been torn in two because of Christ’s sacrifice, you find yourself in the arms of God – experiencing Him as we close our service.
We have to make a conscious decision to get close to God week after week.
Key question: How will I engage in worship more passionately since I now know that God Himself is the audience?
In 2003, I will help our church shift from watching the service to worshipping the Savior.
5. … from a comfort mindset to a combat mindset.
I’m not talking about conflict with other followers of Christ. I’m not talking about conflict within your family or circle of friends. What I am talking about is conflict in a spiritual sense.
Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12
John Piper, in “Let the Nations Be Glad,” writes, “Very few people think that we are in a war that is greater than WWII, or any imaginable nuclear war. Few reckon that Satan is a much worse enemy than any earthly foe, or realize that the conflict is not restricted to one global theatre, but is in every town and city in the world. Who considers that the casualties of this war do not merely lose and arm or an eye or an earthly life, but lose everything, even their own soul and enter a hell of everlasting torment?”
Key question: How will I live differently as a warrior for Jesus in 2003?
One absolutely committed warrior for Christ here at CVCC is Frank Scalish. It hasn’t always been that way for him, though. I’ve asked him to come up this morning to tell a part of his story.
Good Morning, my name is Frank Scalish.
Last week Joe Sanson said that when he gets to heaven God is going to ask him 2 questions. “Why should you enter here?” And, “Who did you bring with you?”
The answer to the first question is because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ who I believe is my Lord and Savior. It ‘s the second question that always gnawed at me over the past several years. “Who did you bring with you?”
Before I get to far along, let me tell you a little about myself. I’m 52 years old and Marian and I are married for 31 years. We have three adult children Rena, Sam and Angela. I answered an altar call at the Gospel House in the mid 70’s.and with all of the zeal of a new on fire Christian I began sharing the gospel with family and friends. In fact I was beating them over the head with my Bible. As I met resistance to the message I became discouraged I was looked at as though I was crazy. I then began to slow down my witness and eventually stopped completely. I thought everyone had to be a Billy Graham for the Lord and when I went to church on Sunday I saw all these perfect people and felt like I fell short and so I stopped going to church and that was the beginning of 17 years of alcohol abuse.
During those 17 years I was not the spiritual leader in my household I was plagued by selfish self-centeredness and I lost the trust of my family and friends. I left the spiritual education of my children in the hands of the Catholic Church and was very passive.
In 1992 I hit bottom, emotionally and spiritually I was bankrupt- I was sick and tired of being sick and tired—At my wife’s suggestion I sought help and started going to AA and several days later I recommitted myself to the Lord and by His Grace and mercy, He removed my desire to drink and the healing began, for me and my family.
I’ve been a regular attend and member at CVCC for about 8 years and the desire of my heart was to have my family come back to church, worship and pray together. Well I tried, and tried and tried unsuccessfully, on numerous occasions to get my family to come back to church. Verbally they heard from me what the Lord had done and they saw with their own eyes the miracle God performed in my life. For years now, I and many of my church family have been praying for my family to return to church
I stopped asking and became an example to my family, still no interest! So I began to pray that God would put someone in my family’s life to help bring them back to church.
When I first heard that Alpha was coming to CVCC I wasn’t sure what it was all about until Jeanne and Therese came to make a presentation to our small group.
Jeanne and Therese explained that Alpha is an outreach program that covers the fundamentals of Christianity. It’s presented in a video format with time afterward to discuss what we viewed. They told us that no question was considered too basic or too hostile. . When they told us that Alpha is open to everyone, atheists, non-church goers, seekers, and new Christians I immediately thought this would be an ideal opportunity for me to present this to my family since they were not regular church attendee’s.
Well, I went home and talked to my wife, Marian and my children, Rena, Sam and Angela about Alpha. Marian and Rena committed to come and Rena brought a friend from work. I talked to my sister Margie and she decided to attend. So I was pleased and excited because this was definitely and outreach victory for the Lord.
So here we are attending Alpha on a Sunday evening as a family. Shortly into the program my wife, sister, daughter Rena and her friend start attending church regularly and I’m praising God because my prayers are answered, my family is attending church once again.
Not only is Marian, Rena and Margie attending church they are now volunteering as table leaders and helpers for Alpha, which begins on January 12.
They have also been talking about the changes the Lord has made in their lives and are inviting others to come and see for themselves.
So when you think you’ve done all you can do to reach out to family and friends to share the good news of Jesus Christ, don’t be discouraged, continue to pray and the Lord will put His laborers in the path of your loved ones in a timely fashion.
God has given me the Joy being the spiritual leader in my household. That is what he called me to be and telling others about the love of Jesus is what we are called to do.
Who will you bring with you?
Let me share just a few words about Alpha. Alpha is a strategic tool that sensitively communicates to secular people. It’s a ten week seminar. Any question is OK to ask. You get a meal, good conversation, and satisfying answers to your spiritual hunger. It’s designed to stimulate interest among the uninterested and unchurched. This is a way for us to reach a biblically illiterate generation in a non-threatening way.
Some are confused about how Alpha fits into the big picture at CVCC. I think I can help. At CVCC, we have a process to help people grow. We use a baseball field to illustrate the process.
Fresh Start is a class for new Christians. It’s getting out to the stands and into the dugout.
Tell Me More is a class for people who are interested in knowing more about CVCC. It’s the on deck circle.
Class 101 brings you up to bat and gets you to first base. It’s our membership class.
Class 201 gives you tools to help you grow in your faith.
Class 301 helps you find out where you are supposed to serve – how God has wired you.
Class 401 teaches you how to share your faith.
So, where does Alpha fit in? It’s for people who aren’t even sure they want to be in the game – but want to look things over. It’s just getting in the stands and checking things out from a distance.
At CVCC, our second round of Alpha begins at 5:30 to 8:00 PM on Sunday night, January 12. Should you come? Should you invite someone? Want more information? Just write “Alpha” on your CARE card.
In 2003, I will help CVCC shift from a comfort mindset to a combat mindset.
I was deeply moved to hear of the terrorist attack on some missionaries in Yemen. These were missionaries with the IMB, the mission agency that we financially support. These missionaries were serving in a hospital taking care of the poor. A Muslim terrorist walked into a staff meeting with what looked like a baby wrapped up. It wasn’t a ba by. It was a gun. He shot and killed three people and wounded a fourth.
Kathy Gariety was killed. She was the purchasing agent for the hospital.
Hospital administrator William Koehn died. In his spare time he made toys for the children.
Physician Martha Myers was shot. If you had asked any of these people, “Would you give your life to birth the church in Yemen?” they would have replied, “Absolutely.”
What about the missionaries who still are working in Yemen? They are more convinced than ever that God is working. Most of them have no plans to leave the country. Even Koehn’s wife, Martha, plans to stay to encourage the Yemeni people who are grieving the loss of her husband. They are saying that the call of Jesus Christ to take the gospel personally to hurting individuals far outweighs the risks of living in a country like Yemen.
With people like that to inspire us – to be examples for us – how can we even hesitate to make these shifts?
Note: These shifts are designed to help us love God more completely and love others more compassionately.
A lawyer, asked Him [Jesus] a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’”
Matthew 22:35-39
· To better love the broken, I must shift from “serve us” to service.
· To better love fellow believers, I must shift from impressing to impacting.
· To better love the generations, I must shift from suppressing to supporting.
· To better love the Lord, I must shift from watching to worshipping.
· To better love the lost, I must shift from comfort to combat.
