Lip Service
Trey Little | 7-Mar-10
"Lip Service"
Well, as we continue in our study of the book The Hole in Our Gospel I find myself becoming more keenly aware of the "holes" in my Gospel and I must tell you--it doesn't feel good. I say that--but then again--many times pain is the beginning of healing. Think back to those times when you have fallen on a sidewalk and skinned your knee--at the time of the fall, the pain was intense. But then--after a few moments of pain--the healing begins.
How are you doing? Is your heart in the healing process yet?
Let's continue our study by turning to 2 Corinthians 8: 1-15 (pg. 1146).
The headline read: "Texas Beer Joint Sues a Church." The story went on to say: "In a small Texas town, Drummond's Bar began construction on a new building to increase business. The local Baptist church started a campaign to block the bar from opening with petitions and prayers. Work progressed right up till the week before opening, when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground.
The church folks were rather smug in their outlook after that, until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building; either through direct or indirect actions or means. The church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise in its reply to the court.
As the case made its way into the court, the judge looked over the paperwork. At the hearing the judge commented: "I don't know how I am going to rule on this, but it appears from this documentation, we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation that does not!"
Whether that story is true or not--it does illustrate a truth: many of us who call ourselves the church have a difficult time believing and living what we preach. We all too often underestimate the power of God at work in and through us in the world. Whether it is prayer or ministering to the poor, needy, and lonely people all around us--I am concerned that the church is replacing faithful service with "lip service." The church can seemingly talk a good game but when it comes to practicing what we preach we "vehemently deny all responsibility." The result?--holes in our Gospel!
According to Bill Easum, the "vital signs" for a healthy church can be measured in six traits. The church must be biblically grounded--do prayer, discernment and the word of God guide us in our decision making? The church must be culturally relevant--do all of our ministries have their origin in the hopes, dreams and needs of the surrounding community? The church must exist to transform lives--how disappointed do we become if days, weeks or months go by without someone giving their life to Christ? The church must mobilize and equip the laity--Easum suggests a mobilized congregation means that 80% of the participants are involved in some form of weekly or monthly ministry and the staff primarily equips others for ministry rather than doing ministry--MMPC is at just over 50% involvement. The church must be a community built on trust--can any one or two people in this congregation derail something that most people want to see happen? Finally, the church must be structured to grow disciples--do we eat, sleep and dream about making disciples? (Outreach Magazine, May/June 2009, p. 63).
How are you feeling today? If MMPC went in for a "health check" how would we do?
In our sermon text this morning we listen in to Paul teaching the church in Corinth a few "health" issues. Paul was on a journey--basically a journey to collect money for the needy people in Jerusalem. Paul was asking the church in Corinth to contribute.
What is interesting to me is how Paul used the actions of the Macedonian churches to illustrate his purpose and hope. He used the Macedonian churches to illustrate what God really wanted for the church in Corinth and I believe this church in Albany and all churches. And in a nutshell--I think God desires for the church to exhibit His grace in our giving.
The Christians in Macedonia didn't just know about God's grace--they knew God's grace. Paul writes, "Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity." Amazing to consider that even in the midst of great affliction and persecution; even though they were seemingly dirt poor they were still giving--on their own--and they considered it a privilege to share in the service of the saints!
Quite frankly, at least from a preacher's perspective, I don't think it was an opportune time to take up an offering. The word said they were in "extreme poverty." I can only imagine that their shekels were not as prevalent as they may have once been. Perhaps the cost of camel food was higher than ever. Surely the unemployment rate was growing to levels unseen in quite some time. The bottom line is that they could have given plenty of excuses for why they couldn't give--but then again, that would have been LIP SERVICE not KINGDOM SERVICE.
But instead, these people gave "beyond their ability." They gave in response to God's grace rather than sitting and expecting God's grace. But how? Well take a look at verse 5: "And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will."
Friends, one of the greatest stumbling blocks for giving--whether time or money--is our unwillingness to give everything we have and are to the Lord. We have a distinct knack of holding on to this or that; holding on to this time or that time--and say it is my time. Or we hold on to this resource and that resource--saying that these are mine--I worked hard for these. And it is not hard to figure out that the tighter we hold onto things for ourselves the harder it is for us to let go and give.
Someone once said, "God is willing to take full responsibility for the life that is totally surrendered to Him."
Do you believe that? Do you believe it enough to do more than TALK ABOUT it? Do you believe it enough to commit yourself to meeting someone else's needs in full trust that God will commit Himself to meet your needs?
Richard Stearns says, "It is not our fault that people are poor, but it is our responsibility to do something about it (p. 123).
I think the Christians in Macedonia understood their responsibility. They were willing to carry the burdens of their fellow believers.
Is there something about God's grace that is moving you to fulfill your responsibility? Are you willing to carry the burdens of your fellow believers?
One more piece of advice--not from me--but from Paul in his letter to the church in Corinth. He writes, "Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have" (vs. 11-12).
Friends, the amount of what we give is no match to the willingness which motivates our giving. But also, unless that willingness motivates us to follow through until completion then we are simply Christians practicing LIP SERVICE.
I want to close with a wonderful prayer from the founder of World Vision, he prayed: "Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God" (p. 109).
May those be the words that flow across our LIPS compelling us to trust in the POWER of God's grace to prompt us to SERVE and GIVE!
AMEN.
Well, as we continue in our study of the book The Hole in Our Gospel I find myself becoming more keenly aware of the "holes" in my Gospel and I must tell you--it doesn't feel good. I say that--but then again--many times pain is the beginning of healing. Think back to those times when you have fallen on a sidewalk and skinned your knee--at the time of the fall, the pain was intense. But then--after a few moments of pain--the healing begins.
How are you doing? Is your heart in the healing process yet?
Let's continue our study by turning to 2 Corinthians 8: 1-15 (pg. 1146).
The headline read: "Texas Beer Joint Sues a Church." The story went on to say: "In a small Texas town, Drummond's Bar began construction on a new building to increase business. The local Baptist church started a campaign to block the bar from opening with petitions and prayers. Work progressed right up till the week before opening, when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground.
The church folks were rather smug in their outlook after that, until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building; either through direct or indirect actions or means. The church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise in its reply to the court.
As the case made its way into the court, the judge looked over the paperwork. At the hearing the judge commented: "I don't know how I am going to rule on this, but it appears from this documentation, we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation that does not!"
Whether that story is true or not--it does illustrate a truth: many of us who call ourselves the church have a difficult time believing and living what we preach. We all too often underestimate the power of God at work in and through us in the world. Whether it is prayer or ministering to the poor, needy, and lonely people all around us--I am concerned that the church is replacing faithful service with "lip service." The church can seemingly talk a good game but when it comes to practicing what we preach we "vehemently deny all responsibility." The result?--holes in our Gospel!
According to Bill Easum, the "vital signs" for a healthy church can be measured in six traits. The church must be biblically grounded--do prayer, discernment and the word of God guide us in our decision making? The church must be culturally relevant--do all of our ministries have their origin in the hopes, dreams and needs of the surrounding community? The church must exist to transform lives--how disappointed do we become if days, weeks or months go by without someone giving their life to Christ? The church must mobilize and equip the laity--Easum suggests a mobilized congregation means that 80% of the participants are involved in some form of weekly or monthly ministry and the staff primarily equips others for ministry rather than doing ministry--MMPC is at just over 50% involvement. The church must be a community built on trust--can any one or two people in this congregation derail something that most people want to see happen? Finally, the church must be structured to grow disciples--do we eat, sleep and dream about making disciples? (Outreach Magazine, May/June 2009, p. 63).
How are you feeling today? If MMPC went in for a "health check" how would we do?
In our sermon text this morning we listen in to Paul teaching the church in Corinth a few "health" issues. Paul was on a journey--basically a journey to collect money for the needy people in Jerusalem. Paul was asking the church in Corinth to contribute.
What is interesting to me is how Paul used the actions of the Macedonian churches to illustrate his purpose and hope. He used the Macedonian churches to illustrate what God really wanted for the church in Corinth and I believe this church in Albany and all churches. And in a nutshell--I think God desires for the church to exhibit His grace in our giving.
The Christians in Macedonia didn't just know about God's grace--they knew God's grace. Paul writes, "Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity." Amazing to consider that even in the midst of great affliction and persecution; even though they were seemingly dirt poor they were still giving--on their own--and they considered it a privilege to share in the service of the saints!
Quite frankly, at least from a preacher's perspective, I don't think it was an opportune time to take up an offering. The word said they were in "extreme poverty." I can only imagine that their shekels were not as prevalent as they may have once been. Perhaps the cost of camel food was higher than ever. Surely the unemployment rate was growing to levels unseen in quite some time. The bottom line is that they could have given plenty of excuses for why they couldn't give--but then again, that would have been LIP SERVICE not KINGDOM SERVICE.
But instead, these people gave "beyond their ability." They gave in response to God's grace rather than sitting and expecting God's grace. But how? Well take a look at verse 5: "And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will."
Friends, one of the greatest stumbling blocks for giving--whether time or money--is our unwillingness to give everything we have and are to the Lord. We have a distinct knack of holding on to this or that; holding on to this time or that time--and say it is my time. Or we hold on to this resource and that resource--saying that these are mine--I worked hard for these. And it is not hard to figure out that the tighter we hold onto things for ourselves the harder it is for us to let go and give.
Someone once said, "God is willing to take full responsibility for the life that is totally surrendered to Him."
Do you believe that? Do you believe it enough to do more than TALK ABOUT it? Do you believe it enough to commit yourself to meeting someone else's needs in full trust that God will commit Himself to meet your needs?
Richard Stearns says, "It is not our fault that people are poor, but it is our responsibility to do something about it (p. 123).
I think the Christians in Macedonia understood their responsibility. They were willing to carry the burdens of their fellow believers.
Is there something about God's grace that is moving you to fulfill your responsibility? Are you willing to carry the burdens of your fellow believers?
One more piece of advice--not from me--but from Paul in his letter to the church in Corinth. He writes, "Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have" (vs. 11-12).
Friends, the amount of what we give is no match to the willingness which motivates our giving. But also, unless that willingness motivates us to follow through until completion then we are simply Christians practicing LIP SERVICE.
I want to close with a wonderful prayer from the founder of World Vision, he prayed: "Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God" (p. 109).
May those be the words that flow across our LIPS compelling us to trust in the POWER of God's grace to prompt us to SERVE and GIVE!
AMEN.
