“Let’s Be A Church That Works Together”
September 23, 2007
Part 3 of “Let’s Be The Church God Wants Us To Be” series
For the month of September we’re looking how we can be the very best Church we can be – or how we can be the Church God wants us to be.
Two weeks ago we began by noting that we can’t just gather our ideas about what we need to be doing as a Church – or our ideas about what we can do to make Hopewell the very best Church it can be – without first looking to God and seeking what God’s ideas are about what we need to be doing here at Hopewell – and what God thinks we need to be doing to make Hopewell the very best Church it can be.
The point is that we all want to make Hopewell the best Church it can be – and we may have many ideas and plans for how to make it that way. That’s a good thing — I count it as a blessing that Hopewell is a Church where the members care about the Church and want to make it the best it can be. But – we need to also take a look at what God may be calling us to be doing – and what God may feel we need to be doing to be the very best Church we can be. It’s great to have ideas and get input from each other about how we can make Hopewell the very best Church it can be. We certainly need to share ideas and plans for actions we can take – as well as participate in the things we are doing. But – first of all – we don’t need to look at our ideas about what we need to be doing as a Church – but we need to – first of all – look at what God feels we need to be doing to be the very best Church we can be.
The questions we need to consider are not:
What do you think we need to be doing as a Church?
Or
What are some things you think we need to do to be the best Church we can be?
But – they are:
What does God want us to be doing as a Church?
What are the things God wants us to do so we can be the Church God wants us to be?
What does God want us to be doing as a Church?
What are the things God wants us to do so we can be the Church God wants us to be?
These are the questions we started considering two weeks ago and will continue to consider for the next two weeks.
How can we be the Church God wants us to be?
How can we be the Church God wants us to be?
We’re looking at how the book of Acts describes the early church to find answers to that question. The book of Acts says that there were certain things the members of the early church committed themselves to – things like:
1. telling others the Good News of Jesus Christ
2. worshipping and exalting God
3. working together for God’s glory
4. growing in Christ
5. serving God and others
and it says God blessed them and “added to their number” because they were seeking and following His will for their church.
We’re looking at these things that the members of the early church committed themselves to so we cam get a vision for how we can take steps to commit ourselves to these things, and do our part towards making Hopewell the Church God wants Hopewell to be.
Let’s Be The Church God Wants Us To Be.
That’s the theme for our month of September.
Two weeks ago we looked at the passage from Acts 2 and the Great Commission in Matthew 28:26-30 – and saw how a Church with a great commitment to the Great Commission is a great Church. We saw how we need to commit ourselves to being a Church that tells Good News!
Last week we added a second step to the process as we look at Acts 2: 42-47 and Ephesians 5:1-20 – and discovered that we need t be a Church that exalts God.
Today we’re going to add a third step as we look at Acts 2:42-47 and 1 Corinthians 12 – and see how we need to be a Church that works together.
Listen to God’s Word. (Read passages)
Let’s Be The Church God Wants Us To Be!
Let’s be a Church that tells the Good News!
Let’s be a Church that exalts God!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
You may remember that we noted last week that — when you look at the description of the early church that Acts 2:42-47 gives us — you get the sense that this was not a church that people joined just because it would look good on their resume or because they thought it would help them make influential friends or help their standing in the community. No – this was a group of individuals whose lives had been changed by God, and who were committed to living a life that showed others the difference God had made in their lives. This was a group of people who wanted to exalt and glorify God – and reflect the glory of God in their worship and in the way they lived their lives. You could tell from the way they worshipped:
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42)
and the way they lived as they:
gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. (Acts 2:45-47)
They wanted to exalt and glorify God – they wanted to live lives that showed God’s glory to the world – and committed themselves to working together to show God to the world through their worship and their actions. And – God blessed them and added to their numbers daily.
They were the Church God wanted them to be – telling the Good News of God, exalting God, and working together for the glory of God.
Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
If we are going to the Church God wants us to be, we are going to have to commit ourselves to being a Church that tells the Good News that God has come into the world – sins can be forgiven – and lives can be changed – we are going to have to commit ourselves to living lives that exalt and glorify God – and we are going to have to commit ourselves to working together for the glory of God.
Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
One of my favorite things to do on Sunday as a kid was to read the Sunday comics (or the funnies as we called them). Of all the comics I read, the one that I never missed was Peanuts. In one of those cartoons, Lucy came into the room and demanded that Linus change the channel on the TV.
“What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?” asked Linus.
“These five fingers,” replied Lucy.
“Individually they’re nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.”
“Which channel do you want?” asked Linus.
Turning away, he looked at his fingers and said, “Why can’t you guys get organized like that?”
While I don’t condone Lucy’s methods, however effective they might have been, she does give us a powerful illustration of what might happen if we here at Hopewell Presbyterian were to work together.
Remember what she said: “Individually they’re nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.”
It is when we come together – it is when we work together — that we become an effective instrument to be used in the world for the glory of God – and that is a wonderful thing to behold!
Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul compares the Church to the human body. Through this analogy, he communicates the important truth of our need to accept our differences as individual members of the Body of Christ and to recognize these differences as vital to the proper functioning of the whole. Our differences are not to be accentuated, resulting in division. Rather, they are for the purpose of meeting the various needs that exist within the Church—both locally and globally. There are many parts because there are many needs. And without the various parts, some needs would be neglected.
I’m going to help you understand Paul’s teaching in this section by summarizing all that he says in just 3 words—so if you fail to hear anything else that is said, don’t miss these three words. The point that Paul is trying to make can be summed up in this motto:
You are needed!
Let me repeat it so there’s no mistaking it:
You are needed!
Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
If we are going to be a Church that works together, we are going to have to be a church that says to each other:
You are needed!
We are going to have to be a Church where everyone realizes that
You are needed!
We are going to have to be a Church where everyone says to everyone else:
You are needed!
Here in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul gives us three principles to drive home the point that each person is needed – and that we all need each other.
First – Each Member Is Indispensable
The first principle that Paul wants us to understand about our need for one another is that each member is indispensable. While each member of the Body of Christ is not the same, each of us is essential to the whole. Paul uses the analogy of the human body, which is made up of many different parts, to show us how the variety of parts – eyes, hands, ears, nose — is essential to the whole-ness of the body. Each part must be present in order for the body to be complete. If the human body was made up of only one part, then it would cease to be a body—by definition, a body is made up of many parts.
If it were possible for a body to be made up on only one part, then it would be an extremely limited body—it would miss out on all the functionality and potential of all the other parts. We are given eyes to see, ears to hear, hands to touch, and noses to smell. The various parts of our human bodies contribute to the whole in unique and significant ways that no other part can do.
Each part of the body is indispensable.
Each part of the body is needed.
So it is with the Body of Christ.
God has made us all different and unique.
He gives each of us particular gifts that no one else has in the same way we do. We are each special and we are each necessary. We each need to do what we can do – we all need to do the things God has created and gifted to do – for us to function in the way God intends for us top function as a Church.
Each part of the body is indispensable.
Each part of the body is needed.
Each one of us in the Church is indispensable.
Each one of us in the Church is needed.
You are needed!
You are needed!
I read about a very wise mother who – when her child came home from school one day crying because they had been given only a small part in the children’s program while their friend got the leading role — took off her watch and put it in her child’s hand.
“What do you see?” the mother asked.
“A gold case, a face, and two hands” the child replied.
Then — opening the back of the watch – the mother repeated the question. The child told her that there were many tiny wheels.
“This watch would be useless,” the mother said, “without every part—even the ones you can hardly see.”
Each one of us in the Church is indispensable.
Each one of us in the Church is needed.
You are needed!
You are needed!
Not all of us will play the leading roles in the Church. Some of us have to be the supporting actors and actresses. But we all have a purpose and a place in the Church. Each of us is important and essential. In order for the Church to function properly, it must have a variety of parts that work together as a whole. Remember: You are needed!
Each one of us in the Church is indispensable.
Each one of us in the Church is needed.
You are needed!
You are needed!
Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
Each member is indispensable.
There’s a second point Paul makes –
Each Member Is Interdependent
The second principle in the passage from 1 Corinthians 12 is that each member is interdependent. That means that every part of the Body of Christ relies on the proper functioning of every other part.
Without the parts of our bodies cooperating with each other, it not only would be hard to dance the Hokey Pokey – as the Young Disciples found out earlier – but many (if not all) of the vital tasks our bodies perform would be impossible.
Take, for example, the simple act of speaking, like I’m doing right now. If any of the parts of my body that are necessary for speech were to decide that they didn’t want to participate in this act, it would be impossible for me to talk at this very…moment. Speech is possible only when my brain, nerves, tongue, jaws, lips, larynx, lungs, diaphragm, heart, veins, arteries, capillaries and parts unknown to me all work together for that specific purpose. What appears on the surface to be the work of only one part of the body is actually a very complex and precise cooperative act of many members of the body.
The same is true of the Church.
Each member of the Body of Christ is interdependent. Even the most menial task in the Church requires a coordinated effort between the various members. It has been noted that the best pictures of the church are group pictures. The more mature we become in Christ, the more we realize that we need each other.
You are needed!
Each person in the Church is important – and has an important part to play as we do the work of God in the world.
Each person in the Church is needed!
You are needed!
You are needed!
Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
In a certain mountain village in Europe several centuries ago, a nobleman wondered what legacy he should leave to the townspeople. At last he decided to build them a church. No one saw the complete plans for the church until it was finished. When the people gathered, they marveled at its beauty and completeness. Then someone asked, “But where are the lamps? How will they be lighted?” The nobleman pointed to some brackets in the walls. Then he gave each family a lamp that they were to bring with them each time they came to worship. “Each time you are here the area where you are seated will be lighted,” the nobleman said. “Each time you are not here, that area will be dark. This is to remind you that whenever you fail to come to church, some part of God’s house will be dark”
You are needed!
Each person in the Church is important – and has an important part to play as we do the work of God in the world.
Each person in the Church is needed!
You are needed!
You are needed!
Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
When a child flies a kite, we might ask: “Who is flying the kite?”
“I am,” the wind might boast!
“I am,” the paper might reply!
“I am,” the tail might exclaim!
“I am,” the string might insist!
“I am,” the child might boast!
But in reality, they are ALL flying the kite!
If the wind had lulled, if the paper had torn, if the tail had gotten caught in the tree, if the string had broken, or the child had fallen, then the kite would have come down! Each had a part to play!
In the Church, we are all needed – we all have a part to play.
You are needed!
Each person in the Church is important – and has an important part to play as we do the work of God in the world.
Each person in the Church is needed!
You are needed!
You are needed!
Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
You are needed!
You are needed!
God has placed you here in a strategic role! You are an important part of the success and effectiveness of Hopewell Preabyterian Church! Everyone else is depending on you to be here and to carry out your particular function. And when you fail to be here and/or carry out your function in the Church, the whole Church suffers.
So use your gifts to the glory of God and leave the results to him.
Remember: You are needed!
You are needed!
Each person in the Church is important – and has an important part to play as we do the work of God in the world.
Each person in the Church is needed!
Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
You are needed!
You are needed!
Each member of the Church is indispensable!
Each member of the Church is interdependent!
The third point Paul makes is that each member of the Church is interconnected.
Anything that affects one member of the Body of Christ is felt by all of the members. You know — most of us don’t give a lot of thought to our toes, especially our little pinkie toes (except, perhaps, when we’re playing with our children and it comes to that part in the game where it’s time to say, “And this little piggy went, ‘Wee, wee, wee,’ all the way home”). Pinkie toes—they’re just things we don’t normally spend hours reflecting upon. But suppose you’re at home, running around barefoot, and you carelessly happen to bump that pinkie toe into the leg of a chair. Let me assure you, it will become immediately evident that your pinkie toe does, in fact, exist. Every part of your body will join in its pain. The leg and foot that is not injured will begin to jump up and down. Your back will bend over in order to enable your arm and hand to extend a soothing massage. All the members necessary for speech will join in and offer groans that words cannot express. No part of your body will go untouched by the injury to your pinkie toe. All will be affected.
If you don’t believe me, try it some time.
That’s exactly how it’s supposed to work in the Body of Christ. That’s what Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 12:26:
If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
We are all related. There are ties between each of us that make us inseparable. When something happens to one member the Church, whether it is good or bad, all of us are to respond accordingly. In practical terms, this means that I cannot be blind to what is happening in your life and you cannot be blind to what is happening in mine. If each of us is going to remain a vital part of the Church, then we must do our part in seeing that we are in touch with all of the other members of this body – in touch with each other. We have to know if they are hurting, and join them in their suffering. We have to know if they are rejoicing, and join them in their happiness.
Each member of the Church is indispensable!
Each member of the Church is interdependent!
Each member is interconnected.
You are needed!
Each person in the Church is important – and has an important part to play as we do the work of God in the world.
Each person in the Church is needed!
Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
You are needed!
You are needed!
One thing we have to avoid in the Church is what I call spiritual leprosy. A simple description of leprosy is that it is a disease that causes a gradual loss of feeling. What happens to those infected by the bacteria that causes leprosy is that they become numb to the conditions surrounding them. They can’t sense what is happening around them. One who has leprosy could cut themselves and never experience the sensation of pain. As a result, the wound receives no attention, and infection sets in. If not treated in time, the infection could progress to gangrene and eventually destroy the whole body.
This is what happens when a Church has what I call “Spiritual Leprosy”. The members become unable to sense what is occurring in the lives of the other members of the body. One member may get injured. If that injury is not attended to, it will become progressively worse until that person is finally ruined. We must beware that we do not become infected with this fatal disease. We are interconnected to one another. We must share in the experiences of one another.
Get to know each other. Don’t just spend all of your time with certain people in the Church –make yourself know others.
Take the first step — don’t wait until they come to you. And keep your eyes focused outward to the needs of others. Join others in their grief and joy. Remember: you are needed!
Each member of the Church is indispensable!
Each member of the Church is interdependent!
Each member is interconnected.
You are needed!
Each person in the Church is important – and has an important part to play as we do the work of God in the world.
Each person in the Church is needed!
Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
You are needed!
You are needed!
If we are going to be the Church God wants us to be, we’re going to have to take our cue from the early Church – and the way it is described in Acts 2.
We are going to have to be a Church that tells the good news that Jesus Christ has come into the world and that sins can be forgiven and lives can be changed.
We are going to have to be a Church that glorifies God!’
We are going to have to be a Church that works together!
We are going to have to be a Church where each member is indispensable!
We are going to have to be a Church where each member is interdependent!
We are going to have to be a Church where each member is interconnected!
We are going to have to be a Church where each member is needed!
We are going to have to be a Church that communicates to each member:
You are needed!
We are going to have to be a Church where each person is important – and has an important part to play as we do the work of God in the world.
We are going to have to be a Church that celebrates that each person is needed.
OK — you’ve heard me say it enough times – and now it’s your turn. Everyone stand up — turn to the person next to you – and say to them:
“You are needed!”
Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
Let’s be a Church that works together!
Amen
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