Grow Up!
Most people like babies including baby
animals, like kittens, puppies, baby lambs, goats and even baby cows.
There is just something about them that’s adorable and cute. But
something would not be right if babies stayed babies, if puppies stayed
puppies, and if baby cows just stayed calves. All living things are
meant to grow and mature into something God meant them to be as they
grow older.
The same is true for each of us
spiritually. After we are born again, after we exit the waters of
Baptism we are referred to as a babe in Christ. Not only is our slate
wiped clean of all past sin, we know little about being a Christian.
Something is expected to happen as time goes on, it is only natural for
us to grow and mature into something very special, something God
designed us to be.
As I thought about this, I thought about my
role here as a teacher and preacher. What is my job here? Is it my job
to entertain you each week with a good sermon and Bible study? Is it my
job to intrigue you or tickle your ears with something you do not know
or have not heard before? Am I just a point man, someone to lead the
pack or in this case this congregation? As I thought about it I
realized it, it’s not my job to entertain you or tickle your ears with
new trivia, or intrigue you, and I am definitely not the leader or
kingpin of this church; that’s Jesus’ role.
So what’s my job here? Yes it is to preach,
yes it is to teach, but not to entertain you or tickle your ears, but
rather to feed you up to a point, and to encourage you grow and mature
and do that which our Lord has so designed you to do as an individual in His Kingdom..
Just like there comes a point in it life
where a berry bush brings forth berries and an apple tree bears apples,
and a cows produces milk, Christians are meant to grow and mature to a
point where they bear some kind of fruit.
Napoleon once pointed to a map of China and said, “There lies a sleeping giant. If it ever wakes up, it will be unstoppable.” Likewise I could say, “The church in the United States is a sleeping giant. If it ever wakes up, it will be unstoppable.”
Millions attend their different churches each Sunday, and that is
about as far as their faith takes them. There is simply no doubt that if
all church members were as active as Christ calls them to be, the
church could reshape our world and our culture. Oh how wonderful it would be!
According to a Gallup survey only 10% of
American church members are active in any kind of ministry. That’s why I
consider the church a sleeping giant. World-wide too many members are
sitting on their hands.
Even sadder is the fact that the Gallup
survey said that 50% of church members have no interest in serving in
any ministry at all. Think about that! Half of all church members say
that they simply want to remain spectators. When asked to serve in a
ministry, they say, “I just don’t feel led to get involved.”
After I heard those statistics I could not
help but consider or think of a couple of possible reasons why this is
so – a couple of reasons why Christians don’t want get involved in any
way or form. Here is a couple of thoughts I came up with…
#1. These members simply don’t know and
love Jesus enough. They want Him as a personal savior, but do not act
like He is their Lord. They want what He is willing give, but aren’t
moved serve Him and give back in return.
#2. Another reason why Christians may not
want to get involved is because many preachers, teachers, and elders or
shepherds aren’t doing a good job at what they should be doing. In other
words these members aren’t being fed what they need in order to grow
and mature in the faith. And even if members are being properly taught,
maybe church leaders aren’t encourage their more mature members enough
to get out there and do something!! Like a mama bird pushes it’s baby
out of it’s nest to encourages it to fly on its own, over and over the
New Testament instructs members to get out and get involved in some kind
of ministry.
Read 1 Peter 4:7-11
“7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each
of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as
faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If
anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of
God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides,
so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him
be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
Peter tells these early Christians to pray,
Love each other deeply, offer hospitality. He said, use whatever gift
you have to serve others. In doing so you administer
God’s grace to others. In other words, God uses members of the church
to personally bless others when we use the abilities He gave us.
Each of us have God given abilities. You
may not be able to teach or preach, but maybe you can cook, maybe you
can make or fix things, maybe you entertain, or visit, or maybe you like
to talk on the phone, or maybe you are good at listening. Everybody
can’t do what you can do. God gave you those abilities for a reason. And
not only that, God gave us the ability to learn new talents. Many of
those talent and abilities were given to you not only for your own
benefit, but also for the benefit of others, and to glorify our God.
Now I want to read to you from Romans 12:3-11
“3 Because
of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you
this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest
in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God
has given us] 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 6 In
his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things
well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as
much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If
your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give
generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the
responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to
others, do it gladly. 9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.”
Strong word here from Paul! Don’t get a big
head because we are all part of the body, the church, and we belong to
one another. Just like a family should depend on one another when in
need, so too we have a responsibility to help one another if the need
arises. Like Peter, Paul said we are to use our abilities, or talents or
gifts to serve others. If it is teaching, teach, if it is encouraging,
encourage, if it is leading, lead etc.. He ends this sections by saying
what? That we should not be lazy but work hard and serve our self and
make lots of money? No! He told Christians to work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. God
has so ordained that each Christian should us those talent He has give
us to His glory Special note: Don’t judge others because they can’t do
something as well as you ro what you consider easy. That just may be
your gift and not theirs.
I would like to read to you another verse from Ephesians 4:11-16
“11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors(or shepherds) and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 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. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and
forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching
and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
15 Instead,
speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the
mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From
him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting
ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its
work.”
So from this verse do you see what my job,
and what our responsibility as Elders is? Very specifically, to equip
you for works of service.
The Amplified Bible puts it this way:
“11 And
His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some
to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers
and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling
missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers. 12 His
intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His
consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering
toward building up Christ’s body (the church),”
I believe that beyond God’s intention to
save us by the blood of His one and only Son, He wanted to bring us into
a nurturing body of believers to be trained and equipped so that we
could in turn grow up and mature. Then as Peter puts it in chapter 2 of
his first letter, we are then to become a “holy priesthood, offering up
spiritual sacrifices and service acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ.” (Each of us are to become one of His ministers.)
I feel like I’ve done my best over the
years to teach what I feel is some of the most important things I’ve
learned in scripture in addition to the Saving work of Jesus. And that
is to trust in our Lord with all your heart, to trust in His love for
you, and to believe that God has promised that He will work all things
out for our best interest. And also the fact that we have no need to be
afraid, because God is so near to us, watching over us, ready to guide
us. He wants to commune with us. The Christian religion is not just
about feeling like you have to go to church and do this or that, rather,
the Christian religion is all about the close relationship you can have
and enjoy with our God, as we walk together and serve one another.
So my challenge for you this day as a
teacher and preacher of God’s word, and as an elder, is to look at
yourself and consider how God has blessed you. Consider what talent or
abilities you have and then consider how you can start serving Him.
Don’t be part of that 90% who choose not to get involved and serve in
any way or form. I guarantee, if you look for the open doors of
opportunity God will show them to you. I just hope that you love Him
enough to serve Him. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to jump out
of the nest little bird and see what it is like to fly and soar with
Him.
