"Mission: It's About Others"
Sunday, May 6, 2012
1 Corinthians 1:25-31

Introduction: EX. When I was a kid, I would play baseball by myself in my back yard. Sometimes I would be the pitcher, and sometimes I would be the batter. Inevitably, I would put myself in that difficult situation…you know, if I was the pitcher there would be bases loaded, 2 outs, full count, my team ahead by one. I needed to throw a strike. I would wind up, throw the pitch: strike three! OR, if I was the batter it would be the bottom of the ninth, down by one, runners on second and third, and I had a full count on me! The pitch would come, and I would get the hit to win the game! Isn’t it interesting how when we were kids, in our fantasies, we never failed? We are always strong, and smart, and successful. It’s never….and he swings, and he misses, and he strikes out, and loses the game.

When we get older we realize that we aren’t always strong, or smart. We don’t always win the game. In fact, we often feel weak, and bumbling, and look at only our failures. And so when it comes to living our lives, we go through these periods where we don’t feel too great about ourselves; where we don’t think we have that much to offer.

            This morning I have good news for you and me… God can actually use us all the more when we are in this condition. The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:10- “For Christ’s sake, … when I am weak, then I am strong.” For many of you, this might be a change of perspective. But the Christian life is really a change of perspective. There is nothing about God’s word that is really conventional. God loves sinners, seeks out the outcast, includes the excluded. This is a different perspective on life than what the world around us tells us. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:43-44, “You have heard that it was said, ‘you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’”

            That is not conventional wisdom. People thought Jesus was foolish and weak, and according to the ways of the world, His teaching, His life, and His death were foolishness. But as we just read in 1 Corinthians 1:25, “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.”/  So let us look at how we can become a people of God and a church that lets God turn our weaknesses into His strength.

I.                   Leadership- (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Change is part of life. And so therefore change is part of church life. The

churches that succeed from generation to generation are the churches that learn to embrace change; that make friends with change. Change needs to occur because the environment, the people, the community is constantly changing. I don’t think any of us would deny that this community has changed significantly in the last 20-30 years. And as a people of God called to care for others around us, we need to be changing. And yet, it is important to understand that this change must be worked into the fabric and identity of the church. Change must also be managed, starting with the leadership of the church.

a.      Pastoral- We live in a time where Americans are often suspicious of

authority and hierarchy. In fact, there are many bumper stickers that say: “Question Authority.”/  Americans do not like to be told what to do. The good in this is that it has created our democratic society. The bad in this is that when authority is radically questioned and resisted, it is impossible for communities to move ahead.

            So, when we look at the church, we need to understand that it is the “body of Christ,” of which “Christ is the head.” The leadership of the church is to be there to serve the will of God first and foremost over the will of the people. Under this section of “Leadership,” let’s first look at the office of pastor, and then look at the church officers and other “leaders.”

            The office of pastor has been established by God to serve God’s purposes. We are told in Ephesians 4:11-13, “The gifts God gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry; for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”

            To be a pastor and teacher in the body of Christ is an awesome responsibility and a high privilege. I have to be honest with you, sometimes I feel overwhelmed and humbled by this responsibility and call. Without your help, encouragement, prayers, and belief in what I am trying to bring to you, I would be lost in many ways. But the pastor is also called by the congregation for the education, training, and experience that he or she possesses. And in this biblical and theological training, in this grounding, the pastor protects the congregation from getting caught up in the following of other “gods.”

            Part of my responsibility and privilege as pastor is to “wrestle with God” until I receive God’s vision and mission for the church. This wrestling includes prayer, Bible study, learning the needs and the make-up of the church, and learning the social and cultural setting of the community.

So the crucial first step of managing change, and having a heart for others, is to personally know the vision of God for our church, and having confidence in my understanding of what God has called us as a church to do in this time and place. In my times of wrestling, I have many moments where I start to see more clearly what God has placed before us.

            When I first arrived at this church in 1999, the session and I worked

together to put together a mission statement that we believed spelled out in general terms what God was calling us to do. You can find this statement on the back of the bulletin. It says, “The mission of this church is to bring people to know Jesus Christ, to help one another grow in faith, to be committed and responsible members, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to share God’s love beyond the church.”

            If you were to summarize this, it is basically saying that we need to “know Jesus, grow in faith, and tell others about Jesus.”

b.      Church- But it is not enough for just me to have a sense of God’s mission.

It is important for the leaders of our church to believe in this mission and live and lead like they believe. When the nominating committee meets every year, we try to seek out people who we believe are committed to this church, but even more who have a heart to do what God calls us to do. At every Session meeting and Deacons meeting we start the meeting with this mission statement so that we are reminded of the purpose for which God calls us.

            The goal here is to include the officers of the church in the Mission of the church, and allow them to be a part of setting the specific goals to help carry out this Mission. Why? Because God does not give the vision of the church to just the pastor, but to those who are following God and are called to serve the Lord with “enthusiasm, energy, and creativity.”

            None of us is wise enough alone to comprehend fully the length and breadth, the height and depth of God’s will for the church in the world. There is a confidence when the leaders God lifts up join together and share their collective wisdom. Through this there is a wonderful working together in ministry! We are called to support each other, and encourage each other, and live out the mission together!

            We need to all work together: pastor, leaders, and congregation. God will lead us into change, and we need to manage this change together. This change will be related to the programs of the church, the worship, the budget, and on and on it goes. You can see that it takes everybody working together, getting excited together, and caring for the needs of others together.

Story: “The Pharmacist and his brother,” (e-mailed story)- There is a story of a little girl named Tess, whose brother was very sick. She heard her parents talking about how he needed a miracle if he was going to live. So she got all of her money and went to see the local pharmacist, hoping she could buy a miracle. It just so happened that the pharmacists brother was there with him as Tess spoke about buying a miracle. The pharmacist informed the girl that they didn’t sell miracles there. The brother, however, was interested in her story, and so he asked Tess: “How much money did you bring for this miracle.” She answered: “One dollar and eleven cents. It’s all the money that I have.” The pharmacists brother asked: “What is wrong with your brother?” Tess told him that her bother had something bad growing inside his head, and her parents had said that only a miracle could save him.” The pharmacists brother then told her: “It just so happens that a miracle today only costs $1.11. Why don’t you take me to see your brother.” The pharmacists brother happened to be Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon who specialized in neuro-surgery. After seeing the Tess’ brother, he was able to perform the surgery and save the boys life! All because of a girl who believed in miracles.

       When you are part of the Mission to care about others, you will see miracles happen!

II.                Communication- (1 John 4:18)

a.      Ministry information and needs- Now as difficult as change can

be, it is even more difficult if people don’t know what is going on or why it is going on. That is why it is important to listen to God, and communicate together what we feel God is calling us to do. Without communication, there is often fear of what is happening. But the Bible tells us in 1 John 4:18- “There is no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear.”/  If we can understand that what we are doing is because God loves us, and God loves others, and the church is the place where God shares His love, and calls us to pass it on to others, then we will go forth in the change God calls us to make, and it will be easier to bear.

            It is important to communicate changes, new ideas, plans for the future, and upcoming actions. This can happen through word of mouth, congregation meetings, the Caller, announcements, and so on.

            The primary way we communicate is through the Caller and weekly announcements. In the Caller we try to have articles that highlight the different programs, as well as Session highlights that let people know of the important decisions the Session has approved. There is also the calendar page as well as flyer inserts. Then we try to continue to highlight important events and upcoming events in the weekly announcements. Sometimes it may even take the form of a Minute for Mission.             A second way that communication happens is by the leaders and staff themselves passing the information on to those to whom they regularly see. In these conversations the leaders themselves can share about the happenings of the church and the important future events that are being talked about and planned.      A third way is through congregation meetings, where we talk about the life of the church, the budget, and the overall mission. This is also a time where questions can be raised.

b.       Budget information and needs- Example: “Boiling it down to

the essence,”  p. 370, #10, Illus Unlimited. There is a story of an American textile buyer who was giving a little speech at a luncheon in Seoul, Korea. He would talk a little, and then the translator would translate. He closed his talk with a funny little anecdote, to which the translator translated it in just a few words. The crowd broke into laughter and applause. Later, the textile buyer commented to the translator: “I think it was wonderful the way they appreciated my joke. I was amazed at how you could translate it into Korean in such a few words!” The translator replied: “Not at all. I merely said, ‘Man with big checkbook has told funny story. Do what you think is appropriate.’”

Money is an amazing thing.  Those who have it feel blessed; those who don’t have it are struggling.  It is true for the church as well.  When the church doesn’t have money, it struggles.  It struggles to pay its bills; it struggles to carry out its programs; it struggles to come up with new programs.  God has continually blessed our church by helping us to meet our budget most every year. But in the past 2 years we have not met budget. Yet, by God’s faithfulness we are able to still have money to carry out the mission that God places before us.

I know that people don’t like to come to church and hear about money, but money is one of the big resources that is needed to live out the mission of God. Jesus talked regularly about releasing money’s hold on us by learning to give it away. As a church we try to be faithful with creating a budget that is realistic, but that still stretches us in faith. We need to all be prayerful in deciding how much to give.

Conclusion:  Whether it is being involved in the leadership, or being involved in the grass roots of ministry, or being involved in the giving of money - we all have a part to play in God’s kingdom, and in the work of the church.  You don’t have to feel like you are the most gifted; you don’t have to feel like you have it all together; you don’t have to have tons of money.  What is important is that we have the under-standing that it’s about others, and not about ourselves.  Meaning that God desires to use us in spite of ourselves; to use us to touch the lives of others.  As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:27 – “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.”  We who are weak, we who feel foolish, in Christ become strong, and wise, and powerful.  When you care about others, you will see miracles happen.  Let us join together to fulfill God’s mission for us, today and always.  Amen.