We Exist For Him and Them
1 Corinthians 14:22-25
I think that we need to talk about some stuff tonight that we really can’t comfortably talk about on Sunday mornings. It’s family business stuff, and when you have guests over to your house, you don’t talk about family issues. You try to keep things comfortable. And maybe you’ve been out with people or over to their house when a family issue came up. It made you really ready for the evening to end. It isn’t polite to talk about family issues when you have company. And since we have a bigger opportunity for company on Sunday mornings, I didn’t want to address these issues then. We may still have some guests tonight, so if you would do me the honor of being patient with us, I would appreciate it. Even though it’s some family business, I think you’ll see where it’s headed and you’ll be blessed by it.
Now after that introduction the first thing I need to say is, "Relax!" We’re not going to deal with anything really scary. I want to talk about how we respond to outsiders, specifically, outsiders who honor us by visiting with us. I want to invite you to think about why we are here, and as always, I want us to be guided by the Word.
Last Sunday Roger Ezekiel was installed by this church as a Deacon and we talked over lunch about his vision for what he is going to do. He wants to be the Deacon over visitation, and evangelism, and on one hand that is very exciting on the other it is a little scary. I know Roger, and once he starts this work we will be blessed with searchers, and before that really starts we need to talk about it.
The church is often conceived of by its members as a place of rest and peace and help in times of trouble. That is not an unscriptural way of thinking about the church.
Jesus said in Matthew 11, "Come unto me and you shall find rest unto your souls." The church can be that place of rest.
We noticed today that Paul writes in Galatians 6:2 "Carry each other’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ." Without doubt Paul was remembering the very statement of Jesus by using the word "burden."
It is not wrong for us to imagine the church as a place where we may go and a people with whom we may be when we need to have our faith strengthened, our beliefs affirmed, and our ways of understanding reality echoed. It is good to be with people who think like, talk like, and live like we do. In those senses it is appropriate to imagine the church as a place of rest and support. But there are other scriptures which offer other ways of imagining the church.
Look in Matthew 16:17-18 where Jesus commended Peter for his confession that He was the son of God. He said, "Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it."
I have often seen in that statement the picture of a huge fortress into which we all may retreat for safety. But that isn’t what the text says. Jesus pictured the church here, not as a fortress withstanding the attacks of hell, but as a battering ram in the hands of God crashing the very gates of hell to free those imprisoned by the power of Satan! In Jesus metaphor we are not in the fortress, but on the battle field, in the fray, getting splinters in our hands and dirt on our uniforms. Hardly the picture of safety and rest we have often imagined.
In Mark 9:35 Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."
The church is not a place where we get to be the hosts and hostesses. It is not the parlor in the Master’s house. The church is the servant’s quarters. According to this metaphor of Jesus, Christians aren’t issued silk gowns or formal tuxedoes upon their baptism. We are given towels. Not to dry off on, but to take up, drape over their arms, and begin lives of being last, of being servants to the world.
Then in Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
Here, we are seen as a missionary society sent out into all the world. Now we know something about missionaries. We know they don’t live easy lives. We know they don’t enjoy the comfort of familiar surroundings. We know they must learn to speak the language of the land in which they serve. They must learn the customs of the natives. They must live among the people they hope to reach with the good news of Jesus.
Comfort and safety are two things most missionaries must sacrifice in order to fulfill their calling. Words like comfort, safety, rest, and peace are not in the missionary’s vocabulary. They know words like work, sacrifice, danger, and discomfort. I don’t know if anybody told you this or not, but when you were baptized you became a missionary, commissioned to live out the rest of your life in service to others.
The church is described as an army, a team of slaves, and a missionary society. None of those invite us to imagine life in the church as restful or peaceful. All of those metaphors challenge us to activity and sacrifice.
Tonight I’d like to be specific about how some of that may apply here at New Hope. I’d like to do that by talking about an attitude that should characterize our thinking in regard to what it means to be the church today in this place.
Turn with me to Mark 10. It is easy to imagine that the church exists for its members; that this church is designed to feed, lead, and satisfy the wants and needs of our members. Which is exactly what James and John thought about the ministry of Jesus? "We want you to do for us whatever we ask."
To counter that attitude, Jesus asked them if they really knew what they were asking. "Can you drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"
In other words, "Guys, are you sure you want to be that close to me? I’ve got some pretty tough days ahead and if you stand too close you may find yourselves in over your heads."
They still didn’t get the point and confidently affirmed, "We’re ready." When the ten heard that James and John had put a power move on Jesus they were mad; not because James and John misunderstood what it meant to follow Jesus but because they had been first in line. So Jesus had to do some remedial teaching.
Mark 10: 42-44 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.
What they were missing, and what we are missing, is an attitude of service.
The church exists for others. New Hope Church of Christ is not here to serve itself. It is here to serve those who are not members of this church. And we need to be ready to welcome the best prospects of all; those who visit with us on Sunday mornings.
There have been some who have sought us out. They have made the effort to come to our place at the time we set. So how we receive them is of utmost importance.
And this isn’t just some issue Jeremy got worked up over. It’s in the Bible. Look in 1 Corinthians 14:22-25 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.
Did you notice the footnote at vs. 23? Those Paul identifies as "those who do not understand," could also be translated "inquirers." Paul is worried about how the church receives those who are inquiring about the faith when they visit the assemblies. Now notice a couple of things here.
Paul expected guests to come to worship. The Christians in Corinth weren’t hiding out from the Romans. Their assemblies were held publicly where people could walk in off the street.
Second, he expected the church to respond intentionally to the presence of guests. He told them to tone down the tongue speaking and to ratchet up the prophesying. That is, he wanted them to do more explaining and proclaiming so that the guests could hear and understand the Word of God and be touched by it.
In other words, he was reminding the Corinthians that when they came together, they weren’t there just to have their Christian needs met. They were there to serve others. Even in their assemblies, they were to be focused on the needs of others. Specifically, the guests.
We do some things pretty well when it comes to making New Hope a friendly place for guests. We smile and nod our heads at one another, but there is more to offer.
One way we are going to try to make our assemblies friendlier is by installing a projector and screen. Virtually everyone you know gets their information from a screen. We view screens every time we buy groceries. We watch screens for our news and entertainment. We even vote with screens. So when someone who never goes to church walks in here and sees announcements and sermons on a screen, we make a connection with them. They may not even consciously notice it, but they will be aware. As we get more comfortable with the technology, we’ll use it even more. It is the elders plan to use moving images on screens to help communicate the message. It’s just another way of connecting with people who don’t know Christ.
Let me say a word about language here, too. I don’t know if you’ve noticed it or not, but I try not to call the messages I deliver sermons. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the word sermon. It’s a good word. But it carries some baggage. "Don’t preach me a sermon." Who would you rather listen to? Someone who’s going to deliver a sermon? Or someone who has a message for you?
I try to use different versions of the text so that the clearest words are used. You have noticed that I don’t read from the King James Version, because even though I believe that it is the most poetic version we have, and I know that it is the one that most of us were raised on, sometimes it’s not very clear. I would rather a visitor in our midst be in awe of the meaning of God’s words than be in awe of the poetic nature of God’s words.
Finally the Elders are looking for someone to work with our young people. Our teenagers and children here are truly treasures and we need to treat them that way. We have already had one meeting with the parents here and we are already getting resumes from people who would like to come and work with us. It is the Elders and the parent’s prayer that if we offer something for our young people that they will be strengthened in their walk with God.
What I want you to see is that we are constantly trying to find ways to make New Hope a place where guests feel welcomed. But there are some things we must do better. You can only do so much with screens, language, different versions of the Bible, and another minister. Sooner or later, it comes down to people. And that’s where you and I come in. There are few simple things you and I can do to fulfill our calling to exist for others.
First I would like to evoke the three minute drill. Football teams have the two minute drill. We need the three minute drill. The first three minutes after service should be a time when you reach out to a guest. Don’t speak first to your friends, they will meet you out front in the fourth minute -- speak first to a guest. We enjoy great relationships here and we want to celebrate and enjoy them, but they can stand in the way of the mission.
As soon as the final amen is said, look for an unfamiliar face. Walk up and say, "Hi, are you visiting with us today?" Ask their name, where do they live, anything positive. But please don’t start with “Hi welcome to New Hope and yes the preacher is always that long winded.”
Secondly, hang around after services. Talk, laugh, and spend some time with people that you are not related with. We can’t show people that we like one another if we don’t ever talk and spend time with one another.
Finally, here’s another thing you can do; invite people in your circle to come to church with you. I know that makes us uncomfortable but it’s important.
Don’t believe me can you name the top five sermons that changed your life? No. Don’t feel bad neither can I.
But can you name the top five people who changed your life. Of Course.
God uses people to change people. Did you know that if you invite a co-worker to church, 25% of the time they’ll say yes. If you invite a friend or family member, 65% of the time they will say yes. And if you bring a friend with you, then they already know someone at New Hope that puts them way ahead of those guests who walk in not knowing anyone.
It is my desire that everyone here at New Hope is involved in helping the church to grow. You can do that one of two ways. You can have babies or you can invite people. Your choice.
Here’s the bottom line on tonight’s family business. Every time you walk through these doors on a Sunday, you need to say to yourself, "I’m the host, I’m the hostess."
You need to ask yourself, "How would I feel if I were a guest here? What can I do to make this group of people attractive so that guests will see Christ in us and want to get to know him because of us?"
I want to constantly drill into all our minds this idea that we do not exist for ourselves. We exist for others. Bring that with you every Sunday, and you’ll be amazed at what God can do with it.
Folks, the fields are white unto harvest. We just have to remember that we’re the field hands and get busy.
