(Disclaimer: the audio quality this week is not as good, due to an echo in the room where it was recorded. Sorry.)
What is the core identity of the Church? As Christians, we are called to be holy as God is holy, but what does it mean to be holy? How can we achieve this identity as a group? Part 5 in a series answering the question “what is the Church?”
(Part 5 of “What is the Church.” This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on September 28, 2014.)
Temple language is used throughout the Old and New Testaments. What does it mean for the church? In what ways are we like that most famous of Jewish structures? Part 4 in a series answering the question “what is the church?”
(Part 4 of “What is the Church.” This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on September 21, 2014.)
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul describes the Lord’s people as a body. In it, he subtly rebukes those who would put someone down for not being good at everything, while openly celebrating the diversity of talents within the Lord’s church.
No one can do the entire work of the church, but everyone can contribute something. Here are five questions that I hope will help you find a place in the Lord’s kingdom. There is plenty of work to go around, isn’t there?
1. What am I good at?
Nobody is bad at everything. Everyone is good at something. Everyone has some talents, some things that they are naturally better at than other people. If you think you don’t have any talents, it is probably just because you haven’t found them yet. You need to try some new things. If you have only ever tried to one thing in God’s service, then you don’t have any idea what your talents are: you need to branch out and try something different! Only by trying a multitude of tasks can you discover what you more naturally good at.
2. What am I capable of?
The difference between what we are good at and what we are capable of is subtle, yet profound! We are able to do many things that we are not naturally good at. You may not be naturally gifted at throwing a football (or any athletic endeavor) but through hard work and training, you can learn to throw a spiral. Talent merely decreases the amount of energy or effort required to be good at something. There are way more things you are able to do than things you are naturally good at; how much effort are you willing to invest?
3. What are my fellow Christians doing?
Don’t ask this so that you can compare yourself to others, but so that you can find ways to help others! How can I make the work of others easier, or more effective? We want to help our fellow Christians, but that requires knowing what those fellow Christians are doing! Our encouragement and support will be much more effective if it is specific and targeted. Does someone need money? Time? Another set of hands? You can only answer that by inquiring about the labor of others in the kingdom!
4. What can I contribute that others cannot?
I am not just talking about money; maybe you have more time, or more energy. Maybe you have a skill that others lack. At the very least, you are able to influence a range of people that no one else can. You have a sphere of social influence unique to you. Maybe there is some person that you are uniquely suited to reach. Again, don’t ask the question so that you can see how much better or worse you are than others, but so that you can find the areas where work needs to be done. If you have already answered #3, answering this question will be much easier.
5. Can I be doing more?
I don’t know your life circumstance, but generally the answer to this question will be YES! Too often our default mode is to do the least amount possible. To find the easiest way out, the path of least resistance. But God did not give you His leftovers, He gave you His best. We can always improve, and we can always do more. There will always be work in the Kingdom, and it is the best work there is.
What does Paul mean when he compares the Church to a body? What is your role in the Church, and how can you find it? How can we grow as a group into a healthy church body?
(Part 3 in the series “What is the Church?” This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on September 14, 2015.)
Part 2 in a series about the identity of the Church. What is the significance of a name? What is the difference between a name and an identity? What names are used in scripture?
(Part 2 of “What is the Church.” This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on September 7, 2014.)
What analogies are used in scripture? What can they tell us about who we should be as a group of Christ’s followers?
(Part 1 of “What is the Church.” This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on September 7, 2014.)
Is all worship acceptable to God? How can we know? Does it even matter?
(This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on August 31, 2014.)
What is worship, really? What qualities can or should it possess? How should it make us feel?
(This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on August 24, 2014.)
Why should Christians worship? Does it even matter? What does our worship say about us?
(This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on August 17, 2014.)
I’ll begin with this: I am not a parent.
But I have been (still am) a child, and I hope to be a parent someday. As a former (current) child, and hopeful future parent, there is a discussion that I think we need to have in the Church.
I’ve been asked, recently and repeatedly, what can we do to get young people in the Church? It is a good and important question, the answer to which is both varied and complex. But there is one very easy way to get young people to attend Bible class, worship, and activities.
Make them.
Now, of course, only the parents of said young people can do this, and really, not only could parents do this, they should do this. At a preacher’s meeting, attended by 8 or 9 preachers ranging from the very experienced to the young and new, the question was raised: are young people and their parents taking elderships hostage? That is, they tell the elders of the Church that they will leave if the Church doesn’t provide this activity, or make worship more entertaining, or provide this fun thing for their children. When elderships can’t or won’t comply, the young families leave. It would be one thing if they left and went to another New Testament Church, but these families often leave and go to a denomination, or cease going anywhere. These older preachers have seen it time and time again.
What is that about? As parents, is the happiness or pleasure of their kids more important than their salvation? Would they rather their kids have fun than worship God? Can they not make their kids attend worship, even if they don’t think it is “fun?”
There are so many facets to this discussion, and I can’t hope to address them all here. The most common response to this that I have heard is that if the parents force their kids to assemble with the saints, their kids will grow up to hate the Church. But that is ridiculous. Parents make kids do things they don’t like all the time. All the time. Eat your vegetables, go to bed at a reasonable hour, do your homework. These are things that kids and teenagers don’t want to do, but should and need to do. And guess what, at a certain point the kids and teenagers realize the necessity of such things, and even find enjoyment in such things. I didn’t want to eat broccoli as a child, but now I like broccoli. Sure, maybe your kids think worship is boring, but so what? Is it important? Is it necessary? Is it valuable? Are you the parent or not?
Can worship and Bible class be boring? Sure, I guess. But the failures of the Bible class teacher should not prevent you from studying the Bible with your fellow Christians. The lack of enthusiasm in the worship should not prevent you from giving your best to God. Maybe these are opportunities for you, as a parent, to set an example for your children about what is important. An opportunity for you to demonstrate that it is the job of each individual Christian to make these things better.
How many times do parents warp their schedules to make sure their kids can attend sports practice, or theater, or activities of various sorts? And yet we can’t make sure they are at worship? Even on a Wednesday, is football practice more important than studying the Bible with your fellow Christians? Than submitting to the eldership that watches out for your soul in part by providing assembled worship opportunities? We want so much for our kids to be involved in all sorts of activities, but we don’t want them to learn about God?
I don’t thank my parents often enough for the way they raised me. Growing up, worship was not optional. I could not get out of it, no matter how much I complained or argued. It wasn’t that I couldn’t do things or have fun; I was allowed to involve myself in any activity I wanted, like soccer or football or academic clubs, with the understanding that when the doors of the Church were open, I would be there. Again, this was not optional. For as long as they were paying for my food, clothing, shelter, etc., they expected me to be at Church. If I wasn’t, then there were consequences. Simple. Like any other thing parents train their kids to do. I know for a fact that my wife’s parents took the same approach.
And guess what? We don’t hate the Church. This, like brushing our teeth and eating our vegetables, grew into an understanding of why it was necessary. It taught us the importance of putting God first. It taught us an important Biblical principle, that I wouldn’t come to understand until I grew up enough:
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10
Watts in the Word 