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Do
you remember the definition that Warren Wiersbe gave about ministry: "Ministry
begins when divine resources meet human needs through loving
channels to the glory of God." I have thought a great deal
about that definition in recent weeks. I have also been contemplating the
completion of thirteen years of pastoral ministry that I am completing. As
I reminisce about these years, I remember the question that Alberta
confronted me with in my last interview: "Ken, is there anything that
God has laid on your heart that you would like to share with us
tonight."
My
heart went to my throat as I thought that I was about to lose the
opportunity to minister in Billerica if I didn’t come up with something
to say. On the other hand, I didn’t want to say something that was not
appropriate or contrived. In a minor panic, I thought for a moment and I
prayed a little more. Then, I opened my Bible to Acts 2:42-47. I shared
that I had read this passage that morning and that God had impressed upon
my heart the importance of what had taken place in the birth and formative
years of the church. Then, I briefly explained the passage.
God’s power in
the Church of Jesus Christ is seen in the working of the Holy Spirit to
change people’s lives. This does not mean that God makes poor people
rich, or change the physical characteristics of people. Rather, God works
in the minds and hearts of people that have committed to Him in faith. A
couple of short stories illustrate this point.
There is the story
of Gordon Maxwell, a missionary to India. He asked a Hindu scholar to
teach him the language and the Hindu replied:
"No Sahib, I will not teach you my
language. You would make me a Christian."
Gordon Maxwell replied, "You
misunderstand me. I am simply asking you to teach me your
language."
Again the Hindu responded, "No,
Sahib, I will not teach you. No man can live with you and not become a
Christian."
Another story
tells of the meeting and lives shared of Stanley and Livingstone.
Henry M. Stanley found Livingstone in
Africa and lived with him for some time. Here is his testimony:
"I went to Africa as prejudiced as the biggest atheist in London.
But there came for me a long time for reflection. I saw this solitary
old man there and asked myself, ‘How on earth does he stop here –
is he cracked, or what? What is it that inspires him?’
"For months after we met I found
myself wondering at the old man carrying out all that was said in the
Bible – ‘Leave all things and follow Me.’ But little by little
his sympathy for others became contagious; my sympathy was aroused;
seeing his piety, his gentleness, his zeal, his earnestness, and how
he went about his business, I was converted by him, although he had
not tried to do it."
Look at Acts 2:47
with me. God’s people were "praising God and enjoying the favor
of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were
being saved." The power of God was at work, and is always at
work, when God’s people are committed to obeying the command of God. The
commandment that He gave us: "You are to love the Lord your God…and
your neighbor as yourself." As John said in his first letter, "Those
who obey His commands live in Him, and He in them." The power of
God gave birth to a nation (a people) that changed the heart of an Empire.
Not only that, but the presence of God’s people on earth has changed the
course of human history – especially when the Church was obedient to the
call of God.
This, of course,
is the focus of the message. It is easy to take verbal shots at the church
institution, and often they are rightly deserved. It is not the
institution that I am concerned with this morning. Yet, it is the survival
of the Church, as a corporate body of Christ, that I am interested in
today. For the Church of Jesus Christ to be healthy and vital in the
world, it is incumbent upon us to be healthy and vital as individuals.
When individuals are concerned with their spiritual maturation, we find
that the whole body becomes significantly greater than the sum of its
parts. When the Church is committed to implementing the call of God in its
life, we find that there is both renewal and revival in the land. Remember
the words in 2 Chronicles 7:14 – "If my people, who are called
by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from
their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin
and will heal their land."
Here are some
questions: Are you willing to commit yourself to Jesus today? Are you
willing to be obedient to His call to love one another? Are you willing to
make a difference in the lives of those people that God brings into your
life? Are you willing to do whatever it costs to make sure that you are an
effective minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Do not be too
quick to answer! Yet, I will also say, do not delay! The time for the end
of the age is coming upon us and is nearer now than ever before. To
negatively answer, any of the questions asked imperils the vitality of
your life and your relationship with God. To positively answer, will bring
a powerful dynamism and vitality to your life, but will likely turn your
world upside down. This latter accusation against the Apostle Paul
poignantly demonstrated the power of God at work in his life.
How are we to see
this power at work at the CCC? Simply by adhering to the principles
demonstrated by the Church in the book of Acts 2:42-46 –
"They devoted themselves to the
apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread
and to prayer…All the believers were together and had everything in
common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone, as
he needed. Every day they continued to meet together…They broke
bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts…"
Simply stated, we
find that the Church experienced the power of God because of its
faithfulness to do the following:
- Devoted to the apostles’ teaching.
They were committed to the principles of the apostolic teaching that
declared Jesus as Lord and Savior – the only way to God the Father
– and the need to obey His command to "Love God and one
another."
- Devoted to the fellowship. They were
committed to sharing with, and encouraging one another. Hebrews
10:24-25 reminds us – "Let
us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good
deeds. Let us not give up meeting together…but let us encourage
one another – and all the more as you see the Day
approaching."
- They broke bread together. They shared
meals together. Rich and poor, young and old, all the people shared
this intimate communion with one another. This "communion"
does not refer to the Lord’s Table, but rather to the meal table.
There was the love of God that moved their hearts for one another.
- They prayed together. The people were
in communication with God. They were seeking His will for their
lives. They were committed to giving thanks, praise, and worship to
God as they also interceded and made petition to God for one
another.
All that they did
was evidence that the power of God was reshaping their minds and hearts.
Think about this change – "All the believers were together and
had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave
to anyone as he had need." They did not live in
"communes" per se. Rather, they saw the need and they met the
need. Their system was not communism or socialism; in the first Church we
witness the outworking of Christ’s love in the lives of the individual
believers that comprised the Church of Jesus Christ.
Many complain that
the power of God is not at work in the Church, today. I submit that the
Church does not know the power of God because it is unwilling to make the
commitment necessary. This does not mean that some individuals are not
making the commitment of time and resources. It does mean that all those
that say they are Christians are not committed to the love of God that
they profess.
Last week I
referred to the problem that Cain had with God, and his brother Abel. The
problem was that Cain gave God what he felt like giving – likely, the
leftovers of his crop. Abel, on the other hand, gave the firstborn (the
prime cut) of all that he had. God gave us His only born so that we could
have life. Do we give God the best of what we have, or do we give the
leftovers? The answer given is a good indication of the level of
commitment that we have to God’s call in our life.
Do we believe the
gospel claim that Jesus died for our sins so that we could be reconciled
to God? If we do not, then there is
no need to worry about the answer to any of the questions that I ask the
people of God. If we do not believe this fundamental truth (about Jesus),
we are not a child of God. If we do believe that the one and only God gave
His one and only Son so that we could live, then it is imperative that we
respond with the kind of love with which He first loved us. The way that
we respond to God’s love is by loving those around us. We do this by
meeting the needs that each has. Further, we do this by making ourselves
available to whatever need God brings to our attention.
Brothers and
sisters in Christ, it has always been my heart’s desire to see this
community church flourish. My concern is not to see people filling the
pews so that we can claim to be growing. My concern is to see people
coming to faith in Jesus. My concern is to see the lives of God’s
children renewed. My concern is to see the Church of Jesus Christ manifest
in the life of CCC. I believe that if we are first concerned with
obedience and faithfulness then God will grant the growth. I believe that
if we are faithful in the little things then God will give us a greater
opportunity for service.
I believe that God
has placed us here to make a "world of difference" for the
kingdom of God. I believe that we can turn Billerica and the thirteen
other communities that we serve, upside down – I mean that by positive
influence. I believe that we are in the midst of a great mission field. I
believe that many homes in our communities have Bibles, but effectively
70-80% of our families are unchurched and Biblically illiterate.
What are we going
to do about it? Most people might say that we are too small to make a
difference. I say that a pebble can begin an avalanche. If we commit to
make a difference as individuals and as a corporate body, God can do a
powerful work that goes far beyond our wildest imaginings.
We are planning to
expand the church building so that we can be able to reach out to those
that are physically challenged, Biblically ignorant, younger, and older.
We seeking to discover new ways that we can effectively minister to men
and women that are experiencing great dissatisfaction with their lives,
but don’t know where to turn. Many are spiritually hungry, in fact they
are starving, but they have become turned off by the institution we call
the church. We need to be a people called by God that know how to show the
power of God at work in the Church so that people may have the life that
God desires for all His children.
To do this, every
Christian here (and those of CCC that aren’t here today) is needed to be
obedient to the commandment of God. Together, let us show our love for God
by loving those people that God brings into our lives – loving them in
such a way such that they can’t help but know that their lives are being
transformed by the power of God’s love at work through us.
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