We begin the New Year, the New Century, and the New Millennium with hopes and expectations for what a new age can bring. The reality is that God has a plan and that plan will ultimately be fully realized. The further reality is that each one of us has a choice in the role that we will play in the fulfillment of that plan.

     In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul wrote – "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Having made that statement he added in verse 20 – "We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us…" God’s teaching, through Paul, is that we are free from the old way of things when we become reconciled to Him through faith in Jesus. As Christians we are no longer bound by the need to find ourselves – remember the words of Amazing Grace, "I once was lost, but now I’m found…" Being found in faith is not the end though.

     We are the ambassadors of the Creator of all that is. God makes His appeal to humanity to be reconciled to Him through those He has called His own. As ambassadors, the children of God are given the authority to act in the name of God for the good of humanity and its salvation through reconciliation to God. This is an amazing concept yet one fraught with peril for those who take it lightly. With this in mind, let us turn to Ephesians 4.

     As Christian ambassadors we are urged to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. How is this to be accomplished?

1. Be completely humble and gentle. We remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30 – "Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." In Philippians 4:5 Paul wrote – "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." In 2 Timothy 2:24-26 he wrote – "And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will escape from the trap of the devil…"
2. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:4ff that love is patient, kind, etc. In Colossians 3:12-14 – "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
3. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. This follows closely on the heels of everything already said in the Colossians passage. Paul wrote more of this in Romans 12:9ff – "Love must be sincere…Live in harmony with one another…As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone…" John recorded the words of Jesus in the upper room in John 14-17. In John 14:27 Jesus spoke of the peace that comes from a knowledge of His love. In John 17:21 Jesus prayed that those who believe would be one so that they may be in complete unity.

Why are we to live a life worthy of the calling we have received?

1. Because there is one body and one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all… When we live a life that does not recognize the value of unity in the midst of diversity we fail to see the plan of God for the world. When we are focused on ourselves and our own self-interests then we fail to comprehend that God’s plan for the nations involves each of us individually as it relates to the whole. In 1 Corinthians 11-14 we see that Paul expresses the great need for God’s people to work together utilizing our differences for the glory of God.
2. To each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it… It is here that we see the outpouring of the gifts of God for the purpose of the growth of the church by the reconciling work of God through the church. All the gifts given are "to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of god and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
3. We live the life worthy of our call so that we will mature in the context of God’s word and will. As we grow/mature in our faith we will not be swayed by the teaching of those that would lead us away from Jesus. We speak the truth in love as we grow to the fullness of God’s desire. Truth can build and it can destroy – it is, in large part, an issue of presentation. If we are growing in faith then we will know how to present the truth in love.
4. From Him (Christ) the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. This last statement in 4:16 brings everything written before it to completion.

     Now, having stated all this, we must look at the new day/age before us. As we begin to look we must also decide what we will choose. We can look at this from three viewpoints:

1. It’s just another day, no big deal. This is certainly valid. The only thing that changes for us is the day on the calendar. Yet, for the child of God each day is another day of opportunity.
2. There’s so much to do. How can I/we do it all? This is, of course, the truth if we believe that everything is dependent upon one person, or even a small group of people from a small church. Again, for the child of God the only responsibility is to do what the Lord has planned (in advance) for us to do – see point 3.
3. This is the day that the Lord has made. It is here that we begin to have a healthier view for making healthier choices. Last year I encouraged each person to start each day with a small prayer: "Jesus, help me to get to know you better today." When we begin this process it makes it possible to begin to discern God’s will for our lives. It is here that we can begin to remember the words in Ephesians 2:10 – "For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

     We don’t know in any given day what it is that the Lord has for us to do. One thing we do know, however, is that God has a plan for those who are willing to seek Him and know Him. On the first Sunday of last year, I asked each person to forget making New Year resolutions (and I reaffirm that this year). I will ask you to follow through on the one commitment I did give you, and I will not only ask it this year I will challenge each person to follow through on this prayer: "Jesus, help me to get to know you better today."

     Today is a new day. It is the dawning of a new age. What will we choose to do in it? How will we choose to see our lives fulfilled? How will we see ourselves fulfill the potential that God has created in us?

     Please understand this: Each person has been given gifts that are intended to build the Body of Christ. Many people come to church wondering what they can get out of the worship service or the fellowship of the people. There’s a real sense where the question is asked: "What’s in it for me?" I can only say in a slightly altered way what President Kennedy said to the citizens of the U.S.: "Ask not what your church can do for you. Ask what you can do for your church." God designed the church to empower individuals to work to His glory in the Kingdom of God. The church of Jesus Christ is the vehicle that God created for His children to exercise their gifts in the work of ministry. Remember Warren Wiersbe’s words in his book On Being a Servant of God: "Ministry begins when divine resources meet human needs through loving channels to the glory of God."

     Do we know how much God loves us? Do we really comprehend the words of Paul in Ephesians 3:18 regarding that love? His prayer is that we may "grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." If we begin to understand this, it is only logical that we live our lives in accord with Romans 12:1-2: "In view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God…Do not conform…but be transformed …Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is…"

     When we know the love of God that is intended for us we are able to truly make choices that will change our lives. As our lives are changed we find that those around us are effected. It is then that they are confronted with the opportunity to make changes in their life. At that time we see that we have been given the glorious chance to begin to see the world changed – a direct result of exercising the gifts that God has bestowed on us.

     In the dawning of a new age we have choices to make – not unlike any other day. Today, we have a choice in our own community church. What will we choose to do? For the church to grow it is important that we be willing to pour ourselves out in service to God. As we pour ourselves out in service to our Lord and Savior (see Romans 12:1 – "living sacrifices") we find that there will be a definite benefit to us individually. We grow and get something out of church because we are willing to invest in the work of God. I will say this, though. We cannot come into church to serve with the motivation of what we will get – that ultimately is self-serving and is not generally honored by God. We must strive to grow so that our motivation for service is a response to the love of God given to us.

     What can we do to serve? What can we do to move beyond where we are to where God wants us to be? Let me answer it in the form of several questions:

1. What gifts has God given me for service?
2. What gifts am I using for the sake of His Kingdom?
3. How am I using those gifts in the local church – in this case at CCC?
4. Am I honoring God with an offering of my time and resources?
5. Am I here looking for a blessing while I sit in the pew, or am I trying to be a blessing to those I have joined in worship?

     Those are a few of the questions that I would ask you today. The answers to those questions will determine whether we are willing to enter a new age of life or follow maintain the status quo that leads to stagnation/death. What will we choose as individuals and as a congregation?

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