My role in the re-building process

My role in the re-building process

We have been discussing the re-vitalizing of our work at St. Andrew. Our various groups have developed action plans. These have been presented to the general assembly. We have also reviewed budgets and we look forward to the open discussion.

Last week there was a call for clarity as to the roles that are required of each of us. The sentiment was that people are committed they only need to be clear as to what is required of them.

I was also blessed to hear Bro. Eddie Fisher’s use of Eph 4 to motivate brethren:

I have been mindful of 1 Cor 12 as it relates to our roles in the service of God:

It is clear then that we have shared responsibilities in the church. No one has any grounds for being inactive. Yes, leaders and teachers need to prepare the flock for service. But we are all individual parts of the body – each with a role to play.

I want to explore further some of the roles and responsibilities. The objective is not to be critical but to highlight how we ought to be individually and collectively if we are to do justice to our responsibilities.

I want to pay more attention to who are to be as against what we ought to do.

When we get who we are right, then it will be clear what we ought to do. In fact, then it will be natural for us to be found doing the right things at the right time in the right way and with the right attitude.

The first thing that I think is necessary is for us to be united. We need to see ourselves as part of one body. We must be the manifestation of what Paul wants of the Corinthian church:

ICor 12:26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

In a real sense our commitment to the congregation has to be called into question. I would be deeply concerned about my future if my heart or liver or lung felt about my body the way that some of us feel about this congregation.

How would you feel if morning after morning parts of your body just did not show up for duty?

Your eyes stayed up late and really can’t be bothered to function today. Or they wandered off next door to experience your neighbours new state-of-the-art lighting. “We did not see it as a problem. We thought you would find a way to get through by going ahead in faith. We figured some other part would double up.”

Then your feet decide that they too can follow suit and just opt out one morning. And then all the parts get into the act. At that point you must wonder when your heart will decide that it is not fair for it to carry the burden all the time and to be always present.

The Scriptures are inspired and carefully crafted. The analogy of using the body to depict what the church is like is not accidental. It gives each of us deeper understanding of what is required in a functional congregation.

Not one of us would treat casually the fact that our hands have decided not to come along with us today. Which of us would shrug our shoulders at the fact that our brain wants to sleep late or to go elsewhere?

Brethren, if this congregation is to be a beacon for Christ and to achieve meaningful impact in our community, each member must come to the recognition that they are a part of the body. And just like with the human body, they cannot separate themselves from the body without important consequences.

If you lose your little toe it is going to take some time for you to re-learn how to maintain your balance. Any part that is disposed of is noticeable. So not only are the parts to recognize where they belong and the important role they have to play but the others parts must be fully conscious of the absence of any part.

If my ears fail to show up for duty I must be deeply concerned and set about getting them back in service. The body will make a concerted effort to avoid losing any of its parts. It knows that it cannot be effective if its parts continue to opt out on it. It takes extra care then to keep all its parts intact.

So, the first commitment to who we are to be in the re-building process is that we must see ourselves as a part of this congregation in the same way that our eyes and our ears and our little toe are a part of our body.

Also, we are to be individually and collectively as earnestly interested in the well being of each member as we are concerned about a corn on our toe or about irregular heartbeat or about impaired hearing in our body. We must commit to securing the well being of each member.

And there is a twist.

What if my leg gets infected and becomes gangrenous? I might have to make the decision to have it amputated to save the rest of my body. So then, are there circumstances in which we need to separate ourselves from a member for their own good and for the good of the body?

1 Corinthians 5
Expel the Immoral Brother!
11But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

Now this is a role that we tend to ignore. It is awkward for us to deal with unpleasant issues. Confronting someone with their shortcomings is something that we shy away from. Yet, the goal is to have them restored. Leaving them to continue with wayward behaviour not only threatens their salvation but also the fate of the entire body.

So then this is another manifestation of who we are to be in our quest to be a dynamic beacon for Christ. We are to be a congregation that is willing to discuss the failings of members with them with a view towards restoring them.

We must also be a congregation that is willing to withdraw fellowship from members who refuse to heed admonition – again with a view to saving their souls.

Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?

We must also bear in mind the long history of the presence of evil either inviting God’s wrath or blocking His blessings.

Joshua 7 - Achan's Sin
11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

Brethren, unless we commit to removing the persistent secret and not so secret sin from among us, we should not be surprised if our efforts bear little fruit and our work is in vain. As individuals, we should also be mindful of the fact that our actions are not personal. They have implications for the entire body.

God and sin do not rest comfortably together.

Another of the challenges that the congregation faces is the shortage of financial resources. This has been highlighted as we reviewed the proposed budget. It is clear that things that we would like to achieve are not possible in the context of existing financial arrangements.

On our road to being a dynamic beacon for Christ we have to change our profile as it relates to financial matters. We need to make the transition to being a well resourced congregation. We have to be a congregation that gives generously and consistently.

I want to step out of the box a little and suggest that one solution is for us to increase our capacity individually and collectively to earn more. Sacrificing from what you have is great. But what if you developed the capacity to earn more from which to sacrifice?

Also, what if we had more persons with more resources from which to give?
Christ called fishermen but also a tax collector. We have spoken about friendship evangelism being a major thrust as we go forward. Many of us have professional colleagues.

What if more of these were brought into our fellowship and were willing to contribute sacrificially and consistently?

Would that improve our capacity to achieve some of our goals?

Reflect on the areas that come readily to mind when we conceive our evangelical efforts. Are they skewed away from upscale areas? Are middle and upper income earners less in need of Christ?

As we move forward then, can we commit to being a congregation that takes the Gospel across all income levels?

But what about those of us who are already inside? Are we satisfied that we have maximized our earning potential? Are we earnestly praying and working to dramatically increase our capacity to generate wealth?

Have we with a clear conscience petitioned God to expand our borders and to open opportunities to us that would enable us to contribute significantly more to our work in His vineyard?

Are we blocking His blessings because of a lack of faith to step forward and claim Promised Land opportunities that God has extended to us?

Why do we doubt that by believing prayer and petition and confident action we can give 5 or 10 times the level of our current annual contribution?

What is required is for us to change our understanding of who we are and whose we are.

Things change for the better when we know and respect the fact that we are a part of this congregation in same way that our eyes are a part of our bodies.

Things change for the better when we know and respect the fact that we are as concerned about the well being of each member as we are keen to protect and develop the vital organs of our bodies.

Things change for the better when we know and respect the fact that we are willing to challenge members about their wayward behaviour and to separate ourselves from them if necessary. We do this in the same way that we work to prevent infection from invading our bodies and are willing to amputate a limb in the interest of the rest of the body.

Things change for the better when we know and respect the fact that we are a congregation that mobilizes the resources it needs to achieve its objectives.

Things change for the better when we know and respect the fact that we give sacrificially and consistently as individuals and collectively.

Things change for the better when we know and respect the fact that we are a congregation that works hard to increase our numbers including persons with significant earning and giving capacity.

Things change for the better when we know and respect the fact that we are individually and collectively able to multiply our own capacity to earn and to give by earnest prayer and diligent work.

Brethren, these changes inevitably lead to success in Christ.

When we are these things we will be beacons for Christ and achieve great things in His name.

I close with 3 challenges that will move us forward:

1. Let us demonstrate our readiness to own a building by demonstrating to God that we will be able to get the people to worship in it.

a. Working on the principle of friendship evangelism let us ensure that once per month we have a minimum of 10 “visitors” in our worship service.

2. Let us demonstrate to God our willingness to be good financial stewards and to give sacrificially.
a. A building will need to be maintained even if we got one today as a gift.
b. Let us demonstrate our capacity to God, potential contributors and financiers that we can at least maintain the building.
c. Let us therefore set aside a special fund that is the equivalent of the cost of insurance, light, water, telephone and general repairs.
d. A team is working on those numbers and we will then ask persons who are willing to make a monthly contribution to that fund.
3. Let us demonstrate to God our commitment to this fellowship. It is pointless inviting our friends and then demonstrating a culture of unreliable attendance. Let us commit that during this re-building process we do our very best to be present for worship AND Bible Study.

St. Andrew, when Abraham demonstrated his willingness to obey God even to the sacrifice of his son, God recognized his efforts and rewarded him.

When the woman with the issue of blood fought her way through the crowd to touch the hem of Jesus’s garment, Jesus recognized her efforts and rewarded her.

When Joshua led the Israelites out on the 7th day God recognized their efforts and rewarded them.

Let us be the kind of congregation that freely seeks to expose the people we associate with to the Word of God.

Let us be the kind of congregation that takes our worship, study and fellowship so seriously that we seize every opportunity to assemble whenever the brethren meet.

Let us be the kind of congregation that appreciates the fact that we are merely stewards of the material things that God he blessed us with and consequently we are happy to consistently contribute to the work of the church.

I made bold to promise you today that once we demonstrate these qualities God will pour out blessings upon us beyond our wildest imagination.

Trevor Smith My role in the re-building process St A coC 06-06-10