KEEP THE MIRACLE GOING

#1 · January 29, 2009, 4:05 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on January 29, 2009, 4:05 pm
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
KEEP THE MIRACLE GOING

January 25, 2009

TEXT: Colossians 3:1-17

A couple of Sundays ago we held our first church business meeting of the year. At that meeting, we had to face some sobering realities. During 2008, the church saw its largest single year loss of members since I have been here. Most of our losses were due to geographical moves, but some were through the death of loved ones. Whether the loss came through a move or death, we mourn the loss of dear brothers and sisters in Christ from our fellowship. Part of the reality of grief is that we have to adjust to the loss, which is never an easy task. As a result of cumulative losses among our membership, we experienced an average worship attendance below seventy for the year for the first time since I have been here. As you have experienced in the first month of Sundays in 2009, that number is far from improving.

The consequence of these losses in our fellowship is its impact on our ministries. I noted at the business meeting that every ministry throughout our church is facing challenges because of fewer members. Choir, Cormack circle, Sunday school classes, Stickin with Jesus, youth group, filling our boards and committees you name the ministry, and youll find some struggles to keep it going. It is certainly not the most pleasant situation to face. As always, though, Gods Word offers solutions to human problems, difficulties, and challenges. The challenges we face are no exception.

Not long ago, I watched again the movie Miracle which is about the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team and their miraculous victory over the dominant Soviet Union team at the Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. Kurt Russell plays the role of Herb Brooks, the teams coach who brings a laser focus and new perspective to the tough training and strategy of the team. That year, the Olympics still banned professional athletes, so the players came largely from colleges. Naturally, some rivalries remained in place even though they were playing together. As the movie depicted, Coach Brooks asked the players, Where are you from? The player would answer by stating where he lived. Then Coach Brooks would ask, Who do you play for? And the answer would be a declaration of the college team he was on. Seemed natural enough. So the movie progresses with Coach Brooks tough, unorthodox style being highlighted and challenged by players, assistants, Olympic committee members, and even supporters.

As they worked toward the Olympic games, exhibition matches were scheduled and played. The first for the U.S. team was in Finland. As the game progressed in a sad display for the U.S. team, the movie focused on the players on the bench as they looked around the stadium, commented on pretty girls they saw, and skylarked pretty much in general. It was obvious that their minds were not in the game. None of this escaped notice from Coach Brooks who, after the game, kept the players on the ice for a brutal series of drills. He made them go over and over and over. The players were pushed past exhaustion; the assistants were suggesting that the Coach stop the drills; and the poor rink manager wanted to go home. Still, Coach Brooks did not stop. On the drills went, until finally one player stated his name and answered the question, Where are you from? Asked Coach Brooks, Who do you play for? The United States of America! Coach Brooks ended the drills.

When I look at the history of almost every Christian church, I consider them to be miracles. Almost every Christian church began as a small, struggling group of faithful Christians who believed in the importance of establishing a church in the community in which they lived. Almost every Christian church began as an organization that should never have made it. But that is the way that the Christian faith began and spread. From the human perspective, it should never have made it. The reality that it did stay alive and spread is a miracle. The reality that almost every Christian church survived lean times, took root, and grew is a miracle. What we are faced with, and it is not us alone, is the decision of whether or not to keep the miracle going. That decision is not made by leadership on boards and committees, or by leadership in the pulpit, even though we all share the responsibility to make leadership decisions. The decision to keep the miracle going has to be made by each and everyone who attends this church.

Colossians 3:12-14: Therefore, as Gods chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. I find nowhere in these verses that says, Pastors, clothe yourselves, or Deacons, clothe yourselves, or any other specific church leader. It says, as Gods chosen people If we were not Gods chosen people, we would not be here today. There would be no need to be here today, because we would be out playing for our own team. If anyone is not here this morning to strive to be in the presence of God and to be encouraged by the Word of God to grow spiritually and to seek encouragement to obey the will of God, then why are you here? We can keep the miracle going only to the extent that we are willing to proclaim, I serve on Gods team! And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

Making the decision to keep the miracle going by declaring that we serve on Gods team means that we are willingly clothing ourselves with the attributes that Paul expresses: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Those are very real attributes, characteristics, and personal traits that are to be witnessed each and every time we gather for worship or fellowship or board meetings or any other purpose. Those should be the very real attributes that are especially directed to every guest we have in our church home. This brings to mind the comment made by one pastor at one of our Area meetings: When we have visitors come to our church, we know that God sent them.

If each one of us decides to keep the miracle going, then each one of us had better pay attention to our coach. Sitting around and skylarking and engaging in other distractions does not cut it. We have to be in the game. We have to be in Gods game. That means, again, that we are here Sunday mornings for Gods purposes, not ours. That means that during the other days of the week, we are praying and thinking and planning how we can execute the plays that our coach has laid out to us. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16) This doesnt mean that someone waits around for the pastor or deacon or anyone else to reach out in ministry. Using the occasion of a visitor again, let me give you one example of what I mean. We have three entrances into our church building. We place designated greeters at only one of those doors. We dont have enough folks to staff all the doors thats one of the challenges we are facing not enough people to meet all the needs. So, if you are in the sanctuary and a visitor enters through this east door, coming in and wondering what to do and where to go and probably a bit embarrassed because other people are staring at him or her youre the greeter! Youre the one to welcome our guests and help them feel at ease and show them where classrooms and facilities are and get them a bulletin and help them to a seat. Youre the greeter. Thats just one example.

We need to be helping and encouraging one another in our spiritual growth and relationship with the Lord. This is especially true of those who have been growing, maturing born-again Christians for many years. Now I know that chronological age does not always equate to Christian maturity, but those who have been confessing Christians for a large part of their lives should be displaying some signs of spiritual life and maturity. We need you to be mentors and spiritual friends with those who are less mature. We need the hope and encouragement from years of trusting in the Lord to see us through times like these. We need the witness and testimonies about what God has done even when things looked bleak. We even need to know those times when you wondered if God was around, and then you discovered that He was there as He showed Himself in your life again. We need to hear of those footprint moments when we discover that the one set of footprints is when Jesus was carrying you. We need our brothers and sisters who have been walking with Christ for years to share and show the spiritual disciplines that have gotten believers through challenging times before. This isnt the time to be closet Christians when people inside and outside these church walls are hungering and thirsting for the life giving water from Jesus Christ. Hear this instruction from Paul to Titus in Titus 2:1-8: You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, selfcontrolled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be selfcontrolled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Similarly, encourage the young men to be selfcontrolled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. We cannot keep the miracle going if born again Christians who are mature in the faith remain silent. Think about what Mordecai told his niece, Esther, as their people faced annihilation: When Esthers words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: Do not think that because you are in the kings house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your fathers family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this? (Esther 4:12-14) Who knows but that you have come to First Baptist Church for such a time as this?

There is a well documented observation that most organizations operate on the 20/80 principle. That means that twenty percent of the people do eighty percent of the work and twenty percent of the people give eighty percent of the support. If were going to keep the miracle going, we cant afford to be a 20/80 church. I guarantee you that Coach Brooks did not keep any player on that team who only gave twenty percent effort. No, to even stand a chance of making the final cut, those players had to eat, breathe, live, and play hockey like they never had done before. They didnt know what a hockey team was until Coach Brooks was done with them. But they persevered, and they learned, and they grew, and they won. They discovered who they played for.

The most painful thing that Coach Brooks had to do was to make that final cut to bring the team number into compliance with the Olympic rules. The last player he let go was as dedicated and hard-working as any other on the team. Thats the way of human institutions. You can work hard, even harder than others, and still be cut. Praise God, that never happens on the Christian team. God is able to keep His team as big as He wants it to be. In fact, He wants His team to be big. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4) What more motivation do we need to keep the miracle going?

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

179 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

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

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

January 25, 2009

TEXT: Colossians 3:1-17

A couple of Sundays ago we held our first church business meeting of the year. At that meeting, we had to face some sobering realities. During 2008, the church saw its largest single year loss of members since I have been here. Most of our losses were due to geographical moves, but some were through the death of loved ones. Whether the loss came through a move or death, we mourn the loss of dear brothers and sisters in Christ from our fellowship. Part of the reality of grief is that we have to adjust to the loss, which is never an easy task. As a result of cumulative losses among our membership, we experienced an average worship attendance below seventy for the year for the first time since I have been here. As you have experienced in the first month of Sundays in 2009, that number is far from improving.

The consequence of these losses in our fellowship is its impact on our ministries. I noted at the business meeting that every ministry throughout our church is facing challenges because of fewer members. Choir, Cormack circle, Sunday school classes, Stickin with Jesus, youth group, filling our boards and committees you name the ministry, and youll find some struggles to keep it going. It is certainly not the most pleasant situation to face. As always, though, Gods Word offers solutions to human problems, difficulties, and challenges. The challenges we face are no exception.

Not long ago, I watched again the movie Miracle which is about the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team and their miraculous victory over the dominant Soviet Union team at the Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. Kurt Russell plays the role of Herb Brooks, the teams coach who brings a laser focus and new perspective to the tough training and strategy of the team. That year, the Olympics still banned professional athletes, so the players came largely from colleges. Naturally, some rivalries remained in place even though they were playing together. As the movie depicted, Coach Brooks asked the players, Where are you from? The player would answer by stating where he lived. Then Coach Brooks would ask, Who do you play for? And the answer would be a declaration of the college team he was on. Seemed natural enough. So the movie progresses with Coach Brooks tough, unorthodox style being highlighted and challenged by players, assistants, Olympic committee members, and even supporters.

As they worked toward the Olympic games, exhibition matches were scheduled and played. The first for the U.S. team was in Finland. As the game progressed in a sad display for the U.S. team, the movie focused on the players on the bench as they looked around the stadium, commented on pretty girls they saw, and skylarked pretty much in general. It was obvious that their minds were not in the game. None of this escaped notice from Coach Brooks who, after the game, kept the players on the ice for a brutal series of drills. He made them go over and over and over. The players were pushed past exhaustion; the assistants were suggesting that the Coach stop the drills; and the poor rink manager wanted to go home. Still, Coach Brooks did not stop. On the drills went, until finally one player stated his name and answered the question, Where are you from? Asked Coach Brooks, Who do you play for? The United States of America! Coach Brooks ended the drills.

When I look at the history of almost every Christian church, I consider them to be miracles. Almost every Christian church began as a small, struggling group of faithful Christians who believed in the importance of establishing a church in the community in which they lived. Almost every Christian church began as an organization that should never have made it. But that is the way that the Christian faith began and spread. From the human perspective, it should never have made it. The reality that it did stay alive and spread is a miracle. The reality that almost every Christian church survived lean times, took root, and grew is a miracle. What we are faced with, and it is not us alone, is the decision of whether or not to keep the miracle going. That decision is not made by leadership on boards and committees, or by leadership in the pulpit, even though we all share the responsibility to make leadership decisions. The decision to keep the miracle going has to be made by each and everyone who attends this church.

Colossians 3:12-14: Therefore, as Gods chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. I find nowhere in these verses that says, Pastors, clothe yourselves, or Deacons, clothe yourselves, or any other specific church leader. It says, as Gods chosen people If we were not Gods chosen people, we would not be here today. There would be no need to be here today, because we would be out playing for our own team. If anyone is not here this morning to strive to be in the presence of God and to be encouraged by the Word of God to grow spiritually and to seek encouragement to obey the will of God, then why are you here? We can keep the miracle going only to the extent that we are willing to proclaim, I serve on Gods team! And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

Making the decision to keep the miracle going by declaring that we serve on Gods team means that we are willingly clothing ourselves with the attributes that Paul expresses: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Those are very real attributes, characteristics, and personal traits that are to be witnessed each and every time we gather for worship or fellowship or board meetings or any other purpose. Those should be the very real attributes that are especially directed to every guest we have in our church home. This brings to mind the comment made by one pastor at one of our Area meetings: When we have visitors come to our church, we know that God sent them.

If each one of us decides to keep the miracle going, then each one of us had better pay attention to our coach. Sitting around and skylarking and engaging in other distractions does not cut it. We have to be in the game. We have to be in Gods game. That means, again, that we are here Sunday mornings for Gods purposes, not ours. That means that during the other days of the week, we are praying and thinking and planning how we can execute the plays that our coach has laid out to us. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16) This doesnt mean that someone waits around for the pastor or deacon or anyone else to reach out in ministry. Using the occasion of a visitor again, let me give you one example of what I mean. We have three entrances into our church building. We place designated greeters at only one of those doors. We dont have enough folks to staff all the doors thats one of the challenges we are facing not enough people to meet all the needs. So, if you are in the sanctuary and a visitor enters through this east door, coming in and wondering what to do and where to go and probably a bit embarrassed because other people are staring at him or her youre the greeter! Youre the one to welcome our guests and help them feel at ease and show them where classrooms and facilities are and get them a bulletin and help them to a seat. Youre the greeter. Thats just one example.

We need to be helping and encouraging one another in our spiritual growth and relationship with the Lord. This is especially true of those who have been growing, maturing born-again Christians for many years. Now I know that chronological age does not always equate to Christian maturity, but those who have been confessing Christians for a large part of their lives should be displaying some signs of spiritual life and maturity. We need you to be mentors and spiritual friends with those who are less mature. We need the hope and encouragement from years of trusting in the Lord to see us through times like these. We need the witness and testimonies about what God has done even when things looked bleak. We even need to know those times when you wondered if God was around, and then you discovered that He was there as He showed Himself in your life again. We need to hear of those footprint moments when we discover that the one set of footprints is when Jesus was carrying you. We need our brothers and sisters who have been walking with Christ for years to share and show the spiritual disciplines that have gotten believers through challenging times before. This isnt the time to be closet Christians when people inside and outside these church walls are hungering and thirsting for the life giving water from Jesus Christ. Hear this instruction from Paul to Titus in Titus 2:1-8: You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, selfcontrolled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be selfcontrolled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Similarly, encourage the young men to be selfcontrolled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. We cannot keep the miracle going if born again Christians who are mature in the faith remain silent. Think about what Mordecai told his niece, Esther, as their people faced annihilation: When Esthers words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: Do not think that because you are in the kings house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your fathers family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this? (Esther 4:12-14) Who knows but that you have come to First Baptist Church for such a time as this?

There is a well documented observation that most organizations operate on the 20/80 principle. That means that twenty percent of the people do eighty percent of the work and twenty percent of the people give eighty percent of the support. If were going to keep the miracle going, we cant afford to be a 20/80 church. I guarantee you that Coach Brooks did not keep any player on that team who only gave twenty percent effort. No, to even stand a chance of making the final cut, those players had to eat, breathe, live, and play hockey like they never had done before. They didnt know what a hockey team was until Coach Brooks was done with them. But they persevered, and they learned, and they grew, and they won. They discovered who they played for.

The most painful thing that Coach Brooks had to do was to make that final cut to bring the team number into compliance with the Olympic rules. The last player he let go was as dedicated and hard-working as any other on the team. Thats the way of human institutions. You can work hard, even harder than others, and still be cut. Praise God, that never happens on the Christian team. God is able to keep His team as big as He wants it to be. In fact, He wants His team to be big. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4) What more motivation do we need to keep the miracle going?

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

179 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

http://www.bhfirstbaptist.com

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