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Building the Church through Sharing While walking home from school, Mark noticed the boy ahead of him had stumbled to the ground and dropped everything he was carrying. Mark hurried to the boy’s side and helped him collect his belongings. Surprisingly, the boy was carrying an especially hefty load. There was a baseball glove and bat, a couple of sweaters, a small tape recorder, and an armful of books. Mark helped him carry the things home and his new friend, Bill, was most appreciative of his compassion. During the walk home, Mark discovered Bill was struggling in school and had just broken up with his girlfriend. When they arrived at Bill’s house, he invited Mark in for a Coke and they spent the rest of the afternoon talking, laughing, and watching TV. Although the two boys never became real close friends, they kept up with each other throughout the rest of junior high and high school. Several weeks before graduation, Bill approached Mark and asked him if he remembered that day they met when Mark helped him with all of his stuff. Mark nodded as he remembered. Bill then asked, “Did you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things that day?” Without pausing for an answer, Bill explained he had cleaned out his locker and was going home to take his life. He had been storing away sleeping pills and was headed home to end it all when Mark happened along to help him out. Bill told Mark how that simple act of compassion inspired him to go on living. He said, “Mark, when you picked up my books that day, you saved my life!”

Imagine how many times our small, seemingly insignificant gestures of concern may re-ignite the flame of life and inspire someone to continue on. Thankfully, compassion has a way of doing that. Chicken Soup for the Soul, Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen, 1993, p. 35

As you may remember we have been identifying the principle building blocks found in the New Testament church. These practices were visible in the beginning of the church recorded in Acts two and four.

Already we know from this series of sermons that the New Testament church was built by practicing prayer and unity. We practice prayer by doing it. Some of us have been praying during the Monday prayer times and what a great blessing that has been. We remain unified by practicing forgiveness. Hopefully some of you carried out the practice of forgiveness this week and were reconciled with someone that you have been separated from.

Today we are looking at one of the most basic practices found in Christianity.

The idea of sharing or bearing one another’s burdens is found throughout the Bible. It has been practiced by Christ followers for centuries. Compassion for people with needs is germane to faith in Christ.

In the first sermon that Jesus Christ preached He taught the following:

“Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.” Math. 5:7

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen of them.” Math. 6:1

He constantly taught by example and His words that we should practice sharing in the needs of others. Even the miracle of the five loaves and two fish was an act of compassion and giving.

Here are the scriptures for today’s message:

Acts 2:44-45, “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.”

Acts 4:32, “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.”

Acts 4:34, “There were no needy persons among them, for from time to time those who owned houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”

There have often been misrepresentations of this scripture. At its most basic level it is a form of socialism that doesn’t work which is why we practice the spirit of the text. Believe me it has been tried through the ages. My own grandfather back in the early 1900’s, spent a little time on a Christian communal farm in Urbana Ohio. It was an attempt by some well meaning Christians to practice sharing in the purest form. They sold everything and pooled their resources and called it the All Things Common farm. They even published their own newspaper entitled, The Herald of Perfect Christianity. He didn’t last there very long because as one of my Uncles told me who is now in his eighties, “The leaders kids got most of the eggs when we went to the barn to search for them. Somehow they always seemed to get a little more than everyone else.” Ever studied Communism? It happens that way more often than not. The practice of sharing everything or all things equal did not last in the early church.

What did last is the deep commitment to compassionately touching others who are in need.

What did last is the giving of our resources to meet the needs of those who are struggling in some area of their life.

Sharing and bearing one another’s burdens is at the heart of the message of Jesus Christ.

We want to be known as a church that cares and bears the burdens for each other.

One of the eight characteristics of a healthy church has been determined to be: loving relationships. This sermon explores that idea and what it will mean in the future as we practice the biblical concept of sharing and caring for others. (Fellowship)

When we are committed to sharing and bearing one another’s burdens we will have to practice it in three ways. Sharing means:

1. Give it up! Deny yourself!Giving it up means that all of us have some role to play in touching others with acts of compassion and ministry. For the believer it means that we give our resources. What that means will vary from individual in individual. It may include money but today in our society, time as become as valuable as money. We are called to be involved and to be involved means that you and I will give up something that is precious to us in order to serve others. While serving on the board of a college the President came to a meeting one day and informed the board that when it came to fund raising we all had one of three responsibilities: Get it, Give it, or get off! In other words this not–for-profit college needed money to operate and we were not on the board to pad our résumés. We were on the board to produce resources. That was an interesting and eye opening meeting. Unfortunately we limit our view of who is a minister to the realm of the called clergy or paid staff. They above all others I believe should be setting the example of ministering, but it does not alleviate or eliminate the call and need for every member/believer to be defined and directed by the needs of ministry that are placed before the body. All of us as Christians/believers need to realize that we are ...

  • Created for ministry ... "created in Christ Jesus for good works" (Eph 2:10)
  • Saved & Called for ministry ... "saved us and called us with a holy calling." (2 Tim 1:9)
  • Gifted for ministry ... "receiving a gift, minister it to one another in grace." (1 Peter 4:10)
  • Authorized for ministry ... "all authority has been given to Me, Go therefore ..." (Matt 28:18-20)
  • Prepared for ministry ... "He gave gifts ... for the equipping of the saints for ministry." (Eph 4:11-12)
  • Rewarded for ministry ... "you will receive a reward for you serve the Lord Christ" (Col 3:24)
  • Accountable for ministry ... "knowing we will receive what we have done in the body good or bad." (2 Cor 5:9-10)


The point is well defined that each of us are ministers ... accountable to God. But to be effective in our work (ministry) for the Lord there must be a "giving up."

Matthew 10:39 NLT If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will find it.

These early church members willingly gave up their possessions so that others might have. Giving up is the truest act of ministry. Where did it come from ... Christ the Lord who willingly gave up His life that they, you and I might have. Their lives exemplified the life of the Lord Jesus. It is only in the giving up that we will find our greatest accomplishments as ministers unto the Lord and His body.

Romans 12:1-3 “So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. 2Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”Paul states this is our reasonable "service”. “Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.” This means it is not unthinkable to minister or serve in a "giving up" fashion. Giving up is God's means for ministry. We live in a world that suggests and influences us with the promotion of self above the likes of others. Giving up is hard because we are geared to getting and going up for personal gain. It is that thinking that corrupts pulpit and pews to be at "ease in Zion" and asleep on the front lines of the battle. This is the reason Paul urges you, “2Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God.” God desires to minister to a hurting and lost world through you and me! And the first step of action is "giving up." When materialism starts clutching our heart, it serves us well to remember that one-fifth of the world’s population lives on less than $1 a day. According to a report released by the World Bank on June 23, 1996, 1.31 billion people subsist on “less than a dollar a day.” Instead of spending some more money on yourself, you might want to consider a few ways you could invest your resources in a ministry that seeks to touch these impoverished lives. It’s a sure cure for materialism. Houston Chronicle, June 24, 1996, p. 9AGod is calling us to be a church that understands what it means to share with others.He is calling us to discover what it means to compassionately reach out to this community.

2. Give it out. Deliver it!

To truly practice sharing we must give it out. Whatever God can use in us to touch the needs of the community we live in we must be willing to give out or distribute.

Larry Burkett is a well-known and well-respected financial advisor. In a recent interview, Burkett shared some significant concerns about materialism in America, especially in the American church. In pointing to Matthew 6:24 he said, “Christians are trying to serve God and money.” Burkett noted “80 percent of Americans owe more than they own.” He said this trend is prevalent in churches as well: “Christians pay more in interest (9.8 percent of their income) than they give to the church” (Southern Baptists give 2.3 percent of their income). He noted in a typical congregation of one hundred families, thirty-seven families give nothing to the church. In summary of his concerns, Burkett mused, “Christ said the greatest threat to Christianity is not drugs, sex, murder, rape, or even politicians. The greatest threat is materialism.”

Interruption by Bill Weaver:

Wes….Wes…You’ve been working hard lately. I want to help share your burden and give you a break, man. Have you ever heard of “team preaching?” We can “pool our resources.” Why don’t you “give it up” and rest and let Nora and I take it from here for a while.

Not only did these early Christians give it up but as you just said they “Gave it out” as well. It says,” They shared everything.” What will happen when we share what we have?

You all might remember Nora Santiesteban. We heard her testimony on video a few weeks ago. She was a homeless drug addict and prostitute on the streets of Miami, Florida when she came in contact with the Church of the Nazarene. She found God and God found her. They asked her if she wanted Jesus in her heart and her reply was “whatever…..I’m going to die in the streets, anyway!” Not only did God wonderfully save her but also she went out and began to bring in other homeless addicts and prostitutes and share what she’d found. The church reluctantly began to minister to these people. Through a strange turn of events she ended up marrying the widowed pastor and challenging the church to give it up and give it out.

Well…….Let me just let her tell you… “The rest of the story.”

Video: 12 minutes

Thanks Bill! I’ve never had anybody give me a break during a message before. This sharing stuff is great!

What you just saw in that video testimony is just an example of what God can and will do through a people who surrender themselves to Him and His ways. God’s ways are not our ways but if we will pray and ask He will show us ways to actually touch the people who live around this church.

II Corinthians 8:1-5: “Now, friends, I want to report on the surprising and generous ways in which God is working in the churches in Macedonia province. 2Fierce troubles came down on the people of those churches, pushing them to the very limit. The trial exposed their true colors: They were incredibly happy, though desperately poor. The pressure triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous gifts. 3I was there and saw it for myself. They gave offerings of whatever they could--far more than they could afford!- 4pleading for the privilege of helping out in the relief of poor Christians.5This was totally spontaneous, entirely their own idea, and caught us completely off guard. What explains it was that they had first given themselves unreservedly to God and to us. The other giving simply flowed out of the purposes of God working in their lives.”

3. Giving it back. Delight in it!

“I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.” —Martin Luther

Randy Alcorn in his book entitled, The Treasure Principle, writes, “I carry in my wallet a little card. On one side it says, “God owns every treasure. I’m His investment manager.”

What a wonderful way to live when we hold loosely to the things we possess. How rewarding an experience when we give time we don’t have to respond to someone else’s needs.

In Charles Dickens classic story, A Christmas Carol, He describes Ebenezer Scrooge as wealthy and miserable. Scrooge was caustic, complaining and horrendously greedy. The description of the transformed Scrooge is delightful:

“He went to church, and walked about the streets, and watched the people hurrying to and fro, and patted children on the head, and questioned beggars, and looked down into the kitchens of houses and up to the windows; and found that everything could yield him pleasure. He had never dreamed that any walk—that anything—could give him so much happiness.”

He once scoffed at charity but now on the last page of the book you will read:

“Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them . . . His own heart laughed, and that was quite enough for him. And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge.”

Do you know what happened to Ebenezer Scrooge? He learned the secret that what you do on this earth for others is what will last when you are gone. Suits that they sell you at the funeral home have pockets that don’t open. They are sewn shut.

In Winchester Ky. there is tombstone with a lot of writing but at the top are words chosen by my brother and sister-in-law. Upon the death of their young son, in an act of acknowledgement before God, they and his bride of eleven months placed these words on the tombstone:

Received: 1972
Taken: Given back: (Returned) 1996

When we share with others in the name of Jesus we hold everything loosely. It is not an easy way but it is a blessed way.

I want you to know this morning that we are going to be a church that finds creative ways to touch the lives of people who need Jesus desperately.

As you leave today we are asking you to take a few minutes and ask God what He wants to do through you. What are you willing to share with others?

2003/11/30