God’s Glorious Church
First Impressions Really Matter Part Two
1 Corinthians 10:31
Woodlawn Baptist Church
April 24, 2005
Introduction
In 1 Corinthians 10:31, the apostle Paul told the church at Corinth,
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
Tonight I want to finish a message I began a couple of weeks ago titled, First Impressions Really Matter. In that message, we considered what first impressions were really all about, and which first impressions were among the most important in a church setting. First impressions are about excellence: excellence in ministry, excellence in attitude, excellence in worship, in evangelism, in discipleship, in preaching, in singing and in everything else we do. “Whether you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do…no matter what it is, do it all for the glory of God.”
God has commissioned our church and every other true New Testament church to reach the lost, to win them to Christ, to teach and to train them, and to get them involved in ministry, but I want to tell you that the average church is failing in that task. The average church today is not reaching the lost, is not seeing life transformation, and is not seeing people getting involved in ministry. The average church has settled for the status quo, has no idea of where they are going or how they’re going to get there. The average church is filled with average people who have settled for mediocrity and in my opinion have simply drifted off to sleep concerning the Lord’s purpose for their life and for their church. When it comes to accomplishing God’s kingdom business, we have no room for being average – we must strive for excellence! We must rise above mediocrity! We must labor to be the very best in everything we are and in everything we do.
First impressions really matter. It matters that we be a friendly church. It matters that our buildings and property look great. It matters that our nursery and children’s areas be first class. It matters that our greeters and ushers carry out their work with a spirit of joy and encouragement. It matters that our services flow with evidence of careful planning. But why? Tonight I want to answer that question by giving you a few reasons why it matters that we be a church of excellence.
Because The Glory of God Is At Stake
“Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of the church.” “…do it so you’ll be bigger than Parkside.” “do it so you’ll be well known in the ABA.” Of course the verse doesn’t say any of those things. It says that everything we do must be done with excellence for the glory of God. I know you have been hearing me say this over and over, but the truth is that there is no more important reason for us to do anything, and to do it well, than for the glory of God.
Now, when we are a people with an excellent spirit about us, and when we do all things well, we don’t give God any more glory than He already has – we simply recognize and call attention to the glory He already possesses.
God is a God glory! Everything about Him expresses His greatness and His majesty! If you have been following along with our daily Bible reading, then you read the words of Psalm 29 this week.
“Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the Lord is upon many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness; the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord maketh hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth everyone speak of his glory. The Lord sitteth upon the flood; yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever. The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.”
The quality of our work, the spirit with which we serve, the effort with which we labor is all a reflection of what we think about God. I heard about a church that needed a new sink one time, and it so happened that one of the members was putting a new sink in his house. He looked at the old sink and said that it was still good enough for the church, so he donated it. Listen, that’s a reflection of what we think about God. He doesn’t want our leftovers – He’s not deserving of our seconds. God is the God of glory and majesty and beauty and honor and excellence, and everything we do, everything we say, every way we treat other people should reflect our recognition of that fact!
“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name!”
Because Excellence Has An Inspiring Effect
The second reason we ought to be a people or a church of excellence is because it has a contagious nature about it. The principle here is that we set the example for others in everything we do. Now think about this with me: several have pointed out since the last message that we have not been a people of excellence, and what I want to point out to you is that mediocrity is just as contagious as a spirit of excellence.
Think about your ministry, about your attitudes, about your relationships with others. Do you demonstrate excellence in those things? I’m not talking about perfectionism, though there is a fine line that separates the two, I’m talking about a spirit of excellence, about doing all you do for God’s glory.
Excellence never says…
• “Oh well, they will never know that I didn’t really study.”
• “They will never see it from the road.”
• “These people love me. They won’t care that I didn’t take time to practice.”
• “Nobody else cares, so why should I?”
When you say to yourself, “Oh well, nobody really cares, so this will be good enough,” you are promoting and spreading mediocrity. But when you go the extra mile, you set the example for others that around here only the best will do. You see, those kinds of statements are said when we forget who it is we’re serving. Colossians 3:17 says,
“Whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Verse 23 of that same chapter says,
“And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for you serve the Lord Christ.”
If you don’t clean all that room, you’re right; there probably aren’t that many people who will care. But God cares. If you don’t study your lesson thoroughly, you’re right; probably most of your class won’t know the difference, but God will. This is a matter of motive – it is a matter of the spirit you demonstrate in your life. The people who observed Daniel’s life recognized and commented that he possessed an excellent spirit, and I hope that others recognize the same in my life as well.
Now, as we manifest that spirit of excellence in our lives, others begin to take notice, and when they are properly influenced, will even begin to manifest the same spirit in their lives. Solomon said in Proverbs 27:17,
“Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
The principle in the Scripture is that like begets like. It’s the law of the harvest. If you sow corn, you’re going to reap corn. Cows have cows, dogs have dogs, mediocrity breeds mediocrity, and excellence begets more and more people of excellence.
Because Someone’s Eternity Is Hanging in the Balance
I mentioned last time that first impressions matter because there is a world of lost people watching us. Every day we are surrounded by people who are in need of a relationship with Jesus Christ, and many times the very first impression they get of Christianity or Christians is you. More harm is done in the lives of the lost by children of God who have forgotten that we are on trial. Those people are examining us, our church, our families, our attitudes, our actions and our words to see if everything matches our message.
You can be sure that we’re going to fail sometimes. There are going to be things we overlook or don’t get just right. I mentioned that this morning. No matter how well-intentioned we are, there will always be problems, but let’s never allow them to be commonplace. Let’s never settle for anything less than our very best in everything we are and do. I want you to look at our text in 1 Corinthians 10:31 again and notice something with me. So often we take a look at a verse but fail to see what’s really there. Paul said,
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.”
Do you see the issue at hand? Everything we do; everything we are; should be inoffensive to those around us. When we are less than we ought to be we become a stumbling block for those who are searching, so when we are apt to settle for the status quo, or less than our very best, let us remember that we are not to be seeking our own profit, or our own comfort, but that of others so they might be saved. Folks, somebody’s eternal destiny is hanging in the balance, and whether we demonstrate a spirit of excellence just might be the thing that tips the scales.
Because There Is No Time For Mediocrity
I want you to read with me in Ephesians 5:14 and following. Paul told the church at Ephesus that it was time to “…Wake up from your sleep! And get up from the dead, and Christ shall give you light. See then that you walk circumspectly.” Circumspectly means to walk exactly, or accurately, or carefully. It comes from the Greek word akribos. You might think of the precision and accuracy that is demanded in the work of an acrobat. There is no room for mediocrity as they are flying through the air – every move must be made with precision: with excellence. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore don’t be unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”
I don’t think I have to convince you that we’re living in perilous times. We’re living in a day when it’s not good enough to tell people that we’re here and have what they need. There are a thousand voices screaming for the attention of the very people we’re trying to reach, and we’ve got to be the loudest. It is absolutely imperative that we wake up to our high calling in Jesus Christ to reach our world for Him, and so long as we are content to be average, all we’re going to do is blend in with the pack.
We don’t have time to blend in – we must stand out. I know we’re not going to build large buildings like the churches on the highway, or have full orchestras in front of the stage. We may not have the resources to do what other churches are doing, but listen to me: that’s not the point. The point is simply that we take what God has given to us, using the people God has given to us, in the time God has given to us, and do our very best with it.
All we have is today, and you know as well as I do that today is only a vapor: here a little while and then it’s gone. That’s why James could say “that to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” If we are settling for less than God would have for us, if we know God wants us to do something and we’ve been putting it off or we’ve been giving God our seconds, then we’re walking in sin before Him and asking Him to bless it. God’s not going to bless our mediocrity.
Conclusion
There is a question that begs an answer at this point, and it is simply this: How do we move from mediocrity to a spirit of excellence? Whether you are a teacher, preacher, song leader, janitor, bus driver, deacon, prayer warrior, plumber, husband, wife, lawyer, doctor or student, I am growing more and more convinced of this: A spirit of excellence comes only from spending much time in the presence of God. You see, the way you keep your home, treat your family, your lawn, your vehicles, our church, one another, and yourselves are all a reflection of the time you spend with God.
Why do I think that? Because a spirit of excellence is a fruit of the Spirit. You won’t find it mentioned by name in Galatians 5, but I think it is there. Why would we even want to glorify God with a spirit of excellence? Because we love Him with all our hearts, with all our souls and with all our minds. Love is the motivation, and it is the same motivation for the rest of the reasons. When I love God and when I love others, then I’m going to be concerned with their eternal destiny. I’m going to be concerned that you demonstrate a spirit of excellence also.
But I don’t just think it is about love – God is excellence in all His ways, so when we spend time in His presence, what did I say earlier? Like begets like. You’ve seen the signs that say, “God don’t make junk.” If God doesn’t settle for junk – for mediocrity, then let’s not settle for it here either.
