The Church Garden

The Church Garden – 2nd September 2007 pm

This is the time of year that we come before the Lord to thank Him for His provisions. I think we take harvest for granted… What if our lives depended upon a harvest (like farmers etc..) maybe we would be a lot more thankful for what God has given us.

Who likes gardening? I’m not talking about plants and flowers, I’m talking about growing your own food. My Bamp’s garden was awesome. I remember how organised it was. Every section of the garden was set aside for a particular vegetable.

There are certain things we need to have in our church garden.

I. Three Rows of Squash

A. Squash Indifference (Rev 3:15)

Indifferent means – not concerned for or against something. The Bible refers to this indifference as being lukewarm.

Imagine a doctor being “lukewarm” about a disease. You are in pain, you feel sick, and so you drag yourself to the doctors. He feels you pulse and takes your temperature and then says goodbye. You ask him what is wrong with you. “Oh nothing to worry about,” he says, “It’s just bubonic plague.”

“What!!” you say. “Shouldn’t you give me something? Isn’t it contagious? I can’t just walk around, what about my family, what about the people in the waiting room? Don’t people die from this?”

“Well you have to die someday don’t you?” is his reply. Imagine a doctor being indifferent / lukewarm about a disease. Imagine the church being the same way about Christ!

B. Squash Criticism (Romans 14:19 / 1 Thes 5:11)

A serviceman once wrote about a moment of comedy he had witnessed in the army. It happened during a company inspection at the Redstone Arsenal in Alabama.

The inspection was being conducted by a full colonel. Everything had gone smoothly until the officer came to a certain soldier, looked him up and down and snapped, "Button that pocket, trooper!"

The soldier, more than a little rattled, stammered, "Right now, sir?"

"Of course, right now!" was the reply.

Whereupon the soldier very carefully reached out and buttoned the flap on the colonel’s shirt pocket. The officer had been quick to note the youngster’s uniform problem, but hadn’t noticed his own.

For some reason, we seem to be the same way. The faults of others stick out like a missing tooth, while our own are often hard to spot. A Mote (dry twig / straw) in other people seem major, while the beam in our own eye seem excusable (Mat 7:1-5).

Let’s quit dwelling on the faults of others all the time. The church needs builders and workers-not a demolition crew. Work on our own faults, then seek to help others in a spirit of gentleness.

C. Squash Gossip (Leviticus 19:16)

Causes friction – Prov 16:28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

Called Talebearer – Prov 11:13, 20:19

Called Talkers – Ez 36:3

Called Whisperers – Rom 1:29

Called Tattlers – 1 Tim 5:13

Why is it that people like to gossip? It used to drive me mad in work – it was worse than soap operas.. I can almost understand it from a lost point of view – but we as Christians should not entertain gossip at all….

The next time you are about to talk about someone, or someone is about to talk to you about somebody else use the following acronym..

T.H.I.N.K. Is it:

True? – Ex 20

Helpful? – Ps 69:1-12

Inspired? – Mat 12:34

Necessary? –

Kind? – Prov 18:8

II. Four Rows of Turnips

A. Turn up for Meetings (Hebrews 10:25)

In this passage of Scripture Paul has been emphasising our responsibilities as brethren.

Who can remember coal fires? Our coal fire had a door on it, but I remember staying up my grand parents and helping them light their fire – it was open, and now and again it would require a poking to stir up the fire. Every now and again a coal would fall out onto the hearth and would initially be glowing red, then after a little while it would loose its colour and turn black. It would be cold enough to pick up by hand.

This is the idea of this passage. We are to exhort one another, stir each other up to keep the fires of the Spirit burning brightly. We need to be kept close together so that Christian warmth can be communicated back and forth from one member of the fellowship to another.

What a shame it is when we begin to stop attending the gathering of those of like precious faith. We soon begin to lose our fervour, we begin to grow colder toward the things of God until, at last, we are no different from the unsaved people around us.