The 3 C’s of a Healthy Church - The Sermon Begins in the Parking Lot
Colossians 3:17 (p. 822) January 8, 2017
Introduction:
FUNNY PARKING LOT VIDEO (2 Minutes)
Andy Stanley, the lead minister from Northpoint Community Church has a famous quote - “The sermon begins in the parking lot.”
And He is right because words will always be heard in the context of actions…Christians, and those who alarm to be will always be the first sermon people see, hear, and experience.
That’s exactly what the Apostle Paul is reminding us in Colossians 3:17:
“Whatever you do…whether it’s with your conversation…or whether it’s with your actions…do it all for Jesus…do it with a thankful heart to God.”
Because our first responsibility isn’t to get the cars parked, or bulletin handed out, or get to our class.
Our first responsibility is Jesus…our words and actions exhibit thankfulness and that’s the primary goal… “Whatever we do, whatever we say.”
Most people who visit churches or take the risk to do something out of their zone for themselves and their families will be impacted for good or bad….waaay before the preacher gets up to speak.
And whether we like it or not that first bite of the sandwich will determine if we really want to take a second bite.
[If you show up at a restaurant and the valet grabs your keys with a snarl and the
maitre d doesn’t acknowledge you because they’re too busy talking about last week with the hostess, and says “Just sit over there…I’ll be with you when I’m free.” And the waiter ignores you. It could be the greatest meal ever…but you’ll never ever be back. In fact you might not even stick around to find out…because your assumption is…if the food’s as bad as the people serving me…I don’t want anything to do with it.]
The good news of Jesus Christ will always be experienced in the context of the people who serve it up.
Because of this truth:
I. WHATEVER IS AN IMPORTANT CHALLENGE
When it comes to connecting people to Jesus every single one of us is responsible…and that introduction starts in the parking lot…in Kroger…at Walmart…or the bank.
You see we don’t know when the whatever will be witnessed by someone with a need. Whatever and Whenever seem to go together…and that’s a little scary.
Jon Weece in his book Jesus Prom shares this story:
Several years ago I was in a department store with my family doing some last-minute Christmas shopping. My son, Silas, who was four years old at the time, said, “Dad, I really need to go to the bathroom.” Emphasis on the word really. I had no idea where the bathroom was located, so I asked a clerk, who graciously pointed me in the right direction. The tricky part was that Silas and I had to walk through the lingerie section to get there.
I walked with my head down-doing my best not to make eye contact with anyone or anything in the area - when out of the blue Silas shouted, “Dad, look!” Now that’s a dangerous thing to say in the lingerie section. Before I could stop him, he dashed and darted through racks of unmentionables to a table where he grabbed a bra and started jumping up and down.
“Dad,” he said, “on Tom and Jerry they use this as a parachute!”
If that wasn’t enough, he climbed atop the display and put it to the test. Bra above his head, he jumped.
Naturally, all the women in the area laughed!
It’s alway funny when it’s not your kid.
As I scooped him up in my arms, I heard a lady behind me say, “Hey, aren’t you the preacher at Southland Christian Church?”
I spun around and said, “No, ma’am. I work at the local prison, and this little guy is one our escaped convicts!”
You just never know whose watching and when “whatever” can happen.
You see our God is a God that winks at us occasionally so we can see Him working…Sometimes we are the connection He winks at others through.
[As I was writing this message my youngest daughter Karissa called and said, “What are you doing? I was swamped so I answered, “Layin’ on the beach with a cold Ale 8 One…Why? She said, “God just winked at me…she explained that she had taken Peyton, her son, to the dentist…and she didn’t get paid until the next day…She had 86 bucks in her account and some cash in her wallet…she wasn’t sure what she would do if the dentist was over a hundred bucks…and she had to get gas too…and the dentist had to do some extra things…some caps as well as the other work…she hoped she could get them to bill her cause she knew it would be way over 100 bucks…as she started to walk to the counter the dentist said, “Merry Christmas…it’s on the house.]
Karissa left with thanksgiving to God because of this gift.
Don’t we want people to leave our presence feeling that same gift? I believe that’s really how people who came genuinely into Jesus’ presence left.
When people show up to church…especially those who aren’t part of the regular crowd they’re careful…maybe even a little protective of their feelings…this is new to them…this is a little intimidating if you don’t know where to go…what to do…It might be comfortable to those of us who know the words…see familiar faces…and can find any classroom…but that’s not the case for those searching for Jesus and His power for the first time.
So, here’s the truth…if you come to church and you don’t serve others…If you aren’t thinking about whatever you do and whatever you say connecting hurting people with Jesus and others…you’re just a visitor…and you always will be just part of the crowd.
One of my favorite stories in the New Testament involves a woman who was hurting and had been hurting for over a decade. She’d run out of resources to try and fix the problems she had on her own…she is desperate…and needs a connection with Jesus…and she is surrounded by people who could care less…and really don’t even notice her…Listen to how God’s Word tells it:
MARK 5:25-34 (p. 702)
Lots of people crowd around Jesus as fans but within every single one of those crowds is a person who needs healing…a person who needs to touch Jesus and receive His power.
May God help us never forget our job isn’t to hinder people getting to Him, but to help people of faith find Him. “Whatever” it takes….with word and action.
Let me end with this challenge:
II. IF WORDS DON’T BECOME ACTIONS THEY’RE MEANINGLESS
I’ve encountered and ministered to a lot of abused people in my life…Individuals who have horrible self esteem and view themselves as unworthy of love…and most of the time it’s been because someone has told them they love them, told them they’re special, and then abused them…hit them…cheated on them again and again and again…only to say, “I’m so sorry…I really do love you.” And because many times they are afraid to be alone, or believe no one else will have them…they believe the lie.
But there are many who profess Christ…say they are Christians…say that they love Jesus…but continue to treat others terribly…sometimes with how they speak to them or about them…and also with their actions.
If you are a non-believing family member or co-worker or neighbor, I promise you, you’ll want nothing to do with this brand of Christianity.
Please understand, I’m not saying that perfection is possible for any of us as Christians…We will all blow it…We will all lose it at times…We all will sin, and sometimes people will witness it.
That’s why 1 John 1:9 is so beautiful…so reassuring… “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and will forgive us of our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
I’m talking about the sin that is continuous…I’m talking about the continuous selfish, critical, hurtful person who never repents and changes…Every time you leave their presence you fell judged, angry and hurt. This isn’t a whatever you say or do…say and do it for Jesus person.
Rich Mullins in the Ragamuffin Gospel says:
“It never fails, God will put people in your path that irritate you, especially if you’re prone to be irritated.”
He then goes on to say:
“I am a Christian because I have seen the love of God lived out in the lives of people who know Him. The Word has become flesh and I have encountered God in the people who have manifested (in many “unreasonable” ways) His Presence; a Presence that is more than convincing - it is a Presence that is compelling. I am a Christian, not because someone explained the nuts and bolts of Christianity to me, but because there were people who were willing to be nuts and bolts, who through their explanation of it, held it together so that I could experience it and be compelled by it to obey.”
- Rich Mullins, The World as I Remember It: Through the Eyes of a Ragamuffin
[The Holy Spirit convicted me of my sin. Only He can do that in a way powerful enough to make me grieve because of it and make me want to be forgiven and to be different.
But at the same time this was happening within my soul, people connected me to Jesus. It was people who showed me His grace, His love, His hope. It was people like Brewster, Becky and others who became the nuts and bolts that held me to the Church. They also taught me to become the nuts and bolts for others.
You see we never know when God will wink…we never know how God is working in anyone’s life who steps into our parking lot…Where the sermon begins.
Let’s pray.
