MINISTRY

#1 · January 8, 2008, 2:19 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on January 8, 2008, 2:19 pm
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
MINISTRY

January 6, 2008

Text: Galatians 2:11-21

I do not peer into crystal balls. Neither do I read tea leaves nor gaze at star charts. What I am telling you is that I cannot predict the future. Consequently, dont look to me to be able to be very specific concerning any events in 2008. I dont even know who the next President of the United States will be after the November election.

I do know with certainty that there will be changes and new events in 2008. Hopefully, they will not be too catastrophic. I can also tell you with certainty that some things will remain the same. Some things need to remain the same because they are vital and/or everlasting. For instance, I can guarantee that Christian ministry and witness will continue to be a focus at Bunker Hill First Baptist Church. We will continue to worship the Lord in our public service every Sunday. We will continue to address the needs of members of our fellowship and our communities. In fact, we will strive to keep intact the unchanging instruction that Paul left with the people of God more than two thousand years ago: For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I told you that some things never change.

One of the paradoxes of Christianity is that the Lord wants us to be his disciple, but he will not force anyone to be his disciple. In and of their own volition, not a person here this morning has to be involved in any ministry. Not a one of us has to be a growing disciple of Jesus. We could all leave this morning, lock the church doors, and never come back. No one is going to break into our homes next Sunday and force us upon point of death to get back to church. In fact, some people we know would be ecstatic if no one ever showed up to church again.

What is everlasting in this and every New Year is what I spoke on last Sunday: Gods love. When we read John 3:16 about Gods love for His world, it is as valid today as it was the day Jesus spoke it. Since Gods love is everlasting, so is the sacrifice He made out of love on our behalf. What I am getting at, then, is that we grow in discipleship and participate in ministry not out of our own volition, but out of Gods love for us.

In this portion of Galatians, Paul challenges the Jerusalem churchs belief that Gentiles had to conform to Jewish customs in order to be acceptable to God. He calls that hypocrisy. The case that he builds to renounce that imposition is on the justification in Christ. Consider the words of Paul here, So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified. That is pretty plain, I think.

So our action and our ministry are driven not by compulsion but by compassion. This is why a Christian like Mother Theresa could do what she did. Many of us could not go to what we consider such extremes as she did, but what she did she never considered extreme. She considered it compassion. She considered it love. That was her motivation.

So it is with us. No matter how we respond to Gods call, we respond out of love for Christ and, in turn, his love for others in this world. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Christian ministry and discipleship is all about being Christ-centered. It is not about being church-centered. It is not about special programs. It is not about catchy themes. It is about being Christ-centered.

Now flowing from being Christ-centered, we will likely express our ministries through programs and with a theme or two. There is nothing wrong with that. But always let us be sure that we have the horse before the cart. Christ and his sacrificial love for us motivate and propel us into ministry. It is about following Jesus, learning from him, becoming like him, and proclaiming him. Nothing else will do.

This is why ministry is vital. Jesus never calls us to follow him and stop at that. He calls us to follow him and to make other disciples. We follow. We help others follow. That is what we seek to do in ministry. This is why I say that Christian ministry will continue to be our focus at First Baptist Church in this New Year. Doing so is an act of compassionate obedience to the living God.

This is also why we need to be on the mutual lookout for ways to continue and enhance current ministries and to implement new types of ministries that proclaim the love of Christ and help others follow. Not everything we initiate will always work out. There were some places that Paul visited where the Gospel never got a foothold in spite of his best efforts. We cannot always predict how people will react toward any given ministry. But that does not excuse us from being involved in trying.

When we look at the history of our own church, we can identify specific ministries that have not lasted. Some ran their course and when the situation they addressed changed, they were no longer effective. Some just did not fit the gifts of those making the attempt. Some passed by the wayside because of the unfortunate result of no one taking ownership and leadership. Some were not truly Christ-centered. All of these reasons are all right as long as we learn from them.

At the same time, some ministries continue and others sprout up. When Jeff and Melanie Bingham and their family moved here, they brought with them a ministry they had experienced other places. As a result, the Stickin With Jesus Ministry Team has developed into a solid witness to our church, other churches, and our communities. It is a ministry that has been blessed by the Holy Spirit, and a ministry that I hope continues to flourish for a long time. In order for it to do so, it must remain Christ-centered.

Similarly, a senior adult fellowship has recently begun, and the Girls of Joy ministry has been rejuvenated. These are both ministries with excellent opportunities to help others follow Christ. Another ministry that we have recently undertaken is opening our building up to a Girl Scout brownie Troop every Monday evening. When we were discussing the request, we did not look too closely at the spiritual dimensions. We did want to be reassured that the building would be cared for, but a Girl Scout Troop is not a religious group. In fact, I am sure that the leaders have to be careful to not impose their religion on the girls. So, like I said, spiritual dimensions were not closely discussed. Yet, God is using our hospitality for His purpose. Not too long after they began meeting, I sent an e-mail to Melissa Collins, the Troops adult leader, asking if everything was working out for her. Here is part of her reply: Things are going great. We really appreciate you allowing us to use the church. It is so much better than a school cafeteria. We are trying to sow seeds into our girls and I think being at the church helps. We pray at every meeting and gave our girls bibles last year. Many of them do not go to church or pray at home. So I am very happy to be in an environment that can only enhance them. God gave us each one of these girls for a reason. We hope to be the difference that brings them to the Lord. I received Melissas e-mail on a Monday following our last business meeting and immediately wished I had gotten it before that Sunday evening so I could share it there. I could go on about ministries at First Baptist, but I think you get the picture.

The reason I am talking about ministries is because I want you to be encouraged that you make a difference. I want you to know without any doubts or hesitation that your Christ-centered service, no matter what it is, has meaning and value in Gods Kingdom. Like I said at the outset, I am not all that great at making predictions. I do not always know what particular ministry will be most effective and enduring. But I do know that we will minister. We will disciple. And we will be disciples.

Let us gather around the Communion table this morning to receive the bread and the cup because we are in communion with God. We are in relationship with God. We are in ministry with and for God. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

170 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@...>

MINISTRY

January 6, 2008

Text: Galatians 2:11-21

I do not peer into crystal balls. Neither do I read tea leaves nor gaze at star charts. What I am telling you is that I cannot predict the future. Consequently, dont look to me to be able to be very specific concerning any events in 2008. I dont even know who the next President of the United States will be after the November election.

I do know with certainty that there will be changes and new events in 2008. Hopefully, they will not be too catastrophic. I can also tell you with certainty that some things will remain the same. Some things need to remain the same because they are vital and/or everlasting. For instance, I can guarantee that Christian ministry and witness will continue to be a focus at Bunker Hill First Baptist Church. We will continue to worship the Lord in our public service every Sunday. We will continue to address the needs of members of our fellowship and our communities. In fact, we will strive to keep intact the unchanging instruction that Paul left with the people of God more than two thousand years ago: For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I told you that some things never change.

One of the paradoxes of Christianity is that the Lord wants us to be his disciple, but he will not force anyone to be his disciple. In and of their own volition, not a person here this morning has to be involved in any ministry. Not a one of us has to be a growing disciple of Jesus. We could all leave this morning, lock the church doors, and never come back. No one is going to break into our homes next Sunday and force us upon point of death to get back to church. In fact, some people we know would be ecstatic if no one ever showed up to church again.

What is everlasting in this and every New Year is what I spoke on last Sunday: Gods love. When we read John 3:16 about Gods love for His world, it is as valid today as it was the day Jesus spoke it. Since Gods love is everlasting, so is the sacrifice He made out of love on our behalf. What I am getting at, then, is that we grow in discipleship and participate in ministry not out of our own volition, but out of Gods love for us.

In this portion of Galatians, Paul challenges the Jerusalem churchs belief that Gentiles had to conform to Jewish customs in order to be acceptable to God. He calls that hypocrisy. The case that he builds to renounce that imposition is on the justification in Christ. Consider the words of Paul here, So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified. That is pretty plain, I think.

So our action and our ministry are driven not by compulsion but by compassion. This is why a Christian like Mother Theresa could do what she did. Many of us could not go to what we consider such extremes as she did, but what she did she never considered extreme. She considered it compassion. She considered it love. That was her motivation.

So it is with us. No matter how we respond to Gods call, we respond out of love for Christ and, in turn, his love for others in this world. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Christian ministry and discipleship is all about being Christ-centered. It is not about being church-centered. It is not about special programs. It is not about catchy themes. It is about being Christ-centered.

Now flowing from being Christ-centered, we will likely express our ministries through programs and with a theme or two. There is nothing wrong with that. But always let us be sure that we have the horse before the cart. Christ and his sacrificial love for us motivate and propel us into ministry. It is about following Jesus, learning from him, becoming like him, and proclaiming him. Nothing else will do.

This is why ministry is vital. Jesus never calls us to follow him and stop at that. He calls us to follow him and to make other disciples. We follow. We help others follow. That is what we seek to do in ministry. This is why I say that Christian ministry will continue to be our focus at First Baptist Church in this New Year. Doing so is an act of compassionate obedience to the living God.

This is also why we need to be on the mutual lookout for ways to continue and enhance current ministries and to implement new types of ministries that proclaim the love of Christ and help others follow. Not everything we initiate will always work out. There were some places that Paul visited where the Gospel never got a foothold in spite of his best efforts. We cannot always predict how people will react toward any given ministry. But that does not excuse us from being involved in trying.

When we look at the history of our own church, we can identify specific ministries that have not lasted. Some ran their course and when the situation they addressed changed, they were no longer effective. Some just did not fit the gifts of those making the attempt. Some passed by the wayside because of the unfortunate result of no one taking ownership and leadership. Some were not truly Christ-centered. All of these reasons are all right as long as we learn from them.

At the same time, some ministries continue and others sprout up. When Jeff and Melanie Bingham and their family moved here, they brought with them a ministry they had experienced other places. As a result, the Stickin With Jesus Ministry Team has developed into a solid witness to our church, other churches, and our communities. It is a ministry that has been blessed by the Holy Spirit, and a ministry that I hope continues to flourish for a long time. In order for it to do so, it must remain Christ-centered.

Similarly, a senior adult fellowship has recently begun, and the Girls of Joy ministry has been rejuvenated. These are both ministries with excellent opportunities to help others follow Christ. Another ministry that we have recently undertaken is opening our building up to a Girl Scout brownie Troop every Monday evening. When we were discussing the request, we did not look too closely at the spiritual dimensions. We did want to be reassured that the building would be cared for, but a Girl Scout Troop is not a religious group. In fact, I am sure that the leaders have to be careful to not impose their religion on the girls. So, like I said, spiritual dimensions were not closely discussed. Yet, God is using our hospitality for His purpose. Not too long after they began meeting, I sent an e-mail to Melissa Collins, the Troops adult leader, asking if everything was working out for her. Here is part of her reply: Things are going great. We really appreciate you allowing us to use the church. It is so much better than a school cafeteria. We are trying to sow seeds into our girls and I think being at the church helps. We pray at every meeting and gave our girls bibles last year. Many of them do not go to church or pray at home. So I am very happy to be in an environment that can only enhance them. God gave us each one of these girls for a reason. We hope to be the difference that brings them to the Lord. I received Melissas e-mail on a Monday following our last business meeting and immediately wished I had gotten it before that Sunday evening so I could share it there. I could go on about ministries at First Baptist, but I think you get the picture.

The reason I am talking about ministries is because I want you to be encouraged that you make a difference. I want you to know without any doubts or hesitation that your Christ-centered service, no matter what it is, has meaning and value in Gods Kingdom. Like I said at the outset, I am not all that great at making predictions. I do not always know what particular ministry will be most effective and enduring. But I do know that we will minister. We will disciple. And we will be disciples.

Let us gather around the Communion table this morning to receive the bread and the cup because we are in communion with God. We are in relationship with God. We are in ministry with and for God. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

170 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