INTRO.- ILL.- I heard someone say one time that there are two kinds of people: saints and aints. We’re all supposed to be saints in the church but sometimes we act like aints.
ILL.- David Lloyd George (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916-1922) was addressing a meeting in South Wales when the chairman, thinking to be witty at the chancellor’s expense, remarked to the audience that he was a little disappointed in Mr. Lloyd George’s appearance. “I had heard so much about Mr. Lloyd George,” he said, “that I naturally expected to meet a big man in every sense; but, as you can see for yourselves, he is very small in stature.”
Many people might have been upset by such an introduction, but not so Lloyd George. He said, “I am grieved to find that your chairman is disappointed in my size, but this is owing to the way you have here of measuring a man. In North Wales we measure a man from his chin up, but you evidently measure him from his chin down!”
How do you measure a person or perhaps a person’s worth? By his or her physical stature or appearance? That’s the way it is in Hollywood, but not in heaven.
1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
ILL.- The Perfect Church
I think that I shall never see
A Church that’s all it ought to be:
A Church whose members never stray
Beyond the Strait and Narrow Way:
A Church that has no empty pews,
Whose Pastor never has the blues,
A Church whose Deacons always deak,
And none is proud, and all are meek:
Where gossips never peddle lies,
Or make complaints or criticize;
Where all are always sweet and kind,
And all to other’s faults are blind.
Such perfect Churches there may be,
But none of them are known to me.
But still, we’ll work, and pray and plan,
To make our own the best we can.
Even though the church isn’t perfect because there are no perfect people, we do serve a perfect God. And the Lord’s people are important because they belong to God. And we need to have the right attitude toward people in the church.
PROP.- Let’s consider what Paul said about various people in the Lord’s church and how his words apply to us.
1- We must commend some people
2- We must greet all who are in Christ
3- We must watch out for those who cause trouble
I. WE MUST COMMEND SOME PEOPLE
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me.
ILL.- The Duke of Wellington, the British military leader who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, was not an easy man to serve under. He was brilliant, demanding, and not one to shower his subordinates with compliments. Yet even Wellington realized that his methods left something to be desired. In his old age a young lady asked him what, if anything, he would do differently if he had his life to live over again. Wellington thought for a moment, then replied. "I'd give more praise," he said.
I think if we had life to do over again we’d probably give more praise! People die for lack of appreciation. Marriages dissolve or die for lack of praise.
ILL.- Scottish writer, Thomas Carlyle had a very devoted wife who sacrificed everything for his sake, but he never gave her a single expression of appreciation for which her heart yearned. She came to regard herself as the most miserable woman in London and evidently died of heart hunger. After her death, Carlyle, reading her diary, realized the truth. A friend found him at her grave suffering intense remorse and exclaiming, "If I had only known!"
Children never reach their potential in school for lack of praise. Even most adult people never reach their potential in the work field for lack of praise.
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. (a servant in the church)
ILL.- I heard a story one time an old elder in one church who said, “I’ve been an elder in this church over 30 years and not one person has ever said ‘thank you’ or said anything good to me.” HOW SAD IS THAT? We are all guilty of this sin of omission of failing to do good.
Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Galatians 6:9-10 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” This includes speaking good words; words of commendation and appreciation.
II. WE MUST GREET ALL WHO ARE IN CHRIST
3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. 5 Greet also the church that meets at their house.
Greet Priscilla and Aquila. What’s the big deal about this couple? Weren’t they just another married couple in the Lord’s church? Just another couple. No one is “just another.” We’re all important in the eyes of God. Acts 18 tells about their friendship with Paul, how he stayed with them and worked with them. We don’t know how or when they risked their lives for Paul. But that would certainly a true test of friendship in Christ. HAVE YOU EVER PUT YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE FOR SOMEONE ELSE?
Priscilla and Aquila also taught the Jew named Apollos the way of God more adequately. He had preached about Jesus but knew only about John’s baptism and not about Christian baptism. They were kind enough to take him to their home and explain some things more accurately.
Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.
Greet my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. Are we quick to greet people who visit the church?
ILL.- I think it was after my high school class reunion that my wife and I visited a Church in that area. The reason for visiting that particular church is because I had known the preacher for a very long time. We got to the church service a little early so I could visit a few minutes with my preacher friend, which I did. Then my wife and I seated ourselves in the sanctuary, waiting for the worship to start.
The song service was good and they had a greeting time like we do but I was disappointed that only a few people greeted us as visitors and it was obvious that we were visitors because there wasn’t a large crowd. In fact, I only remember two people greeting us.
When we got home I told a brother preacher about not being greeted very well and he said that churches often taken on the personality of the leaders. That could mean the preacher and all the leaders of the church. If they are not friendly in greeting people then more than likely the members won’t be friendly either. We must be quick to greet, speak and encourage all people in the church!
ILL.- I remember when I preaching in a small Iowa church in the early 70's that a family of four visited our small church: a mom and dad and two children. All I know is they never came back and I always wondered why. Was it because we didn’t greet them or make them comfortable or welcome?
III. WE MUST WATCH OUT FOR THOSE WHO CAUSE TROUBLE
17 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.
ILL.- When Clyde R. Hoey was governor of North Carolina (1947-51), he visited the western part of his state and met a country pastor. The usual question about how many members there were in the church brought the response “Fifty.”
When the Governor asked, “How many of them are active?” He said, “They’re all active.” “My,” he remarked, “you must be an unusual preacher to have a 100 percent active membership." “Well” the preacher admitted, “Twenty-five are active for me and twenty-five are active against me.”
If you have a congregation split over anything or anyone you will have division and trouble. And we all need to work toward agreement and accord. We may disagree but we must learn to disagree without disagreeable.
Psalm 133:1 “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!”
Romans 14:19 “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”
Ephesians 4:31-32 “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
17 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.
ILL.- A preacher said: “Going over our church finances I found a receipt from a local paint store signed by someone named Christian. I wasn't aware of anyone buying paint, so I called the store to point out its mistake. ‘I'm sorry," I told the manager, "but there are no Christians here at First Baptist Church.’”
Sometimes there are church members who act like they are not Christian. And some of those are interested only in causing division or trouble in a church.
ILL.- How To Split Your Church
(1) Focus only on your desires.
(2) Listen to every criticism you hear.
(3) Focus on your preacher’s weaknesses, not his strengths. Target his imperfections and shortcomings for constant criticism to undermine morale.
(4) Speak the truth or practice love, but never combine the two.
(5) Store grievances for future use.
(6) Forgive only those who ask you to do so, and only if they deserve it. Placing conditions on your forgiveness is a sure-fire way to kill love between believers.
(7) Hide your own sins behind harsh attitudes. Denounce others for sins you secretly struggle with.
(8) Do whatever you have to do to win. Twist Scripture out of context to justify your views and methods.
(9) Tell others that you are on a mission from God. Avoid accountability and verification to help you dissolve Christian unity. Obviously, these things are just the opposite of what we’ve supposed to do. Doing these things will only cause more disagreement and division in the church.
Proverbs 26:20 “Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.” We must never put more wood on fires in the church. Instead, we must try to put them out and often, the best way is not talking about them.
Stay away from troublemakers and keep from causing more trouble. Be a problem-solver, not a troublemaker.
CONCLUSION----------------------
Galatians 5:13 “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” We have a ministry of love to perform.
In love, we must:
1- We must commend some people
2- We must greet all who are in Christ
3- We must watch out for those who cause trouble
Steve Shepherd, Cape Girardeau, MO
shepherd111@hotmail.com
