I LIKE CHURCH, BUT. #4/8

#1 · May 14, 2007, 12:22 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on May 14, 2007, 12:22 pm
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
I LIKE CHURCH, BUT #4/8

THE MOTHERHOOD FACTOR

May 13, 2007

Text: 2 Timothy 1:1-14

Happy Mothers Day! This is, of course, the day to honor our Mothers. The more cynical among us complain that this is just a contrived day to help out the greeting card companies. I suppose it does that, along with restaurants and phone companies, but those become inconsequential when we really pause to consider the importance of Motherhood. It certainly is appropriate to honor those who are so vital to our formation and makeup.

After all, if it was not for Mothers, how would children be able to express their wisdom as well as they do in some of these Dear Pastor letters?

Dear Pastor, I know God loves everybody, but He never met my sister. Yours sincerely, Arnold. Age 8, Nashville.

Just to be equal, Dear Pastor, I would like to go to heaven someday because I know my brother wont be there. Stephen. Age 8, Chicago.

Children can be quite aware of their surroundings and events: Dear Pastor, Please pray for all the airline pilots. I am flying to California tomorrow. Laurie. Age 10, New York City.

They certainly can have insight for success: Dear Pastor, I think a lot more people would come to your church if you moved it to Disneyland. Loreen. Age 9, Tacoma.

And even though this one is not signed by John, I still think he wrote it: Dear Pastor, I liked your sermon on Sunday. Especially when it was finished. Ralph. Age 11, Akron.

Each of the children represented in these letters and in all honesty I dont know if they are actual childrens letters or just some humor someone made up are boys and girls who still have some growing up to do. We hope that they will be lovingly guided in experience and wisdom by their respective Mothers. Motherhood is a tough, challenging job, and that is why we set aside a day to honor Mothers. But as challenging as it is to raise up a child, it is even more of a challenge to prepare, and then allow, that child to launch out into this world as an independent young adult. Yet that is exactly what a Mother has to do. I am calling this the Motherhood factor.

What I mean by this is that Mothers not only are tasked with raising their children by seeing them through the scrapes and bumps and scary nights and innumerable dangers lurking out there, but they are also tasked with the duty of empowering their children to successfully leave the nest. Mothers pour so much of themselves into the upbringing of their children for the eventual goal of being able to watch that son or daughter pack up and leave home in order to pursue their own individual hopes and dreams for life. Fathers do too, and its not easy for them, either, but well just stick to the Motherhood factor today.

Not only is the Motherhood factor a reality in our home life, it is also a reality in our corporate spiritual life. Two of Pauls letters that make up the New Testament were written to Timothy. Timothy was a young man Paul met in Lystra. He was the son of a Jewish mother and a Greek, or Gentile, father. Timothy was a disciple, meaning believer, and his mother was a believer. Nothing is said of the fathers spiritual condition. Timothy was well regarded by other believers, and Paul took Timothy with him on a missionary journey. This is all told us in Acts 16.

Because of the close relationship they developed, Timothy became like a son to Paul. He is addressed in this letter, To Timothy, my dear son. One can sense from these letters and from the accounts in Acts how close Paul and Timothy became. I have no doubt that Paul would go to any length to protect Timothy from the dangers of false teachers and other temptations that could beset a young man. But the Scriptures also reveal that Paul did more than just protect Timothy. Paul prepared Timothy to be able to move out on his own as a faithful and powerful witness himself for the Lord, Jesus Christ. Paul empowered Timothy: the Motherhood factor.

In verses 5-7, Paul writes, I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. We are not told specifically in Scripture when it happened, but a time came when Timothy had to be allowed to step out into ministry on his own. Just like Mothers must empower and launch their children into adulthood, so we in the Church empower and launch others into ministry.

What is empowerment, anyway? From a Christian perspective, Dan Lupton writes, Empowerment is seeing what God sees in a person and helping it to blossom. Its something everyone needs in life, and what better place is there to look for empowerment than among the people of God? Certainly our God is an empowerer. So my conviction is that the church we all long for will also be characterized this way. (Dan Lupton, I Like Church, But, Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 1996, p. 79) It is rather simple to find Scriptural testimonies of Gods empowering character; indeed, they make some of the most memorable Bible stories we have. God called and empowered Abraham to be the father of His people, and through his lineage the Son of God was sent to save. Moses met God at the burning bush, and God empowered him to lead His people out of captivity. David the shepherd boy was empowered to defeat the giant and to become the king of Israel. Mary was empowered to be the mother of Jesus. In turn, Jesus took common, ordinary, and, in some instances, despised people and empowered them to become mighty disciples of the Christian faith.

This is an important lesson for the contemporary church. There is a commonly held rule-of-thumb in organizations called the 20/80 rule. The premise is simple: 20% of the members of the organization do 80% of the work, and/or 20% of the members of the organization provide 80% of the support. This is a rule only to the extent that it is what most organizations reflect. In other words, it is a valid observation.

Just as valid is the observation that churches that reflect the 20/80 rule are churches that are trapped with limited ministry potential. Any church in which 20% of the membership is supporting and carrying out the ministry is a church that will never be able to receive the fullest measure of Gods blessing. By definition, the ministries of the 20/80 church will be limited because there will never be enough personnel or enough financial support to grow vital ministries already in place and plant new ones along side them.

This is why the example and result of empowerment found in Timothy is vital for the contemporary church. If we are not seeking ways to be empowered and seeking out others to empower, we will not be anything except a struggling church facing a bleak future. Look around and see if this is not true.

This is why during this series about the church weve always longed for I have included a simple tool you can use to evaluate your own gifts, talents, and interests, reflect on them, and indicate how they fit in the life of our church in service to God. Every born-again believer here this morning should be seeking a way or ways to be active in this fellowship. I know very well that some are. And there are others who could be more involved. Maybe they just need a little empowerment?

There are two sides of this tool found as an insert in your bulletin. On the first side, there is a section where you can check all of your talents. You dont have to be limited by my list; add anything that is not included that applies to you. Include your name and contact information requested. On the reverse side, you will find ministry ideas that you can plug your talents into. Again, do not be limited by my list. There is room to be open-ended, and if you dont think theres enough room on this little sheet, then attach additional pages. Fill up a spiral notebook, if you want! The goal is for you to match your gifts, talents, and experiences with ministry opportunities at First Baptist Church, even if some ministries do not even exist yet.

There is a deadline for this assignment. This sermon and study series goes through June 17^th. Turn your survey in on or before Sunday, June 17^th. You dont have to rush and fill them out this morning. Take some time to pray and reflect about your personal walk with the Lord. For some, you already have a clear call from God about ministry that you have already been obediently following. This survey may be just a validation of what you already know and are doing. For others, this survey can be the beginning of a deeper walk with God and your specific, obedient response to His call on your life. In this case, take some time to be in prayer about it. Talk it over with other brothers and sisters. Seek some specific guidance and empowerment from both God and from the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1). Just dont set it aside and forget about it. Do something positive with this opportunity.

There should be no reason for everyone not to respond. Turn in a survey checked with ministries that you already do. Turn in a survey checked with ministries you have not done. Turn in a survey checked with a combination of the two. The important part of this is to allow the Holy Spirit to encourage and empower us and then, in turn, for us to encourage and empower one another just like Paul encouraged and empowered Timothy.

Referring once again to Dan Lupton, You and I are called by God to be the empowering [force] in others lives. What a joy this is! Its part of what being the body of Christ is all about. And its the whole body that is the answer; we cant expect pastors to empower everybody. God intends that all people who make up the church will be His empowering agents. So yes, look for those who can help you become all God wants you to be. But also look for those who need help from you. Pray that what you learn about empowerment will spread. Pray also that before too long Christ, through His new body, the church, will again do what He did so effectively when he was here empower people to become all God intended them to be. (Dan Lupton, I Like Church, But, Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 1996, p. 94)

So do not be ashamed to testify about our lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. (2 Timothy 1:8-9)

Rev. Charles A. Layne, Pastor

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

www.bhfirstbaptist.com
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org   

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

I LIKE CHURCH, BUT #4/8

THE MOTHERHOOD FACTOR

May 13, 2007

Text: 2 Timothy 1:1-14

Happy Mothers Day! This is, of course, the day to honor our Mothers. The more cynical among us complain that this is just a contrived day to help out the greeting card companies. I suppose it does that, along with restaurants and phone companies, but those become inconsequential when we really pause to consider the importance of Motherhood. It certainly is appropriate to honor those who are so vital to our formation and makeup.

After all, if it was not for Mothers, how would children be able to express their wisdom as well as they do in some of these Dear Pastor letters?

Dear Pastor, I know God loves everybody, but He never met my sister. Yours sincerely, Arnold. Age 8, Nashville.

Just to be equal, Dear Pastor, I would like to go to heaven someday because I know my brother wont be there. Stephen. Age 8, Chicago.

Children can be quite aware of their surroundings and events: Dear Pastor, Please pray for all the airline pilots. I am flying to California tomorrow. Laurie. Age 10, New York City.

They certainly can have insight for success: Dear Pastor, I think a lot more people would come to your church if you moved it to Disneyland. Loreen. Age 9, Tacoma.

And even though this one is not signed by John, I still think he wrote it: Dear Pastor, I liked your sermon on Sunday. Especially when it was finished. Ralph. Age 11, Akron.

Each of the children represented in these letters and in all honesty I dont know if they are actual childrens letters or just some humor someone made up are boys and girls who still have some growing up to do. We hope that they will be lovingly guided in experience and wisdom by their respective Mothers. Motherhood is a tough, challenging job, and that is why we set aside a day to honor Mothers. But as challenging as it is to raise up a child, it is even more of a challenge to prepare, and then allow, that child to launch out into this world as an independent young adult. Yet that is exactly what a Mother has to do. I am calling this the Motherhood factor.

What I mean by this is that Mothers not only are tasked with raising their children by seeing them through the scrapes and bumps and scary nights and innumerable dangers lurking out there, but they are also tasked with the duty of empowering their children to successfully leave the nest. Mothers pour so much of themselves into the upbringing of their children for the eventual goal of being able to watch that son or daughter pack up and leave home in order to pursue their own individual hopes and dreams for life. Fathers do too, and its not easy for them, either, but well just stick to the Motherhood factor today.

Not only is the Motherhood factor a reality in our home life, it is also a reality in our corporate spiritual life. Two of Pauls letters that make up the New Testament were written to Timothy. Timothy was a young man Paul met in Lystra. He was the son of a Jewish mother and a Greek, or Gentile, father. Timothy was a disciple, meaning believer, and his mother was a believer. Nothing is said of the fathers spiritual condition. Timothy was well regarded by other believers, and Paul took Timothy with him on a missionary journey. This is all told us in Acts 16.

Because of the close relationship they developed, Timothy became like a son to Paul. He is addressed in this letter, To Timothy, my dear son. One can sense from these letters and from the accounts in Acts how close Paul and Timothy became. I have no doubt that Paul would go to any length to protect Timothy from the dangers of false teachers and other temptations that could beset a young man. But the Scriptures also reveal that Paul did more than just protect Timothy. Paul prepared Timothy to be able to move out on his own as a faithful and powerful witness himself for the Lord, Jesus Christ. Paul empowered Timothy: the Motherhood factor.

In verses 5-7, Paul writes, I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. We are not told specifically in Scripture when it happened, but a time came when Timothy had to be allowed to step out into ministry on his own. Just like Mothers must empower and launch their children into adulthood, so we in the Church empower and launch others into ministry.

What is empowerment, anyway? From a Christian perspective, Dan Lupton writes, Empowerment is seeing what God sees in a person and helping it to blossom. Its something everyone needs in life, and what better place is there to look for empowerment than among the people of God? Certainly our God is an empowerer. So my conviction is that the church we all long for will also be characterized this way. (Dan Lupton, I Like Church, But, Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 1996, p. 79) It is rather simple to find Scriptural testimonies of Gods empowering character; indeed, they make some of the most memorable Bible stories we have. God called and empowered Abraham to be the father of His people, and through his lineage the Son of God was sent to save. Moses met God at the burning bush, and God empowered him to lead His people out of captivity. David the shepherd boy was empowered to defeat the giant and to become the king of Israel. Mary was empowered to be the mother of Jesus. In turn, Jesus took common, ordinary, and, in some instances, despised people and empowered them to become mighty disciples of the Christian faith.

This is an important lesson for the contemporary church. There is a commonly held rule-of-thumb in organizations called the 20/80 rule. The premise is simple: 20% of the members of the organization do 80% of the work, and/or 20% of the members of the organization provide 80% of the support. This is a rule only to the extent that it is what most organizations reflect. In other words, it is a valid observation.

Just as valid is the observation that churches that reflect the 20/80 rule are churches that are trapped with limited ministry potential. Any church in which 20% of the membership is supporting and carrying out the ministry is a church that will never be able to receive the fullest measure of Gods blessing. By definition, the ministries of the 20/80 church will be limited because there will never be enough personnel or enough financial support to grow vital ministries already in place and plant new ones along side them.

This is why the example and result of empowerment found in Timothy is vital for the contemporary church. If we are not seeking ways to be empowered and seeking out others to empower, we will not be anything except a struggling church facing a bleak future. Look around and see if this is not true.

This is why during this series about the church weve always longed for I have included a simple tool you can use to evaluate your own gifts, talents, and interests, reflect on them, and indicate how they fit in the life of our church in service to God. Every born-again believer here this morning should be seeking a way or ways to be active in this fellowship. I know very well that some are. And there are others who could be more involved. Maybe they just need a little empowerment?

There are two sides of this tool found as an insert in your bulletin. On the first side, there is a section where you can check all of your talents. You dont have to be limited by my list; add anything that is not included that applies to you. Include your name and contact information requested. On the reverse side, you will find ministry ideas that you can plug your talents into. Again, do not be limited by my list. There is room to be open-ended, and if you dont think theres enough room on this little sheet, then attach additional pages. Fill up a spiral notebook, if you want! The goal is for you to match your gifts, talents, and experiences with ministry opportunities at First Baptist Church, even if some ministries do not even exist yet.

There is a deadline for this assignment. This sermon and study series goes through June 17^th. Turn your survey in on or before Sunday, June 17^th. You dont have to rush and fill them out this morning. Take some time to pray and reflect about your personal walk with the Lord. For some, you already have a clear call from God about ministry that you have already been obediently following. This survey may be just a validation of what you already know and are doing. For others, this survey can be the beginning of a deeper walk with God and your specific, obedient response to His call on your life. In this case, take some time to be in prayer about it. Talk it over with other brothers and sisters. Seek some specific guidance and empowerment from both God and from the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1). Just dont set it aside and forget about it. Do something positive with this opportunity.

There should be no reason for everyone not to respond. Turn in a survey checked with ministries that you already do. Turn in a survey checked with ministries you have not done. Turn in a survey checked with a combination of the two. The important part of this is to allow the Holy Spirit to encourage and empower us and then, in turn, for us to encourage and empower one another just like Paul encouraged and empowered Timothy.

Referring once again to Dan Lupton, You and I are called by God to be the empowering [force] in others lives. What a joy this is! Its part of what being the body of Christ is all about. And its the whole body that is the answer; we cant expect pastors to empower everybody. God intends that all people who make up the church will be His empowering agents. So yes, look for those who can help you become all God wants you to be. But also look for those who need help from you. Pray that what you learn about empowerment will spread. Pray also that before too long Christ, through His new body, the church, will again do what He did so effectively when he was here empower people to become all God intended them to be. (Dan Lupton, I Like Church, But, Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 1996, p. 94)

So do not be ashamed to testify about our lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. (2 Timothy 1:8-9)

Rev. Charles A. Layne, Pastor

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

http://www.bhfirstbaptist.com

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org