Sermon Reources available here...

                      

Sermon Reources available here...

                      

The Church Has Left the Building: GONE SERVING For the last four weeks I have been teaching about the call of God that He has given to all of us. The call is to serve Him. We serve others globally because Jesus told us to be His witnesses at home and abroad. We serve others within the church because God gifted us with gifts that are beneficial to the body. (the church)

This morning we are going to tell all of you how you can serve others on a regular basis. Jesus was our example for this. Nearly everywhere He went when He walked on this earth He took time to serve others.

We embrace the 3 C’s in this church Let me remind you once again what they are:

Celebration, Community and Call

For four weeks I have spent this time every Sunday morning examining with you what it means to answer the call of God in your life. Next week and throughout the summer we will launch into the summer series.

For this church and for some of you this may very well be a most life-altering message. You see it is very easy to live for ones self. It is very easy to fall into a trap where you are completely focused on your life, your stuff, your goals, your interest etc, and forget the needs of others or the call of God which clearly calls us to serve.

“If I have no love for others, no desire to serve others, I should question whether Christ is really in my life.” (Rick Warren)

For those who do not answer the call of God to serve others I would like to inform you that you are cheating your way through life! If you have neglected the call to serve you are cheating yourself, your church community, and you are cheating your world.

“Your life is much bigger than a good job, an understanding spouse, and non-delinquent kids. It is bigger than beautiful gardens, nice vacations and fashionable clothes. In reality, you are part of something immense, something that began before you were born and will continue after you die. God is rescuing fallen humanity, transporting them into his kingdom, and progressively shaping them into his likeness—and he wants you to be a part of it.” Paul David Tripp

This is basic teaching on living like a human. Isn’t it strange that we have to teach ourselves once again to serve? In this week’s Friday paper this article appeared that you see on the screen. I was grateful but I was ashamed. We have become really good at filling every available parking spot in the neighborhood on Sunday morning and even making a few neighbors mad at us for parking in front of their houses while they are out to breakfast. We have a lot of work to do to demonstrate that we are willing to give back to our own neighborhood. In this story, GE employees came into our neighborhood and worked with the agency called the ARC. This agency’s mission statement is:

The Arc of the United States works to include all children and adults with cognitive, intellectual, and developmental disabilities in every community.

Here they are right in our neighborhood. We will seek to find ways to work with them in the future.

Here is what I am calling this church to today: A Culture of Kindness.

Before I explain let me review very quickly what we have learned so far about serving and the call of God.

1. We each have a Gift.

Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others. Be good servants of God’s various gifts of grace. 1 Peter 4:10 (New Century Version)

God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well.... Romans 12:6a (New Living Translation)

Actually we have many gifts and as Christ followers we allow God to use us in sharing His kindness toward others.

2. We each have a responsibility to serve with Grace

But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves,...Romans 2:8 (New Living Translation)

In the same way, my brothers and sisters, your old selves died, and you became free from the law through the body of Christ. This happened so that you might belong to someone else—the One who was raised from the dead—and so that we might be used in service to God. Romans 7:4 (New Century Version)

If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody.Galatians 6:3 (New Living Translation)

Serving others is not an option for Christians.

3. We each have the Ultimate Example: God!

Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He now showed the disciples the full extent of his love.... Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him.John 13:1, 3–5 (New Living Translation)I referred to this story last week so let me just remind us all once again that this was one of the last things Christ communicated to the first disciples. He wanted this truth embedded deep inside of them. Our life in the church is not about titles, positions, who goes first or who is first. It is simply about serving and loving others like Jesus Christ the ultimate example.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as aransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (New International Version)

A student is not better than the teacher, but the student who has been fully trained will be like the teacher. Luke 6:40 (New Century Version)

4. If we really want to go from “good to great” in life…Our Goal

Author Jim Collins has sold a lot books in the business world. No doubt some of you have read the book Good to Great. It is a fascinating book that lays out a case for moving your business from the mediocre to the meaningful.

That is exactly what we are trying to do as a church. Move from serving ourselves to unleashing the love of God on a community that desperately needs to know that God loves them.

He said, “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Matthew 20:25–26 (Message Bible)

Now let me make the transition into a few things that we are going to call you to practice. Sometimes I think we sit around waiting for the next program to be developed and we never get around to developing it so we do nothing. We do a lot of, ready, aim...ready aim..., ready aim...well here is the new approach to ministry in this church. Are you ready to hear it? You might want to write it down.

Ready Fire Aim! Ready Fire Aim. What a great way to get unstuck!

The exercise that you have witnessed today is one small example of ways that we can serve others. When you came in today you were given a card. We will try to always have cards like this available if you promise to be careful how you use them.

Christians don’t have all that great of a reputation! It may come as a surprise to you that the biggest obstacle people have in coming to God is getting over the church. Do you know that most servers in restaurants dread working on Sunday? They dread it because many of them depend on their tips to make their salary a living wage. Christians are known for being cheap!

Why is it that we think cheaper is always better? Why is it that we have some kind of entitlement mentality that somehow we should get a discount? As recent as last week a server in a restaurant not far from this church received this (see screen) for her tip. (where the tip was supposed to be some “hypocrite” wrote, “May God’s blessings be on your life.”) It was from a table full of Christians. I’m not going to touch today on the demanding bad attitudes we are too often known for just the cheapness.

I think we can use going out to eat as an opportunity to show God’s love. These cards came in on Friday and my wife and I went out to eat. I gave it a try. It cost me $4 more than I would have tipped the waiter. I increased the tip by four bucks and laid this card with the bill. I am calling you to consider using these cards as an outreach tool of God’s love in this community.

Find little things to do that make a difference in someone’s life. Do them, leave the card and walk away.

Here are some ways that we are going to be serving:

We may buy some stamps next April 15th and stand outside the post office giving away stamps to people who are mailing their taxes in at the last minute. Most of them are not procrastinators they are protesters! Let’s make them a little happier that at least they don’t have to spend money on the stamps. We give the stamps and a little card saying how much why we care.

We may do a gas buy down in the near future: Listen to this story.

Heartland Community Church in Lawrence, Kansas sponsored a Gasoline Buy Down outreach. For two hours, church members sold gas for about fifty cents a gallon less than the normal price. They pumped the gasoline, checked the oil and gave our soft drinks to customers. Here are the results from that day:

23 Heartland members served the people of Lawrence.
3,149 gallons of gasoline were pumped.
$1,413 was the savings to the public. (HCC paid a $1000 and the station unexpectedly covered $413)
785 people came in.
314 cars got gas.
$4.50 was the average benefit per car.
240 cans of pop were given out.
200+ cups of coffee were given out.
100 plus balloons were give away, (compliments of the station)
250+ windows were washed.
4 newspapers ran articles.
2 TV stations featured stories.
1 radio station did a 30 minute interview
Thousands of people in Lawrence heard about the event.

Outreach at Hospital Waiting Room

“For the past few months we have been taking snacks to the waiting rooms at the local hospitals. (We offer a choice of diet or regular cokes and bottled water, by the way. To our surprise, the bottled water is what people seem to go for the most.) Some of the folks there have been stuck in the waiting rooms for hours, or sometimes even days, and they tells us they really appreciate the kindness shown to them.

We've had opportunity to pray with several of these folks as well. Probably the most touching contact was an elderly lady in one ICU waiting room who looked really worn out. She told us, with tears in her eyes, that she couldn't begin to thank us enough for our simple kindness. Her sister had died just moments before our visit and she was waiting for other family members to arrive. In doing servant evangelism it seems like we are doing such small things for people. Sometimes we can forget that when someone is really hurting even a very simple touch of love can go twice as deep.”

We will be passing out free water at certain events.

We will do a free car wash. No we will do an absolutely free car wash.

I would suggest that you may want to pay for the order of the car behind you in the fast food drive through someday. Let the person at the pay window give them your little card.

You may be thinking this is great if you have the money to do it. You can do some free things. Offer to wash someone’s car windows. Make sure you know how first. Get yourself some towels and offer to help dry cars at a local self serve car wash. The next time it is raining on your day off take an hour and a big umbrella and go to a busy area of town where people are getting out of their cars and running and offer to escort them to their destination.

You’ll be hearing about opportunities like this on a regular basis.

We are going to create a culture of kindness in our church.

Somehow in our country we have adopted a culture of self-centered attitudes. We’ve believed the lie that we’ll be happier that less we sacrifice or give of ourselves or our time. But the more we clutch our time, money and comfort and selfishly refuse to give to others the less we receive back.

Sometimes we have let proud independence keep us uninvolved. This can be pride that says, “I don’t need other people in my life.” Or it may be pride that says, “I don’t want other people to see me for who I really am.” Both form cut us off from the blessings and benefits of community in the local church body.

There are those who sometimes develop a critical eye toward the church. They have believed that by complaining or logging all the churches faults, they are accomplishing something. But God calls us to repent of our critical spirit and pick up one of concern instead. Genuine concern is what happens when we see a problem or need and we care enough to get involved. We move from consumers to Christ followers.

This is the call. This is what Christ wants us to do to and be. I embraced Matthew 25 with my head along time ago but if all we ever do is talk about it the Bible says our love is empty. It is useless.

The Final Word

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!”...Matthew 25:21a (New International Version)

You will want God to say this above everything else to you on that great day when we stand before Him.

Here is a letter from a church in Cincinnati that is practicing and pioneering this kind of evangelism outreach. You Must be Heaven Sent

Today, I borrowed $15.00 to buy lunch for my daughter and I at Taco Bell on Colerain Avenue. After placing my order, I sat behind a red Jeep Cherokee, with a female driver, and waited for my turn. Once at the window I handed every dime I had to the cashier, only to find that the woman in the red Jeep Cherokee had already purchased our lunch, and had left a nice card for me that said God Loves Me!!! I was astonished, not only by the simple generosity, but more so that it would be done by a complete stranger. Today's lunch was my daughters Christmas gift from GOD. Our family is not celebrating Christmas this year because of financial matters, my husbands incarceration, soon to be evicted and in the 6th month of a very high risk pregnancy.

Fortunately, my ten year old daughter (maybe my only child other than the one I am currently carrying) can understand that we will not be celebrating Christmas this year. With all the gloom, our "Angel at Taco Bell" has given us some sunshine. Thank you so much - this could not have been done at a better time.God Bless You!!

This is from a person who was served in Cincinnati, Ohio. On Sunday, the pastor challenged the people to consider paying for the person behind them at a fast food place, handing the "connect card" to the cashier, and asking them to give it to the next customer and tell them it was to "show God's love to you."

Let’s remind God how much we love Him before we go and then let’s go live like it.

Parts of this message outline came from a sermon by Dave Workman

2005/05/29