SERIES: “THE GROWTH FACTORS”
TEXT: SELECTED
TITLE: “THE MOTIVATION FACTOR”
INTRODUCTION: A. Before we get to the actual message this morning, I want to say some things
concerning last Sunday’s message:
1. I understand that many of your were shocked and disturbed by last Sunday’s
message
--Good! It was intended to do just that
2. However, I need to repeat something that I said last Sunday
--The budget cuts and other disturbing issues are not the problem. They are only
the symptoms of the problem
3. My intention last Sunday was to issue a wake-call that could neither be ignored or
taken lightly
--If you were not here last Sunday, you can listen to it on tape. [Sermon Central viewers, it’s "Making the Right Choice" Deut. 30:11-20]
a. Several years back, I participated in an event with a friend named Billy. We
had to drive for five hours to participate in this event. We took Billy’s car but I
volunteered to drive on the way down. I had an early morning appointment the
next day and was planning on catching a good nap on the way home.
After arriving at our destination, Billy and I did our part in the event and
started to head home. We stopped and got something to eat then set out on the
five-hour-drive back. It didn’t take me long to doze off.
I don’t know how much time passed but I was awakened by the whump-
whump-whump sound that comes when your car is riding the edge of the
highway. I turned a sleepy eye toward Billy in the driver’s seat and he had
dozed off. In my semi-awake state, I thought, “That’s nice. Billy’s taking a nap,
too.” Then my mind cleared and I grabbed the wheel and yelled, “Billy!”
b. If last Sunday’s message got you to see the reality of our situation in a much
clearer way, it did what it was meant to do
--Rev. 3:1-3 – “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘These are the words
of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your
deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up!
Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds
complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have
received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will
come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
4. Also, I AM NOT LEAVING
--It’s going to take much bigger problems than we face here to run me off
B. If the issues I talked about last Sunday are not the problem, then what is our
problem?
1. Somewhere along the line, we’ve lost our motivation
2. By motivation, I mean the reason that First Christian Church, Washington, IN
exists
--Literally, we have lost or become confused about our purpose for being
3. Purpose defines our existence.
a. It’s what we are called by God to be.
b. It’s our true identity.
c. It’s our created intention.
d. It’s who we are.
C. Wrong purposes for which churches exist:
1. Programs
a. Programs are not wrong but they must be seen in their proper perspective
--they are things we do, not who we are.
b. Programs are how we go about fulfilling God’s purpose for us—
c. Programs should be seen as a means to an end, and not as an end in itself.
2. Tradition
a. Traditions are not bad or wrong
--so long as they still meet relevant needs and serve the God-given purposes of
the church
b. Too often, traditions are maintained and preserved just for the sake of the
tradition
3. Personalities
a. It could be the preacher or other staff member. It could be a group of
individuals or one key person whether they serve in an official capacity or not
b. Regardless of the identity or makeup of the personality, they drive the church by
their persuasive voice rather than by God’s voice
--It’s made very clear that nothing should happen without consulting this
personality and that no one should cross this personality
4. Finances
a. Finance-driven churches come in all shapes and sizes. They can be quite wealthy
or what we might consider poverty-stricken.
b. Lack or abundance is not the issue—it is trust in and belief that material
resources should determine ministry direction.
c. These churches let the almighty dollar do the talking rather than Almighty God
D. As we move forward this morning, let’s examine some key issues that will help us
determine where we go from here:
1. Why does the Church exist?
2. What are we to be as a church?
3. What are we to do as a church?
4. How are we to do it?
E. There are five primary Scriptural purposes concerning why the church exists
I. EXALTING GOD: Through Worship
--Matt 22:37 – 38 – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”
A. Worship is one of the fundamental ways in which we grow in our relationship with God
1. Worship is the key that opens the door for us to be in the presence of God
2. Worship is us coming with expectation that we will meet God and it will make a difference in our
lives
B. However, worship is not something that happens one hour a week on Sunday
--As Christians, it something we do every minute of every day in the week
1. Rom. 12:1 – “
2. What we do on Sundays together is a reflection of what we’ve done by ourselves through the week
--What we do on Sundays together prepares us for what we do by ourselves during the week
3. Eugene Peterson: “Worship does not satisfy our hunger for God—it whets our appetite. Our need for
God is not taken care of by engaging in worship—it deepens. It overflows the hour and permeates the
week.”
II. EXPRESSING GOD’S LOVE TO OTHERS: Through Ministry
--Mt. 22:39-40 – “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
A. You might not recognize the name Norma Jean Mortenson. She was wass born in 1926 and as a
young girl she spent much of her childhood in foster homes. In one of those foster homes, when she was
8 years old, she was abused physically and given a nickel and told to tell no one. When Norma Jean
tried to tell her foster mother, her mother spanked her and told her not to say anything about it again
because the man she accused of abusing her was a man who faithfully paid his rent.
As time went on Norma Jean turned into a very pretty girl and people began to take notice. Boys
would whistle at her and she liked it but she wished they’d also know she was a person too, not just a
body. After a period of time Norma Jean went to Hollywood where she changed her name to Marilyn
Monroe. Publicity people told her they were going to turn her into an American sex symbol. It worked.
She became an overnight success. But she still longed to be recognized as a person. She longed to be
loved.
After she became famous, everyone began to hate Marilyn Monroe. She would show up on the set 2
hours late causing people to say she was a prima donna. What they didn’t know was she was in her
dressing room sick at her stomach she was so nervous. She kept asking, “Will someone please notice
I’m a person!”
She went through three marriages pleading for someone to notice her as a person and not just an
object. At the age of 35, on a Saturday night, Marilyn Monroe killed herself. Her maid found her the
next morning on her bed with the telephone dangling off the receiver. Investigators later learned that
she’d called another actor and told him she’d taken enough sleeping pills to kill herself. He told her he
didn’t care. They were the last words she was to hear.
Clare Booth Luce wrote that she thought the dangling telephone was a symbol of Monroe’s life. She
died because she never got through to anyone who understood.
1. There are thousands of people just like Marilyn Monroe all around us just wanting someone to love
them and recognize their importance
2. Jesus’ time on earth was spent mostly in ministry to those who were hurting, sick, depressed, and
misunderstood; those ravaged by the effects of sin
a. The church is called to be His Body here on this earth until He returns
b. Ministering God’s love to others is vitally important to any church
B. Ministry is what the church is called to do for others
1. In doing ministry, we serve not only the needs of others but Jesus Christ Himself
--Mt. 25:4- “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these
brothers of mine, you did for me.”
2. Jeff Anselmi: “Ministry is using whatever God has given me to serve Him and the needs of others.”
C. Mt. 22:40 – “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
1. The remaining three purposes of the church all flow from the first two
2. We focus on them because of our love for God and our love for others
III. EVANGELIZING THE LOST: Through Outreach
--Mt. 28:19-20 – “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
A. Why do churches struggle with growth?
--Is there something wrong with the message or messenger?
1. Too many times, churches that do not attract people wear that as a badge of honor, a testament to
the fact that they do not compromise the Gospel.
--What this scenario really paints a scene of a church that does not care enough for people to reach
out to the lost around them.
2. Sometimes churches do not reach out because they do not really want to grow
--they’re comfortable with the way they are, and they don’t want other people rocking the boat.
3. Sometimes fear holds us back, fear of rejection, fear of being made fun of, fear of not having ALL
of the answers to ALL of the questions.
4. Sometimes false views of evangelism have an effect us.
--God will do it, or we hired someone to do it, someone else will do it.
B. Simply put, we’re called to bring the message of the Gospel – the message of God’s offer of grace and
love – to everyone in the world
--Elton Trueblood, the Quaker scholar, once compared evangelism to fire. Evangelism occurs, he said,
when Christians are so ignited by their contact with Christ that they in turn set other fires. It is easy
to determine when something is aflame. It ignites other material. Any fire that does not spread will
eventually go out. A church without evangelism is a contradiction in terms, just as fire that does not
burn is a contradiction.
IV. EDIFYING THE SAVED: Through Fellowship
--Acts 2:42-47 – “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking
of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were
done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their
possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together
in the temple courts.
They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying
the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
A. Confusion concerning fellowship
1. Some people hear the term “fellowship” and think about the social aspect of fellowship as an end
unto itself.
--They reduce "fellowship" down to a good meal or retreats or even shopping trips
2. Some think of "fellowship" as referring to a warm and affirming "hot tub" kind of religious activity
that calms our frazzled nerves and gives us a bit of rest from the onslaught of everyday life.
3. Others see fellowship as coming together for some kind of church event held in a "fellowship hall".
B. Fellowship can include those things but it means a lot more when used in the New Testament.
1. It’s literal meaning is a “communion” or “sharing” - people participating together in God’s grace
a. Fellowship means that we share something in common
b. We share something by giving to someone who has need or by receiving something we need
2. Fellowship is best pictured in the “one another” passages in the New Testament
--We are called to:
a. Love one another
b. Meet one another’s need
c. Encourage one another
d. Be devoted to one another
e. Serve one another
f. Accept one another
g. Comfort one another
h. Be hospitable to one another
i. And on and on it goes
V. EQUIPPING THE SAINTS FOR SERVICE: Through Discipleship
--Eph. 4:11-13 – “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and
some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ
may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become
mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
A. Being a disciple is more than just being a follower.
--A disciple learns the ways of the teacher and applies that teaching to their life.
B. The story is told about a king who longed for a son. Years passed, and finally God answered his
prayers and a boy was born. The whole kingdom rejoiced. He was such a perfect child and everybody
was so happy. Then when he was 6 years old the little boy fell off a horse and was injured to the point of
being partially paralyzed. The king and all the kingdom mourned.
Then the king did a strange thing. He instructed the royal sculptor to make a statue of a man standing
strong and straight. And every day they wheeled the boy out to the courtyard where the statue had been
erected, and the little boy looked at the statue of that man. The story says that gradually the boy’s spine
started to straighten. Strength came back to his muscles and bones. Finally the day arrived when that boy
stood up in the shadow of that statue. And as the kingdom looked, lo and behold, they saw that the boy
bore the likeness of the statue. He had become what he had been looking at every day.
C. Jesus said that He came to be a servant
1. service = ministry
2. Every Christian is called into some form of ministry
a. 1 Pet. 2:9 – “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to
God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful
light.”
b. Eph. 2:10 – “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do.”
CONCLUSION: A. In the Berlin art gallery there is a painting by the famous artist Mengel that is only
partially finished. It is supposed to be a painting of King Frederick of Germany talking to
his generals. Mengel painstakingly painted the generals first around the outside of the
painting. The King was left until last, leaving a bare patch in the middle of the painting
with the background of generals. But Mengel died before he could finish the painting. So
there is a painting full of generals but no king.
1. It’s time to stop majoring in the minors.
--Our problem is that we’ve focused on a lot of little things but have failed to focus on
the most important thing: Jesus Christ
2. “Christian” – “little Christ”
B. William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, was interviewed near the close of his
life. This is what he said: “God had all there was of me. There have been others who had
greater plans, greater opportunities than I; but from the day I got a vision of what God
could do, I made up my mind God would have all there was of William Booth.”
