Builing-The-Church

SERIES: BUILDING THE CHURCH

Part One: “Partners In Pulling”

Acts 18:18-28

Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken. They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.

After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

A traveler was driving along one day and had an accident. He drove his car into a ditch in a desolate area. Luckily, a local farmer came by to help with his horse named Buddy. Well, the farmer hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, "Pull, Nellie, pull!" Buddy didn’t move. Once more the farmer hollered, "Pull, Nellie, pull!" Buddy didn’t respond. The farmer repeated this action again, with the same results. Then the farmer nonchalantly said, "Pull, Buddy, pull!" And the horse finally dragged the car out of the ditch. The motorist was really appreciative but he was also curious. He said to the farmer “I really appreciate what you did for me, but why did you call your horse by the wrong name 3 times.” The farmer said, "Oh, Buddy is blind - and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn’t even try."

Like “Buddy” people usually don’t like to think they are pulling the load all by themselves. That’s why Jesus sent his disciples out in teams of two. It’s easier to do ministry when you’re part of a team. Here in Acts 18, we’re introduced to the ultimate ministry team – Priscilla and Aquila. They’re a married couple who are mentioned in scripture at least 4 times. In fact, they are the only married couple I can recall who are mentioned by name. There was annanias and Saphira but they weren’t admirable and Godly. The Apostles had wives, and Jesus’ half brothers had wives, and they took them with them when they preached (I Cor. 9:5), BUT the names of their wives is never given in Scripture. Priscilla’s is.

What does it mean to be partners in pulling? A couple of things come to my mind as we look at Priscilla and Aquila who were partners pulling in ministry.

First: Priscilla Role Has Been Given The Wrong Emphasis

Ordinarily, what scholars point out about this passage in Acts 18 is that Priscilla’s name is mentioned 1st in this text. Ever since the “feminist movement” caught fire there have been religious scholars who have pointed to Priscilla’s prominence in this text and concluded that she was either the “head of her household” OR that she was dominant teacher in their relationship. I even recently read a sermon by a man who concluded that Priscilla was probably smarter than her husband. (Indeed, I’ve met women who did think they were smarter than their husbands... and I’ve met women who WERE smarter than their husbands).

The picture that is often painted by these scholars is that Priscilla took the lead in ministry, and may even been the power force in the marriage... with Aquila quietly tagging along for the ride and watching from the sidelines as his more knowledgeable wife taught Apollos about baptism. I have a couple of problems with that:

1st – This argument is based mostly on innuendo and implications from this text that can’t really be proven. In other words, there isn’t anything IN the text that would necessarily lead one to believe that this was true.

2nd – Paul, a man who many of these scholars regard as chauvinist and a woman hater...

* Paul, a man who wrote many passages in Scripture that cause feminists to cringe...

* This same Paul, referred to this couple as both AQUILA & Priscilla (in I Corinthians 16:19) AND PRISCILLA & Aquila (in Romans 16:3).

In other words, Paul put both Priscilla and Aquila 1st in different letters to different churches. That would seem to indicate that the order of a couple’s names as they were introduced wasn’t all that signifcant to THAT culture in THAT day.

Second: Priscilla’s Name Is Mentioned And That’s Significant!

IN FACT, you don’t ever find Aquila mentioned without Priscilla NOR Priscilla mentioned without Aquila. You know what that means? That means that Priscilla and Aquila were a team. They were partners in ministry. They worked together to build up the Kingdom of God. They pulled in a partnership to build God’s church, because it was bigger than either one of them.

One man once wrote: Partnership is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organized objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results… Simply put, (partnership) is less “me” and more “we.” Priscilla was no door mat. No doubt she was an intelligent and vibrant woman. But I doubt she would have thought of herself as the “head” of her family. Nor would she have considered herself as being more “intelligent” than Aquila. Nor would it have crossed her mind to think of herself as a better teacher than her husband. I suspect she would have rolled her eyes at anyone who would even suggest that type of idea.

To imply such a competition in their relationship deprives this passage of its true beauty and depth. We live in a world where men put their wives down to their friends and where women belittle their husbands when they are with the other girls. Sometimes a couple doesn’t even wait to be out with their friends before they trash each other. Sometimes they do it to each other’s face. Friends, that ought not to be!! Christians should NEVER belittle their husbands or wives either publicly or in private!!! Amen?

Feminist theology imposes the type of competition and struggle into this 1st century couple that is entirely foreign to anything taught anywhere else in scripture. What these feminist scholars miss is the beauty of what Priscilla had. Priscilla had the ideal Christian marriage. She wouldn’t have overshadowed Aquila and Aquila wouldn’t have crowded her out of ministry. This couple had something that every married Christian couple should strive for: the advantage of serving Jesus alongside their husband or wife.

Often times a man will be a powerful force for Jesus - in the pulpit, teaching classes or sharing his faith and his wife will stay quietly in the background, not sharing any part of that ministry. Or a woman will have an unbelieving husband, or a husband who has no desire to be involved in serving Jesus. Aquila and Priscilla didn’t have that problem. They were both blessed by having a spouse who would work side by side with them. Aquila and Priscilla had the ideal marriage: ¨ I believe they PRAYED together ¨ -They PLANNED together ¨ - And, they WORKED together. They weren’t in competition with each other. They worked together in partnership. And because of that, because they were a married couple that "pulled together" Apollos (a good, but misinformed preacher) was transformed into a powerhouse for God.

Hearagain from Acts 18:26-28, “When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.” 27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. Did you catch what its saying there? It’s telling us, that because Priscilla and Aquila invited Apollos over to their home for coffee and donuts and worked together to teach him more about the Christian faith. Apollos now was able to receive the encouragement and resources of the other believers there. He received their blessing and was able to accomplish even more for the cause of Christ.

Third: Aquila And Priscilla Had An Ideal Christian Marriage And Accomplished Something They Never Would Have Done Alone

AND that’s why they are the only couple mentioned like this, with both names recorded for us to remember. Not only did they work together to instruct Apollos about baptism, but Paul tells us a couple of other things about them. Romans 16:3-5 says, “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I, but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.”

Paul thought of Aquila and Priscilla as his “fellow workers.” What had they done to make themselves such reliable helpers to Paul? They started a church in their home. In both Romans and I Corinthians Paul referred to churches that met in their home. That apparently “meant something” to Paul. You see, Priscilla and Aquila weren’t just Sunday morning Christians putting in an hour a week and calling it "square" with God. This couple were actively building up their faith & the faith of others. They were holding church in their own home.

I know of a number of churches that have been started in people’s homes over the years. It started with what they call home Bible Studies or Small Groups. People come, some Christians, some not. They feel comfortable in the home setting to take part and hear about Jesus. And as time goes by they become Christians. Rick Warren’s Church in CA started like that (now has over 15,000 members, started with 12 in their home. Bill Hybels Church in Chicago started like that (now has over 10,000 members, started with 8 in their home). So many people have stepped into church buildings, that if it wasn’t for the church starting in someone’s home, it wouldn’t be there. People’s lives are changed….just like Apollos was changed.

It’s what our Small Groups Ministry is all about. It’s a little church within a church. Anyone can start one or host one. I’ve known some people that didn’t want to teach, but they opened their home and someone else taught. They invited neighbors and friends to learn about Jesus and Scripture.

Small Group Home Bible Studies can help a church to grow, but will never reach that goal unless the congregation catches the vision for it. It’s the most effective way to reach others for Christ. People will come to a non-threatening atmosphere like your home because they know you.

Four: It’s Ideal For A Married Couple To Start A Church In Their Home Because They Are Already A Team

They know how to cooperate with each other and compliment each other. They have the opportunity to talk with each other and pray together regularly. BUT, if you’re not married, or if your spouse isn’t a Christian, you can still start a church in your home. You can still host your friends & supply refreshments. AND if you and your “partner in ministry” can teach... well, all the better. I believe in this so much that I want to encourage you to sign up to attend one of our Small Groups, or start one in your own home, on the Welcome Card.

CONCLUSION

Church – when it’s done right – isn’t about superstars. It isn’t about powerful preachers and impressive church buildings. IT’S ABOUT individual Christians saying: “I want to make a difference!” “I want to be part of a team that brings my friends and relatives to Christ” Church when it’s done right is where we all work together - partners in pulling - and we build a church that pleases Jesus.

John Wooden is considered by many to be the basketball coach of all time. He coached the UCLA Bruins to more college basketball championships than any other NCAA coach in history. What was his secret to success? Teamwork. Not just the “Come on guys, let’s all work together like a team” kind of thing while every player really does his own thing. Wooden produced the genuine article. Every year he put together the best group of players he could find. And the 5 men who best complemented each other and worked together are the ones he started.

But he didn’t consider them to be any more important than the substitutes, his assistants, or even the equipment manager. His motto was, “The most important player when we win – is the rest of the team.” Wooden used to encourage his players to acknowledge the assists of their teammates. If one player received a pass that allowed him to score, Wooden wanted that player to give the other man a wink or point to him/ as they moved down to the opposite end of the court. “But what if the other player isn’t looking when you point him out?” a new player asked Wooden once. Wooden just smiled, “Oh don’t worry. He’ll be looking.” Will you be a partner in pulling, or will you just be a spectator?

SERIES: BUILDING THE CHURCH

Part Two: “Avoiding Short Cuts”

Acts 11:19-26

"Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it came about that for an entire year they met with the church, and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”

Several years ago the Chattanooga Free Press told the story of a woman who had decided to take a short cut to cleaning the birdcage that housed her favorite canary Chippie. Having a busy schedule that day, she decided to clean the cage with the vacuum cleaner. Shortening the process even further, she took off the attachment and was using the full hose to remove debris from the cage. Suddenly the telephone rang. She turned to answer it when she heard the loud “whoosh.” She knew immediately what had happened: Chippie had been sucked into the vacuum bag. Quickly she hung up the phone, opened the bag and found Chippie – still alive but filthy.

She went to the bathroom, turned on the faucet full force and stuck Chippie beneath it. A few minutes later he was clean but shivering. Seeing the hair dryer on the counter, she picked it up and turned it on high and quickly had Chippie dry, warm and back in the cage. The entire procedure had taken only a few minutes. Days later, someone asked, “How is Chippie?” “Well,” she said, “he seems OK except that he doesn’t sing anymore. He just sits and stares out into the room.” This lady had decided to take a short cut… and nearly succeeded in taking the life out of her poor bird.

There are times when shortcuts are ok. But there are other times when you don’t dare take those short cuts. One of those times is when you’re dealing with your faith and your relationship with God. If you take short cuts with your Christianity, you can end up taking the life out of your faith. The leaders in Jerusalem understood this, that’s why when they heard about the exciting things taking place in Antioch they sent one of their best men - to find out what was going on.

First: Background

Three years before, the church had undergone the most terrible experience in its existence. A deacon by the name of Stephen had been stoned to death by an angry Jewish mob. And this set in motion a powerful persecution of the church that forced many believers in Jerusalem to flee to places like Antioch, a city about 2 or 3 days travel away. In spite of that experience however, these believers refused to be silenced. They were fired up about Jesus and they began to talk to others. Sharing their faith. Baptizing converts right and left. Holding impromptu church in each others homes. And before you knew it – there was a growing multitude that began to get the attention of the church in Jerusalem. And so, they sent Barnabas to Antioch to check this all out.

Second: Why Did They Send Barnabas?

Why not just let the church at Antioch do “their own thing?” It was a growing church, and an exciting situation. Why not just leave them alone? Well notice - when Barnabas arrives - he does two things in Vs. 23. He sees “the evidence of the grace of God” and “he encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.”

The Church at Jerusalem wanted to have Barnabas do just that. They wanted him to discover if these were genuine believers. And if they were – he was to do everything possible to make them successful. When he finds out that they are, indeed, genuine believers, he encourages them to be faithful in their Christianity. But then he notices that there is a great need in this church that he can’t handle by himself. So, he sends for Saul to come help him. And when Saul arrives, for a full year, the two of them focus on something they know is necessary to make that church at Antioch successful.

Third: What Need Did Barnabas See At Antioch That Was Crucial For The Believers There?

Well, let’s look at verse 26-27 and find out. “Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people.”

What did Barnabas and Saul do for a whole year? They taught the believers there. Why teach them? Hadn’t they already come to Christ? Hadn’t they been in worship with other believers? Hadn’t they begun to apply Christ’s principles to their everyday lives?

What else was there to know?

Fourth: We Need To Understand Why Anitoch Needed Teaching. That There Are Several Stages To Christianity

Peter writes about this in I Peter 1:3-8: “(God’s) divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

First Stage For Christians Is Always Faith

A faith based upon feelings. This is where everybody starts out. You find out who Jesus is, how much He loves you, what He wants for your life… and you can’t wait to belong to Him. You can’t wait to repent of your sins, confess Him as your Lord and Savior. At this point, church is so important – you wouldn’t miss it for anything. You love singing the songs, you really get into prayer. It’s a powerful rush, an excitement that’s hard to even explain. It’s a faith that leads to changes in your life. There’s a goodness that begins to take over with the closer you get to Christ. You try to be “like Him.” You try to please Him.

Second Stage To Add To Your Faith Is Goodness

This was the stage Antioch was at when Barnabas came to visit. They loved Jesus, and they were trying to live for Him. But, they needed to add something more to their lives. They needed to add knowledge. In fact, this “Knowledge” was so crucial that Peter seemed to imply that all our other growth as Christians would depend upon how much we “knew.” I Peter 1:5-7 says, “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

It’s a stair-step diagram of our growth pattern as Christians:

***********************Love

*******************Brotherly kindness

****************Godliness

************Perseverance

*********Self-control

******Knowledge

***Goodness

Faith

One level of our Christianity is built upon another. There’s no room for shortcuts. Each stage depends in part upon another. But getting back to our main question:

Fifth: Why Would We Need To “Make Every Effort To Add Knowledge To Our Faith?

Because if we don’t, we’ll not be able to be as effective and useful for God as we’d like.

We’ll remain like infants in our faith. The writer of Hebrews tells readers in Hebrews 5:12-14, “You need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

Now infants are cute. I think that’s why women keep having them – they’re cute. Ever somewhere and a couple came in your presence with a baby? I have. Sometimes I’ll wave and can see the little one wave back or try too. Other times if you smile they smile. Just lots of amusement when we are in the presence of little ones. Babies are cute. They say cute things, they do cute things, you can dress them up in all kinds of pretty clothes. They’re cute. But babies have their drawbacks. Outside of ‘peek-a-boo’ and waving it’s kind of hard to play games with them.

Then, of course, there are the messes they make, that we have to clean up. After they eat, you have clean up the table, their clothes, the floor. And when they’re not eating, you have to change their diapers. And they wake you up in the middle of the night because… they need you. In fact, they need you for a lot of things: they can’t dress themselves, they can’t feed themselves, they can’t protect themselves, they can’t do hardly anything for themselves.

That’s how we can appear to God, if we don’t eat the “solid food” of the Bible. We’ll be cute, but we won’t be able to DO much of anything. We would be helpless. Paul writes in II Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The writer of Hebrews declares in Hebrews 4:12, “…the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Ever wonder why I include so much Scripture in my messages each Sunday? It’s because - what the Bible says is more important than what I have to say. That’s why everyone of us should do as much as we can to get into the Word of God….the Bible. We should get to the point that we are in love with it and want to read it and study it. That’s why we teach about it in Sunday School. Yes, sometimes it’s the same story over and over again, but we do it because we love to hear it. That’s our job. To make God’s Word interesting because it’s interesting to us.

Your job is to expose yourself to as much of God’s Word as often as you can. So that you don’t end up helpless and useless in your faith. It’s why we offer Bible Study classes every Sunday morning for Adults and Children. It’s why we offer our Small Group Ministry. And we will have other things available in the future for you to attend.

Conclusion

The reason we’re so insistent on these kinds of classes, is because, we know - inside the pages of the Bible are the most valuable gifts we can have as Christians.

Dear Abby once told of a young man from a wealthy family was about to graduate from high school. It was a custom in their affluent neighborhood for parents to give their graduating children a new car, and the boy and his dad had spent weeks visiting one dealership after another. The week before graduation they found the perfect car. The boy was certain it would be in the driveway on graduation night. On the eve of his graduation, however, his father handed him a small package wrapped in colorful paper. The Father said the package contained the most valuable gift the dad could think of. The boy unwrapped the gift and found… a Bible!

The boy was so angry he threw the Bible down and stormed out of the house. He and his father never saw each other again. Several years later the news of the father’s death finally brought the son home again. Following the funeral, he sat alone one evening, going through his father’s possessions that he was to inherit when he came across the Bible his dad had given him. Overwhelmed by grief, he brushed away the dust and cracked it open for the first time. When he did, a cashier’s check dated the day of his high school graduation fell into his lap --in the exact amount of the car they had chosen together. The gift had been there all along. All he had needed to do was accept this gift his father had given him. Don’t take short cuts with your faith…….don’t miss what God has to give you. Open yourself up to new possibilities to grow and become what God wants you to become. Amen.

SERIES: BUILDING THE CHURCH

Part Three: “Helping Jesus Build His Kingdom”

Ephesians 4:7-16

“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men." (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions ? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 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.

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 men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 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.”

In the 1970’s Andrew Richardson, a Liverpool postal worker, declared his semi-detached flat to be the independent nation of Granbia. After a while, however, Richardson lost interest, and the apartment reverted to England by default.

In 1964, Lester Hemingway, the little brother of author Ernest Hemingway built an 8 by 30 foot floating bamboo platform 7 miles off the coast of Jamaica, anchoring it to the ocean floor with a Ford engine block. "I can stand on the platform, walk around on it, and salute the flag, all of which I do periodically," Hemingway bragged to reporters. "There are no taxes here, because taxes are for people not smart enough to start their own countries." In time, part of his country was destroyed by fishermen in search of scrap wood; the rest sank in a storm.

Kingdoms come and kingdoms go. Even the most mighty of nations don’t last forever. As powerful as the United States of America is, one day, it too will pass away. In Luke 1:30-33 it tells us, “But when the angel of the Lord appeared to Mary he said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

Approximately 600 years before Jesus was born, the prophet Daniel interpreted a vision that troubled King Nebuchadnezzar. The vision was of a great statue, which represented the nations of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and finally Rome. And then he said in Daniel 2:44, "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.” Colossians 1:13 tells us that when we became Christians, God “rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves…” How can we help Jesus Christ build His Kingdom?

First: What Kind Of Kingdom Is This?

What kingdom would last forever…? That Kingdom is the church. That’s what Jesus came to die for, and what He rose from the dead to create. A Kingdom unlike anything that the world had ever seen before or since. And that’s not the only thing that’s different about this Kingdom we belong to… it’s run different. The most efficient from of government is what known as a benevolent dictatorship. Consider: How much more efficient could it be, than for Jesus to run everything in the Church from "up there."

Really. If there was a decision to be made in church, you wouldn’t have to bother to ask, you wouldn’t have to bother to pray… you don’t have to bother period. He’d take care of it. Every decision that would be made, every sermon that would be preached. Every class that would be taught - He’d take care of it. He could do that you know – He’s God after all! It would be a truly “benevolent dictatorship” It would be totally efficient, totally logical, and totally without any room for mistakes or human error. And…almost totally the opposite of what Jesus actually did.

Second: It’s Part Of Reason Jesus Gave “Gifts” To The Church

I think that’s part of the reason Ephesians tells us that Jesus gave “gifts” to the church. It says in Ephesians 4:10-13, “He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 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.

It tells us that the gifts given were: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, and Pastors & Teachers. We’re not sure, but we think Paul was writing about what we call:

* Missionaries (Apostles means: “those who are sent” and occasionally, church sent missionaries were called "Apostles")

* Preachers (Prophets & Evangelists are used in other parts of Scripture to describe what we might call Ministers or preachers)

* Elders (I Peter 5, Pastors was used to describe Elders, note preachers)

* And, of course, Teachers - which is more less self explanatory.

But, who those terms referred to is not as important as the fact that Jesus turned responsibility for the church over to… mortals. Human beings. Individuals in whose hands almost nothing ends up being totally efficient, logical or without error. Why would He do that? Because He gave that privilege to us as a ‘GIFT.’ It’s a great tribute to God’s love and trust of us. He’s trusted us enough to place in our hands the day to day running of His ETERNAL KINGDOM. And, given that He’s put that kind of hope and faith in our faithfulness, wouldn’t it be proper to make sure that we did everything in our power to make sure we did it God’s way? But, how would we know when we had done that? How would we know when we had handled that responsibility in the way He would want it done? The answer is in Ephesians 4.

Third:When Leaders In Church Do Their Job Well….They Prepare People For Works Of Service

It’s what it says in Ephesians 4:12, “…for the equipping of the saints for the workd of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.” In other words, when I, the Elders and other leaders do what we should in this congregation…..people will be climbing all over each other to do things in the church. Like teach Sunday School, lead Bible Studies or Home Groups, volunteer to help out in ushering, taking the offering, greeting, helping with the youth, helping at our dinners, inviting their friends to church, giving to the poor, etc. etc, etc. And it’s done by getting yourself exposed to the Word of God. It’s what we talked about last week and I’ll continue to talk about until I die.

Every leader in this church, those of you who were installed this morning and others that lead…….you have got to get exposed to the Word of God and be involved in the life of our church. It doesn’t mean that you just come to a meeting, or to church, but that you take the responsibility of your position as a leader and exercise it. And you do it by attending Sunday School, Small Groups, or other things we have to learn more about God’s Word. You are to then help to equip others to serve.

My goal and your leaders goal in this church is to help you to reach what it tells us in Ephesians 4:13, “…..until we attain to the unity of the faith.” In other words, we as leaders, do our job right, our goal should be to create a congregation that loves one another. A church where complaining, and grumbling are rare…or non-existent.

I want to make one thing clear to you this morning. And I’ve told this to our leaders many times over the years. Promise me that if you ever have a complaint against myself or any of the leaders of this church that you will go to us and tell us face to face. Why do I say that? Because this church should always be a church that is “upfront” with each other. Really, leaders before me were faithful to that goal, long before I got here. When Teresa and I first came here we realized this was a loving church. And others have told me that to. I hear it a lot from those here, as well as those who have joined our church and friends of ours who have visited. Now, do we as leaders, always do our job right? Moses, who was the most righteous Shepherd of God who ever lived, had a congregation that seemed to do nothing but grumble and complain. Even when God met their needs in miraculous ways they still argued with Moses. Wasn’t Moses fault the Israelites were just complainers. But it is worth noting…those complainers all died in the wilderness. God’s not big on complainers.

Fourth: What Else Happens When We Do Our Job Right?

Ephesians 4:14 says that Christians here….., “won’t 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 men in their deceitful scheming.” In other words, you won’t be reading horoscopes, because you’ll know they displease God or calling the psychic network, because you’ll know God hates that idea. Or getting your advice down at the local bar, because you’ll suspect a Christian shouldn’t be there. Or having Bible studies with Jehovah Witnesses or Mormons, because you’ll know they are cults. You’ll know the truth isn’t found in those places, so you won’t go there.

INSTEAD…you’ll know what the Bible says about faith, repentance, confession and baptism. You’ll understand Jesus is the Son of God, and that the Holy Spirit dwells in your life as a life giving force. You’ll know the truth, because your leaders have done everything in their power to put forth God’s Word without apology or excuse. But there is a problem. Even in churches that unapologetically committed to preaching God’s truth in season and out of season… if they miss this next objective - they will fail…Our church should always be doing what Ephesians 4:15 says, “speaking the truth in love…”

Churches that fail to speak God’s truth in a Spirit of love become Pharisees. In reality, truth without love fails to being faithful to the Gospel truth anyway. John 3:16 tells us that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Jesus came to give us truth - but He did it because He loved us. Faithfulness to truth, without faithfulness to that original Love - is heresy. In a church where the leaders do their job, the goal is not only to have you know what the Bible says about Jesus and salvation and other good doctrines, but to make sure you won’t get into arguments about it. You’ll be trained to SPEAK THE TRUTH – IN LOVE.

Paul wrote Timothy in II Timothy 2:23-26, “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”

Lastly: All Of Us Have Work To Do In This

Judges 2:7-12 says, "The people served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel. Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten. And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the LORD to anger."

What that tells us is, as long as Joshua and the Elders of Israel remained faithful to God - the people were faithful to God. BUT, once those men passed on, no one rose up to replace them. Without faithful men and women rising to faithful leadership, the congregation of Israel faltered and sinned.

There is a common ailment within almost every church, that there are those who say "let THEM do it (who ever "them" are). I’ll just sit back and be entertained. When enough of a congregation does that, eventually very few do much of what is accomplished in that church. But Ephesians 4 tells us that the church we’ve been entrusted with - this Eternal Kingdom that Jesus died to establish - works best when we all end up working together. Notice what Ephesians 4:16 says "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."

Did you catch that? When we grow and are built up in love, our ultimate objective is for every part… every one of us… to do our part. That is our goal, our objective, our Holy Grail. And when we come close to attaining that - then we have honored the trust that Jesus placed in us when He set His church in our hands.

Conclusion

The story is told of a mighty city state in ancient Greece known as Sparta. An important visitor to the city was being shown around by Sparta’s king - who boasted about the mighty walls of Sparta. The guest looked about – but he didn’t see any walls, and finally he said to his host, "Where are these walls you keep talking about!" The Spartan ruler pointed over to an adjoining field to a group of soldiers who were training on the hillside, and exclaimed, "There they are! Those are the walls of Sparta!"

You and I are a part of THE mightiest nation on earth. You and I have been given the privilege of helping Jesus build His kingdom. You and I are - the walls of the Kingdom.

Or as Peter wrote in I Peter 2:5, ”….you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” One of the greatest honors we can do our savior is to do everything in our power to make this church the type of congregation Jesus would want.

SERIES: BUILDING THE CHURCH

Part Four: “How To Pray Like A Righteous Person”

James 5:13-18

In the book of James is gives us the Prayer of Faith. It says, “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. “

A man by the name of Harold Lamb told this story of a sales presentation he made at a church board meeting: "My co-worker and I were making a sales call to a rural Baptist church. We gave our presentation to the church committee, and then the group’s chairman walked to the altar and knelt down. After a minute of silent prayer, he returned and announced in a solemn tone, “The Lord tells me we should wait.” My colleague responded by walking to the altar and kneeling down himself. Then he returned to the group, looked at the chairman and declared, ’He wants to talk with you again.” I’m not really sure EITHER man was ACTUALLY praying, but I found it interesting that both men saw prayer as a way of getting what they wanted.

And there’s nothing wrong with using prayer to get what you want. James tells us that this is a perfectly acceptable function of prayer. He writes in 4:2 that one of the reasons we don’t receive what we desire is we don’t pray. In other parts of his letter he tell us: If we lack wisdom we should pray. If we are troubled we should pray. And if we are sick, we should call for the elders to anoint us with oil and pray for us. In other words: If there’s something you want from God - you should pray, or have others pray for you. And most of us believe that God answers our prayers. In 1994, Life Magazine published a survey which indicated that 94% of those who prayed regularly believed God had answered their prayers. How do we pray as a righteous person? How do we pray like a righteous person?

First: If We Believe That Prayers Has Such Power, Do We Pray As Often As We Should?

There is a nagging suspicion that we don’t pray as much as we might. How many of you pray as often as you think you should. Well, don’t feel bad. Most people don’t feel like they pray enough either. Larry Davies, a teacher, asked his class: "Does God answer prayers?" The class erupted with answers like "Of course." "Yes." "Always." "Well then,” he said “why don’t we pray more frequently?" There was a long uncomfortable silence in the room. But then they began to open up. Amongst their replies were these two: "I don’t know how to pray." "I don’t know what to say." Those are common fears for many of us. That’s why Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. It is common for many of us to feel we don’t know how to pray or what to say – and James understood that so he gave us an example of how we can pray.

He wrote in James 5:17-18, "Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." In other words… if you want to have a good model of how to pray, look at how Elijah prayed. So that’s what we’re going to do this morning. It tells us how he prayed in I King 18.

Before I read this passage, I want to give you the background on this story. At the time of I Kings 18, the King of Israel was a man named Ahab, and he was married to a Philistine woman who has since become infamous because of her wickedness - Jezebel. Partly because of Jezebel’s evil influence, Ahab and the nation of Israel had fallen into a kind of "hybrid paganism." They apparently still prayed to Yahweh. BUT they also worshipped some wicked pagan gods: Baal and Asherah. So - because of their disobedience God sent Elijah to tell King Ahab that he and the nation of Israel would be punished with a drought.

There would be no rain and no dew for 3 ½. At the end of that 3 ½ years, God sent Elijah back to King Ahab and offered a challenge. Elijah vs. the prophets of Baal and Asherah on Mt. Carmel. All of Israel gathered at the foot of the Mountain and they heard Elijah confront them with these words in I Kings 18:21, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." In I Kings 18:22-40- the challenge begins. It describes the failure of Baal’s prophets to get their god to hear them, the preparation and fiery consumption of Elijah’s offerin and the slaughter of the false prophets. Listen to what it tells us…………………..READ I Kings 18:20-40

All this precedes the prayer that James says is our example. Now let’s see what so special about Elijah’s prayer. Let’s look at I Kings 18:41ff……And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. "Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back." The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea." So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.” Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

Second: What Is It About Elijah’s Prayer That Makes It Such A Good Example For Us?

FIRST he “worked” at his prayer. Notice how he prays. He prays sitting down with his head between his knees. Ever pray this way? It is an extremely uncomfortable way to pray. Now there might be many possible theological reasons why Elijah prayed in this fashion, but my personal conclusion is that Elijah was using this painful posture to help himself focus on the prayer at hand. He didn’t want to be distracted by anything else, and the discomfort kept his mind focused on what he was talking to God about. Next, notice how many times Elijah prays. Not just once, twice, or 3 times. No. Elijah prays 7 times. He kept at the prayer until he saw an answer.

C.H. Spurgeon once said, "Prayer pulls the rope down below and the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell, for they pray so languidly; others give only an occasional jerk at the rope. But he who communicates with heaven is the man who grasps the rope boldly and pulls continuously with all his might." Why should that matter to God? Why should it matter that we “work” at our prayers? Why should He care that we "pull on the bell rope of heaven?" Because when we work at our prayers – it shows the answer “matters” to us.

How many of you have had little children? What’s it like when you take them to the store and they see something they want? They ask for it, don’t they? And then they ask for it again… and again… and again… and again. If they’re creative, they’ll think up a dozen different ways to remind you that they want that candy, or toy or other object. Why do they do that? Because its important to them to receive what they’re asking for. So, they work at getting your attention.

Likewise, Elijah “worked” at his prayer – he made it his business to pray. One of the ways that you can work at your prayers is to keep a Prayer Journal. It is a simple thing…………just get a notebook and title it My Prayer Journal. Then when you spend time in prayer you list the date……your prayer request……..and the date the prayer was answered. Put it someplace in your home where you’ll be often. In the living room, in your bedroom on the nightstand, in your Bible. Anywhere you’ll have it close at hand. This is your tool to help you "work at your prayers."

SECONDLY, Elijah was specific in his prayers. He didn’t simply ask God to “bless” Israel. He was asking for rain. He was asking for a "specific" answer in response to his prayer. When using your Prayer Journal I would suggest to only use it for prayer requests you can actually “measure” or see fulfilled. Avoid “God bless “My son, or daughter type of prayers, because there is no way to determine if God has actually answered you. Last year I decided to get more specific in my prayers for this church. I prayed everyday that God would draw people from the North, South, East, and West to our church. I asked for 10 new members and with the recent new members we received 18. So, get more specific in your prayers. This year I’m asking for God to send us 30 new members. I hope you’ll join with me every day and pray for that to. Be specific in your prayers…then you’ll know when God answers.

THIRD - Elijah prayed for something he knew God wanted to do. God wanted to send rain on Israel. That’s why Elijah had come back. 1 Kings 18:1 tells us "After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: ’Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” If you look at some of the powerful prayers in Scripture you’ll find that they all mention either: A specific promise God had made. A goal God was known to favor. How answering this prayer would result in praise to Him. How God’s answering the prayer would effect how they could witness

When we pray we need to think about why God should want to answer our prayers. That’s what Jesus meant when He told His disciples in John 14:14, "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." To ask for something “in Jesus name” means you are asking God for something you believe He would want to do. When I speak to someone in the community on behalf of the congregation - I am speaking in "your name." So the words I speak should be in agreement with what you would want me to be saying. So also, praying in "Jesus name" is to be asking for what you believe Jesus would want you to ask for. SO… when you use your Prayer Journal always ask yourself – is this prayer something God would want to answer?

FOURTH, Elijah involved someone else in his prayer. Notice that he sends his servant to look for rain. Elijah could have done that. BUT Elijah was involving someone else in his prayers. Jesus said in Matthew 18;19, "I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” With your prayer journal–get your family and friends involved in your prayers.

FIFTH, once Elijah prayed, he behaved as a man who expected an answer. He repeatedly sent his servant to look for a cloud. AND once a cloud was seen, he acted like a man expecting it to rain. The story’s told of the western town that had experienced a hard drought. One of the local churches held announced special prayer meeting one night to pray for rain. On that night, the church building was packed, but the preacher told them to go back home. There’d be no prayer meeting that night – because no one had come expecting to have their prayers answered. NO ONE HAD BOTHERED TO BRING AN UMBRELLA. Now, I don’t know if that’s a true story… but I do know that is how God looks at our prayers. James 5:6-8 tells us that as far as God is concerned “when (a person prays) he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” When we pray – we need to pray expectantly, believing God WILL answer. That’s why I’m suggesting using a Prayer Journal. We need to be praying believing that God will answer our prayer. Expect God to answer your prayer……give you an answer. But also remember that ‘no’ is an answer to. When God answers your prayer put the date next to the request and write PTL (Praise The Lord).

LASTLY, Elijah prayed with the hope that his prayer would be a witness. Notice that before Elijah prays, he tells Ahab to go sit down and eat. Why do that? The challenge on the mountain top was over, this prayer is just a preliminary before the rain comes. Ahab could have gone home. But I believe Elijah’s prayer was also meant as a witness to the King of Israel. I believe when Elijah prayed, Ahab was just a few yards away. I believe that as Ahab sat and ate, he could see Elijah and he watched as Elijah prayed. And he watched as Elijah sent his servant. And he watched as Elijah repeatedly bowed in prayer. And when Elijah gets the news of the cloud in the distance Elijah first tells Ahab to hitch up his chariot and get out of there . I believe, Elijah’s prayer was partly to serve as a “witness” to Ahab. Otherwise, why should Ahab hang around?

The purpose of the drought, the confrontation on Mt. Carmel, and now the purpose of this prayer was to change the hearts of the people… and to change the heart of Ahab. As wicked and evil as King Ahab had been – God still cared for his salvation. II Peter 3:9 says, "(God) is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." One of the ways you can use your Prayer Journal for a witness is to share it with your unsaved friends. Tell then and show them how God has answered your prayers. Tell them of God’s faithfulness that has been seen in Him answering them. Use your Prayer Journal for a witness for Christ.

In closing a man once said, “To become more effective in our praying, we need to remember: It is not the arithmetic of our prayers, how many they are; nor the rhetoric of our prayers, how eloquent they be; nor the geometry of our prayers, how long they be; nor the music of our prayers, how sweet our voice may be; nor the method of our prayers, how orderly they may be; nor even the theology of our prayers, how good the doctrine may be - which God cares for. It’s the fervency of our prayers. It’s the constant faithfulness in prayer that wins the day and unleashes the power of God.”

SERIES: BUILDING THE CHURCH

Part Five: “Walking Across The Street”

Luke 5:27-32

Want I want to talk about today is one of the most important messages that all of us need to hear. It has to do with sharing your faith with people you love or for that matter that you don’t love. In a survey that was taken of 300,000 church goers, ¾ of them came to church the 1st time because someone invited them. And fewer than 3% of unchurched people will ever just walk into a church building. And 54% of church goers invited no one to come with them to church. More than anything else, you have got to understand that if we don’t do this………….then we have failed at the mission that God has given for us to do. And for many…… ……including many of us here today, we do fail…..because we fail to walk across the street to others to share with them about Jesus Christ.

Leonardo da Vinci was once at work for a long period of time on a great masterpiece. He had labored long to create this work of art and it was near completion. Standing near him was a young student who spent much of his time with his mouth open, amazed at the master with the brush. Just before finishing the painting, da Vinci turned to the young student and gave him the brush saying "Now, you finish it." The student protested and backed away, but da Vinci said, "Will not what I have done inspire you to do your best?"

In the Gospel of John we find the story of Andrew. Andres was one of the followers of John the Baptist, and one day John saw Jesus, pointed Him out to Andrew and another man “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” And Andrew took John seriously. He left John and began to follow Jesus. And the very first thing Andrew did after meeting with Jesus was – he went and brought his brother Peter. Why? Because he knew that Jesus was the Lamb of God that everyone had been waiting for and that He was the promised Messiah. He knew that Jesus was the one sent by God to change the lives of His people and Andrew loved his brother too much to have him miss out on that. And that’s when Peter, the rock, decided to follow Jesus. My friends, church is not a religious exercise, something we do simply because we call ourselves Christians. We have got to understand the significance of what we are in.

There’s another story in the Gospel of Luke 5 about a tax collector named Levi who decided to follow Jesus. Levi is Matthew who was the author of the Gosple of Matthew. Listen……”After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Church tradition has it that he spent about 15 years in the Holy Land after Christ’s resurrection - working with the early church in Jerusalem. After which he went to Persia and perhaps Ethiopia, and it’s said he suffered martyrdom by being slain with a sword. Now, whereas Andrew and Peter had fairly respectable jobs as fishermen, Matthew was the only man whose job was absolutely despised by everyone. He was a tax-collector.

The Gospels reflect the low esteem Tax collectors were held by twice comparing them to prostitutes, and eight times referring to sinners - and then saying that tax collectors were a separate special classification of a sinner.

These men were regarded as traitors to Israel because they collected taxes for the hated Romans. And not only were they seen as traitors, but also as thieves, because Rome only required a fixed sum but allowed the tax collectors the right to charge people any amount above that sum for their own pay… and sometimes they would charge exorbitant amounts. The people had to pay whatever the tax collectors demanded because these were the representatives of Rome. Matthew was the only one of the 12 disciples who had this despised occupation.

Now along comes Jesus - walking down the road - and he stops right in front of Matthew’s table. And He says nothing more than: “Follow me.” Matthew jumps right up, closes shop and leaves everything to follow Jesus. In fact, he gets so excited about following Christ, that he holds a meal and invites all his friends (he ain’t got many)… to come and meet this Jesus. That’s the story - now what can we learn from it for us to be able to walk across the street to people we know?

First: Jesus Went Looking For Matthew

Jesus only had 12 disciples… close followers that would eventually become His apostles. These were men who were shepherds and primary builders of His early church. And here Jesus hand-picks Matthew to be one of those followers. A lot of people wouldn’t have picked Matthew. There are some congregations who only want ‘respectable’ folk coming to their church. In fact the Pharisees saw Jesus eating with Matthew and his friends and they were offended that a supposed rabbi would stoop so low. But folks like Matthew we’re the people Jesus looked for. Not the folks who felt they were better than others, but those who were sick inside and who wanted to change their lives. One man told about when he was a teenager, there was this very tough girl in town; a biker-type female who wore leather, swore like a sailor, loved to instigate fights, drink, do drugs, and generally, just scare off people with her frightening behavior. “Admittedly, I was afraid of her because she had harassed and assaulted a friend of mine, and I had heard the stories of how she had threatened this guy, or hit that girl. “Several years later, I met this same young woman in a restaurant I was working at. She looked so different, I didn’t immediately recognize her. It turns out she had become a Christian and said it had made a wonderful change in her life.

My mistake was that I wrongly assumed she could never be interested in spiritual matters. I never made that mistake again. I should have known better; understood that with God, all things are possible! That rough, profane, dangerous biker woman eventually came to a point in her life when she was ready to change. And Jesus looked for Matthew… because He knew Matthew was ready to change.

Second: There Are People Out There That We Just Don’t Think Are Interested….So We Don’t Invite Them.

Lee Strobel, a former Athiest, who became a Christian about 14 years ago wrote a book where he described the Top Ten Beliefs of someone he called “Chesterfield Charlie.”

10. Charlie has rejected church, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he has rejected God.

9. Charlie is morally adrift, but he secretly wants an anchor.

8. Charlie doesn’t understand Christianity, but he’s also ignorant about what he claims

to believe in.

7. Charlie doesn’t just ask, "Is Christianity true?" Often, he’s asking: "Does

Christianity work and how can I experience it?"

6. Charlie is no longer loyal to denominations, but he is attracted to places where his

needs will be met.

5. Charlie isn’t much of a joiner, but he’s hungry for a cause he can connect with.

4. Even if Charlie’s not spiritually sensitive, he wants his children to get quality moral

training.

3. Charlie is proud that he’s tolerant of different faiths, but he thinks Christians are

narrow minded.

2. There’s a good chance Charlie would try church if a friend invited him.

1. Charlie doesn’t want to be somebody’s project, but he would like to be somebody’s

friend.

In other words some of those folks that you may have written off a long time ago may be ready to be invited now. Dr. Walt Larimore of Focus on the Family Magazine wrote: Studies show that between nine and 26 significant relationships are involved in each person who makes a choice for Christ. Nobody can be all 25, but how could I be a significant one? What’s he’s saying is – people often become Christians because they’ve interacted with as few as 9 people and as many as 26. the If you invite someone to church- you might be 1st person to introduce someone to Jesus, or you might be the 26th … and you’ll get the privilege of seeing them come to Christ.

Third Thing As We Walk Across The Street Is That Every New Person We Bring To Christ Has Friends

Matthew had friends… not many… but the ones he did have he wanted to share his new found faith with. The problem for many Christians is that – once you’ve been in the church so long everybody you know is a church goer. So… sometimes it’s worthwhile for us to be a little creative when it comes to reaching others.

Joyce Gleave, an art teacher from Mustang, Oklahoma, had a burden for the spiritual welfare of the 600 students she taught in the public school. So while on a trip to the Holy Land, she purchased 600 tiny wooden crosses. But when she discovered that she would not be allowed to give the crosses to her students in the class room, her witnessing opportunity seemed doomed. Instead of giving up, Joyce embarked on an ambitious project. Armed with her crosses and gospel tracts, she visited every one of her students in their homes - all 600 of them! “Many parents were moved to tears that I cared for their child," she said of her visits.

That’s what it takes my friends. We need to get more creative in how we reach out to others. The whole idea is to meet people where they are. J.K. Johnston said “Christ met unbelievers where they were. He realized what many Christians today still don’t seem to understand. Cultivators have to get out in the field. • According to one count, the gospels record 132 contacts that Jesus had with people. Six were in the Temple; four in the synagogues and 122 were out with the people in the mainstream of life.

From Newsweek article on Religion and Street Gangs a Pentecostal preacher by the name of Rivers moved into a gang neighborhood, and he sought out a local drug dealer... and that drug dealer gave Rivers a lesson in why God was losing to gangs in the battle for the souls of inner city kids. "The drug dealer explained, ’I’m there when Johnny goes out for a loaf of bread for Mama. I’m there, you’re not. I win, you lose. It’s all about being there.”

Lastly: Jesus Didn’t Have To Say Much

All He had to say was “follow me”. Kind of like us saying “I’d like to invite you to worship with me.” But what’s so novel about this exchange between Jesus and Matthew is Matthew responds immediately. He packs up his goods, and leaves everything to follow Jesus. How come? Well, Jesus did have the advantage of being God, but He has also told us that the same thing can work for us as well in John 16:7-8 “But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” You see - a lot of people believe that they need to “talk” others into becoming Christians. Now, granted we should be able to give an answer to anyone who asks us why we believe, but that’s called “witnessing”.

In a court room there’s a witness stand. Does the judge sit in the witness stand? Does the Prosecutor sit in the witness stand? Does the jury sit in the witness stand? Of course not! God didn’t call us to be the judge or the jury or the prosecutor. We don’t have to CONVICT anyone about God. That’s the Spirit’s job. It’s the Holy Spirit’s responsibility to get right inside of the person and convince them that they have sinned and that they need to be made righteous because there is coming a time when judgment will come. When Jesus approached Matthew… the Spirit had already been doing His thing. Thus, when Jesus said “Follow Me” – Matthew was primed and ready.

In Conclusion

Now, of course, the Scribes and Pharisees didn’t like that. In their mind, the only folks who were going to get into heaven were the ones who didn’t sin all that bad, who were already self righteous, and who were quite content to pass judgment on others. But when Jesus came, He came to save those who had sinned a lot. Who could understand they weren’t righteous and who felt the weight of God’s punishment. Those are the only kinds of people that are going to get into heaven. And because Matthew was so convicted of his sin… he held a great banquet. And when Jesus talked about going to heaven He told the parable of the great wedding banquet:

Matthew 22:2-10

"The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. "Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ "But they paid no attention and went off— one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. "Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.”