A&D Biker Ministries "Growing the Kingdom of God . . . one Biker at a time"

 

 

March 23, 2024

 

Finding It, Keeping It, and Sharing It

(sermon series)

 

“Famous Last Words”

 

Think about this . . . if you knew that you only had one hour left on this earth, what would you want to say to those around you?  What words would you have for your friends, your spouse, your children, your siblings, your co-workers, your neighbors?  What would be your last words?

 

These are actual last words of some famous people:

 

Applaud my friends, the comedy is finished.”  - Beethoven

 

Love one another.”   - Beatle George Harrison

 

I should have never switched from scotch to martinis.”  - Humphrey Bogart

 

France, army, Josephine.”  - Napoleon Bonaparte

 

Drink to me.”  - Pablo Picasso

 

I'm bored with it all.”  - Winston Churchill

 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!”  - Joan of Arc

 

Famous last words!  Why are anyone’s last words famous?  What is it about someone's final words that fascinates us, that makes us sit up and listen?

 

I think we’re naturally interested in someone’s last words because we believe, and believe correctly in many cases, that a person’s last words typically give us a glimpse right down into the center of someone's soul.

 

I mean, if you knew that you only had one hour left on this earth, wouldn’t you open up your heart?  Wouldn’t you say those things you’d always wanted to say, the things you know you should say?  Wouldn’t you want to leave your family & friends with the unvarnished, unobstructed, undeniable truth about what is most important to you . . . about your hopes, desires, and prayers for each of them?

 

As we conclude tonight this sermon series on “IT”, I believe with all my heart that God wants us to look at / consider / and respond to these famous last words from Matthew 28.

 

Matthew 28:19-20

19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  - Jesus -

These are the very last words spoken by Jesus, that Matthew wrote down for us in his Gospel, before our Lord ascended back into heaven.  Listen, again, to Jesus’ famous last words from Matthew’s Gospel.

 

Matthew 28:16-20

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.  17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.  18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

 

Imagine the scene that Matthew is painting for us here.  It is only a matter of days after Jesus - their teacher, their Master, their friend for over three years - it was only a matter of days since he was arrested, beaten, and executed on a Roman cross.

 

But, here are the eleven remaining disciples, seeing Jesus again, raised from the dead!  Verse 17 tells us that, “when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.”  These circumstances are so incredible that there is an understandable mixed response to the reality of the risen Jesus.

 

But, notice how these famous last words . . . the closing words of Matthew’s Gospel, and the last words of Jesus in the book of Matthew . . . notice what they reveal to us about the heart of Jesus.  What matters to Jesus?  There is in these words a very clear emphasis by Jesus on the continuation of his mission.  Do you see that?

 

Jesus did not say, “You guys are great!  Thanks for the memories.  See you on the other side!”   No, the last words of Jesus in the book of Matthew are a charge, a commission, a set of marching orders to carry out and carry on the most important work in the universe.  Matthew 28 is, of course, not the only place where we read about Jesus’ last words.  Listen to these other passages that share some of Jesus’ final words to his followers:

 

John 20:19-21

19 When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”  20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side.  The disciples therefore rejoiced when they saw the Lord.  21 Jesus therefore said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you. 

 

Luke 24:46-47

46 . . . and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations - beginning in Jerusalem.” 

 

Acts 1:8

“. . . but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”  

Do you see how all of these come back to the mission of God?  As the Father has sent me, I also send you.”  This mission was a continuation of the mission of Jesus himself during his earthly ministry.  This was simply a new phase of that ministry . . . a new phase made possible by Jesus’ death and resurrection!

 

That’s why Jesus tells them, you shall be my witnesses.”  That’s the reason that they can proclaim forgiveness of sins in His name to all the nations.”

 

These famous last words, the last words of Jesus before he returned to the Father, these words that reveal the heart of Jesus, these words are all about what WE are supposed to be doing as his followers. 

 

If you are a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, do these words shape your whole life?  Billions of people, every day in some way, ask the question, “Why am I here?  What’s the purpose of my life?”

 

I think many Christians also ask that question.  And, And, I think they come up with different answers.  “Why am I here?  I’m here to be fulfilled.  Doesn’t God want me to be fulfilled?”  Or, “I’m here to somehow make it through themine field’ of this evil world and get to heaven, sinning as little as possible along the way.”  Or, “I’m here to grow in my personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”  Are these things completely wrong?  No, but they are incomplete and maybe misdirected.

 

I think many churches ask that question as well:  “Why are we here?”  I think they too come up with different answers, too.  “Why are we here?  We’re here to get people saved so they can go to heaven.”  Or, “We’re here to help people solve their problems and deal with their baggage.”  Or, “We’re here to help better our communities; to provide people with a worship experience; or we’re here because this church has always been here, and that’s just what we do.”

 

What we forget is that if we are asking that question it’s because someone and some church somewhere was living according to the mission of Jesus.  They were living as “his witnesses” to us!

 

The grace of God at work in you and me, by the faithfulness of his people, is the reason you and I are sitting here right now!

 

As we conclude this “IT” sermon series, we need to cling to the last words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.  We need to think again about the reason each of us is here.  We need to think about why A&D Biker Ministries is here.  We need to carefully and prayerfully consider the charge . . . the commission that Jesus gave to us.

 

The eleven disciples in our scripture are not simply functioning as individuals.  As the leaders of Jesus' people, they represent Jesus' people.  They represent the Church.  They represent us!  So, JESUS’ CO-MISSION is entrusted to us!

 

What is the CO-MISSION in Matthew 28:16-20 that has been entrusted to us?  What do we discover here in these famous last words that should be the vision of A&D?

 

The first thing required of us is KNOW CHRIST.

 

What is a disciple?  A disciple is someone under a teacher; a student, a learner.  And the goal is to be like the teacher.

 

This is NOT the disconnected kind of information we see in most educational models.

 

From Kindergarten through High School; a Master of Arts degree; a Master of Divinity Degree; and a Doctor of Divinity degree - I was part of educational programs that required a collective minimum of 25 years to complete.  I got a little from this teacher, and a little from that professor, and stuck it all together . . . in order to get a piece of paper! 

 

Being a disciple means being with someone in order to learn from them how to be like them.  Like Mozart's or Beethoven’s disciples want to become like them musically.  Like a carpenter's apprentice wants to become like their teacher vocationally.

 

A disciple of Jesus is someone who is under Jesus with the goal of becoming like Jesus.

 

Jesus simply used a cultural concept that people were familiar with, in order to communicate what God had said before in the Old Testament.

 

Leviticus 11:45

“Be holy, for I am holy.”

 

God was saying, “I want you to be like me.”   In the New Testament, Jesus said, “Come follow me.”  And in our co-mission, Jesus does say, “Make disciples of all nations.”  That means all of us are invited to follow him.  It doesn't matter who you are, where you’re from, what you once believed, or what you've done.  Jesus wants us to know him / follow him / be his disciples.

How do we make disciples?  How do we make someone to be like Jesus? 

 

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

 

Look at the two participles that are connected to the main verb here:  make (as in “make disciples).”  These two participles tell us something about the tasks and the time related to making disciples.

 

The first participle is Baptizing.

   

A disciple is a person who publicly confirms that they have turned from sin and self to embrace Jesus as their Lord and to live in his grace.  Baptism is simply a formal, outward expression of inward faith.  So baptism, in this passage, acknowledges a moment-in-time indicator of saving faith.  It is not a process.  Salvation, like baptism, is a one-time event that points to the moment a person hears the Gospel, the good news of Christ, and then responds in faith, and surrenders their life to Jesus as his follower / disciple.

Does this mean that disciples, after coming out of the water of baptism, are like Jesus in every respect?  No, look at the other participle . . .

 

The second participle is Teaching.   

 

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

 

The second thing required is to Grow in Faith.

 

Discipleship is not automatic conformity to Jesus.  It's about learning, right?  The work of making disciples is also about teaching these baptized followers of Jesus what it means to follow him - according to the instructions Jesus himself gave us.

 

And the commands of Christ point us to the huge importance and authority of everything in the Old and New Testament.

 

Baptism points us to our moment of conversion; that point in time when you go from following the world to following Jesus.  The work of teaching reminds us that making disciples / discipleship is a process.  So, making disciples is about finding faith and following in faith.  It’s about birth and growth.  It’s about opening a door and walking a path.

 

The third thing required of the Church, of THIS church, is to Go Witness.

 

In light of all this, in light of these famous last words of Jesus, the question is, “How are we making disciples for Jesus?”  He told his disciples to teach new disciples to obey everything that he has commanded.  Wouldn’t that include this command?

 

19 GO . . . and make disciples . . .

 

We've already pointed out that the work of making disciples is the work of the Church.

 

So, A&D Family, what does this mean for us?  I think it means that we need to make sure that our purpose as a church is God’s purpose for the Church.  No matter what a church mission statement declares, it’s easy to slip into other purposes . . . even as God’s people.  

 

We can make A&D primarily about relationships, or recovery, or good Bible studies, or social action, or great praise music.  But the famous last words of Jesus make our mission clear, don’t they?

 

It also means that we need to think carefully about how we should carry out this mission.

 

We first need to acknowledge that becoming a disciple and growing as a disciple involves many informal aspects.  God uses casual conversations, and difficult trials; times of prayer and Bible reading; relationships and chances to serve others.

God uses all of these everyday things to make us more like Jesus.  But, God also uses formal elements to grow us as a disciple.  In fact, Scripture tells us that these formal elements are a big part of what informs, what shapes, what affects those informal aspects.

 

What do I mean by formal elements?  I mean those things that we can plan.  Times for Christians to meet together (for worship and for prayer and for small group studies).  There were these structures within the Early Church and those sources are still with us today, in God’s Word, the Bible.

 

And I think that just as Jesus told his followers to “make disciples by teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”, I think the New Testament shows us that there were specific things that every disciple should know; specific ways every disciple should grow.

 

I am going to work with our Elders  to develop and implement a vision for making disciples of Jesus.  This vision includes familiar elements like our Saturday Evening Worship, our Growth Groups, our Recovery Groups, and recurring membership classes. 

 

But the heart of this vision will include a new priority of Disciple Making.  There will be various studies, with different formats, that we hope God will use to create a framework for our spiritual growth.

 

Our prayer is that every person in this church family will take this journey with us, as we call followers for Jesus and follow the call of Jesus.

 

At the end of our “IT” sermon series, I hope you all understand that the message in the last words of Jesus is our purpose and vision . . . Know Christ, Grow in Faith, Go Witness.

 

I want to thank you for hanging in here with me through this sermon series.  Parts of these sermons may have been painful to hear.  Hopefully God is stirring you, drawing you, speaking to you.  I pray that when he does, you will follow his lead.  Once you do get it, never take it for granted.  Embrace the power of the Holy Spirit working in you to do more than you can ask or imagine.  Here is my prayer for you in this area. 

 

This prayer’s from A Franciscan Benediction . . .

 

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationship, so that you may live deep within your heart.

 

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppressions, and the exploitation of people., so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

 

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, and starvation, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.

 

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

 

That’s IT!  AMEN

 

March 16, 2024

 

Finding It, Keeping It, and Sharing It

(sermon series)

 

“DO YOU HAVE IT . . . AND DOES IT HAVE YOU?”

Revelation 2:1-7 (ESV)

 

WeWEWe continue tonight in our series:  IT - Finding It, Keeping It, and Sharing It.  The first message was called, “What Is It?”  We defined IT this way:  What God does through a rare combination of certain qualities found in his people.   

 

Bottom of Form

Those qualities are: 

   1. A passion for his presence. 

   2. A deep craving to reach the lost. 

   3. Sincere integrity. 

   4. Spirit-filled faith. 

   5. Down-to-earth humility. 

   6. Brokenness.

 

Our messages began with a study of the traits that marked churches that had it . . . and learning how WE can develop those traits in our congregation.  The first trait was a God-given, God-breathed Vision and we said that “You Can See It Clearly.”

 

The 2nd trait was The Importance of Teamwork and we said that “We Experience It Together.”

 

We looked at a 3rd trait:  Innovation.  Innovation is important because “You’ll Do Anything For It.” 

 

Next was the message about Sharing The Gospel, because “You Want Others to Have It.”

 

Then, we looked at the strange concept that Failure is essential to success.  “You Fail Toward It.”

 

Next, was a message that was also about sharing.  When you have it, “You Share It With Others.”  You don’t hoard it, because when you do, you lose it! 

 

Tonight, each one of us needs to answer the questions, “Do I have it and does it have me?”  Are the six qualities mentioned just a few minutes ago evident in your life?  Is God working in you and through you to accomplish his purposes?

 

Max DePree, for many years, was the CEO of a Fortune 500 company called Herman Miller.  Because of his experience and wisdom, DePree was often asked to speak on the topic of leadership for different companies and organizations.  Someone once asked DePree what was the most difficult thing for him personally to work on in his own life.  His response was, “It’s the interception of entropy.”

 

Entropy is a term from physics.  It is the process in which everything, left to itself, has a tendency to deteriorate and wind down. 

 

Does the phrase “spiritual entropy” describe your relationship with Jesus Christ right now?  At one time, you were much closer in your relationship with him.  You used to love to talk to him in prayer.  You used to love to read his Word.  You used to love being with his people.  But life has interfered.  The worries and struggles of this world have come between you and Jesus.  Other things have become more important.  There is distance in your relationship.  Things have cooled off,  in your spiritual life, between you and God.

 

Have you noticed that new believers often have it?  They’re very  excited about Jesus.  They think God is always speaking to them . . . and he is!  They see everything as spiritual . . . and they’re right!  They believe Jesus might return soon . . . which he very well could!  Everything they do is focused on him.

 

They have it!

 

Then, some “more mature believer” decides to help them to grow up.  “This is just a phase you’re going through,” the mature believer explains.  “It’ll wear off.”  The “mature” person might describe how Moses once experienced God’s presence and glowed. But the glow faded.

And you know what happens?  The longtime and passionless Christian inadvertently talks the new passionate Christian into surrendering it and becoming like the rest of the dull Christians  you and I both know . . . and sometimes are!

 

Do you remember The Righteous Brothers song, You’ve lost that Lovin’ Feeling ?  Are you singing a similar spiritual tune right now?  Do you need to humbly admit, “I’ve lost it?”

 

Be honest.  Do you have it?  Do you have that something special that is from God and for God?  If not, do what you need to do to get it back.  Cry out.  Plead with God to, give it back to me in a way that I’ll never lose it again!

 

I want us to look together at a passage of scripture that deals with this very problem.  It records the very words of Jesus, as he looked at one specific congregation in Asia Minor and gave his assessment of their situation.  It gives us some important principles in correcting our own situation.

 

Revelation 2:1-7 (ESV)

1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:  ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.  2 I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.  3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary.  4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.  5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.  If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.  6 Yet this you have:  you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.  7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’”

Jesus actually says some good things about this congregation.  He commends them for being active, hard-working, persevering, discerning in their doctrine, and morally pure.  In the eyes of many people today, the Ephesian congregation was a great church / a faithful church.

 

Yet, Jesus points out a very fatal flaw.  Jesus said, 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.  The word translated as “abandoned” means “deserted, vacated, forsaken.”  They had gone somewhere else.  They had left behind their “first love.”  And this defect was so severe that, if it went uncorrected, Jesus said that it would result in the extinction of their light. Jesus warned if they continued in the same direction, the church would cease to exist.

 

What was this first love that they had left behind?  It was their inner devotion to Christ that had marked their earlier commitment.  It is like the love shared between newlyweds.

 

When your marriage relationship is new, it is fresh and alive.  You spend time with each other.  You enjoy being with each other.  There is an energy that emanates just from your relationship.  When you’re apart, you long to be with each other.  Life seems to have no real meaning without your mate at your side.

 

But what happens?  Melvin Newland describes it this way:  “But there are jobs to go to, and appointments to be kept, and stresses to be dealt with, and arguments and problems and family feuds and fusses.  And all of these things pull on us, until soon the demands become so overwhelming that the love relationship begins to suffer.  Then one day you look across the table at each other and you think, “That’s not the person I married?  What happened? Your marriage love didn’t receive the daily nourishment it needed to grow healthy and strong.”

 

At one time, the Ephesians had felt so much love flowing from God to them, that they were afraid if they took it in all at one time that their hearts would explode.  At one time, they had lived with a simple childlike trust in God; a trust that freed them from the concerns that crushed others. At one time, the Christian life seemed like an adventure to them.

They never knew when God would break in to lead them or give them a sign or a display of his power.

 

Jesus is saying to the church at Ephesus, and to some of us today, “You have abandoned that innocent, enthusiastic, authentic love you had for me.  It used to characterize your life.  But now a very subtle and serious erosion has happened in our relationship.  Your love light doesn’t burn so brightly anymore.”

 

We do that, don’t we?  Somewhere along the way, some erosion occurs.  Things settle down.  The shine wears off.  The new car smell is gone.  We turn from being believers who have enthusiasm without much knowledge to being believers with knowledge but not much enthusiasm.  The fervor of our love for Jesus is replaced with an indifferent, unenthusiastic devotion.

 

When Christians begin to take God’s love for granted, their hearts start to grow cold, and the dynamic that fueled their spiritual life disappears.  Then, over time, our Christianity becomes emotionless / mechanical.  Oh, there might be some activity that goes on for a time. 

There might be a little labor, a little service, a little giving, some sporadic attempts at prayer . . . but the life-giving dynamic of it all is missing.

 

The greatest challenge in all of our lives is staying in a vital, first-love kind of relationship with Jesus.  It the biggest challenge in my life and it’s the greatest challenge in yours, too.

 

So how do we rekindle our relationship with Jesus?  How do we get it back?  Jesus gives us three important things we can do that will help us rejuvenate our walk with Jesus . . .

 

REMEMBER

 

God will send you reminders about how you’ve forgotten your relationship with him.  I read a story about a guy in the Navy who was an engineer on a submarine.  He was often out at sea during important family occasions and as a result, he sometimes forgot about them.

 

One year, he missed his wife’s birthday.  Unfortunately, it was impossible for her to tell him how furious she was.  The Navy screened all messages to their personnel.  They wanted to edit anything out of them that could be considered disturbing to the men on board the sub.

 

However, this woman got creative.  She sent her husband a letter, thanking him profusely for the lovely birthday present he so kindly remembered to send her.  She went on and on about how special he had made her feel by his thoughtfulness, and how grateful she was for his generosity.

Navy personnel dutifully delivered her letter.  The man got the message . . . and he never forgot his wife’s birthday again!

 

Jesus said, “Remember the height from which you have fallen!”  He’s asking you to reflect on what you used to have.  Look at the relationship the way it used to be and compare it to the way it is now.  Consider the joy you found and the peace you had at a former time.  Are things as wonderful in your relationship with Christ as they once were?

 

REPENT

 

Jesus says that after you remember, you have to repent.  Repentance is not a popular word in our world.  Repentance is a decision to change.  It’s an admission that your thoughts and your actions have not been right.

 

When you repent, you look at your sin and you see how ugly and horrible it is.  And you don’t try to deny it.  You don’t blame it on someone or something else.

You did it and you face the reality of it.

 

The word translated repent, here, literally means “to change one’s thinking; to think differently.”  But thinking differently must also mean that you act differently.  In Matthew 3:8, John the Baptist challenged some of the Jewish religious leaders to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

 

In other words, genuine repentance leads us to live righteous lives.

 

RETURN

 

Where do you find something that you’ve lost?  You have to go back to where you left it.  That’s where it is!  It can be keys, a wallet, sunglasses, an important letter . . . but whatever it is, it is sitting in the last place you left it.

 

That’s basically what Jesus is saying here.  He’s saying that if you have lost it, remember where you had it last then go back and find it again.  Where was the last time that you were touched by the wonderful love of God?  Wherever it was, if you’ve lost it, it is still there.  God hasn’t moved, and he is waiting for you to come back, to become reacquainted with him. 

 

Zechariah 1:3

This is what the LORD Almighty says:  “Return to me,” declares the LORD Almighty, “and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.

 

For a married couple who has fallen out of love, they have to do the things they did when they first fell in love.  They have put the needs of the other person first.  They have to give gifts to one another.  They have to go out on dates together.  They have to do those things to re-kindle the relationship.

 

For the Christian, that means praying again.  Not just statements that tell God what you want.  I’m talking about spending time with God where you talk to him and he talks to you.  You commune with God and he communes with you.  It means reading your Bible and meditation on what God’s Word says.  It means putting into practice what God’s Word says.  It means serving him by serving others.  It means you participate in individual and corporate worship.  It means giving of yourself and your money, your time, and your talents.

 

Notice that Jesus gives a warning about what will happen if you don’t return to your first love.  He warned the church at Ephesus, “If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”  (v. 5a )  Wow!  What a warning.  Jesus is saying to the Ephesian church that if things don’t change, and soon, it’s going to tear the soul out of the church.  Jesus is saying, “I’ll take your witness (lampstand) away.  You will cease to exist.”

 

Today, there is little left of Ephesus . . . except ruins.  What was once a mighty ocean harbor is now six miles inland from the Mediterranean Sea.  The coast is a harbor-less line of sand beach, unapproachable by ship.  What was once the Gulf of Ephesus and the harbor is now a marshland of dense reeds. 

 

And, the church at Ephesus no longer exists.  We don’t know exactly what happened  to it.

Most scholars think that they didn’t recapture their first love and their lampstand was removed.

 

Pastor Wayne Cordeiro, a preacher in Honolulu, Hawaii, writes:  Some time ago some wonderful people in our church gave Anna, my wife, and me a dinner certificate to a nice restaurant for $100. We thought, Wow, a hundred bucks.  Let's go for it.  We found a free evening.

 

We dressed up. I took a bath, used deodorant and cologne - the whole thing.  I even washed and waxed my car, because we wanted to take it through the valet, and I didn't want my Ford Pinto to look bad. 

 

The night came, and we were excited!  We went to this ritzy restaurant and walked in.  They gave us a nice, candlelit table overlooking a lagoon adjacent to a moonlit bay there in Hawaii.  Oh, it was nice.  And we thought, for a hundred bucks for just the two of us, we could eat high on the hog.  So we ordered the most expensive thing there.  It was wonderful.

 

When the bill came, I said, “Honey, why don't you give me the certificate.”

 

She said, “I don't have the certificate.  I thought you brought it.”

 

I said, “You have to have it.  You're supposed to have it.  You're the wife!”

She said, “I don't have it.”  And I thought, we are in deep yogurt.  Here we are.  We look rich, we act rich, we even smell rich.  But if we don't have that certificate, it invalidates everything.

 

Now, everything worked out for Pastor Cordeiro and his wife, concerning their big meal out.  But he adds:  “There are times in our lives when we can look holy, we can act holy, we can smell holy.  But without a relationship with Jesus, we've forgotten something.  It's relationship that validates everything else.”

 

Do You Have IT . . . And Does IT Have You?

 

 

March 9, 2024

 

Finding It, Keeping It, and Sharing It

(sermon series)

 

“Autopsy of a Deceased Church”

(Part 2)

 

TRAITS OF DECEASED CHURCHES (review)

1. Slow Erosion

2. The Past is the Hero

3. The Church Refused to Look Like the Community

4. The Budget Moved Inwardly

 

TRAITS OF DECEASED CHURCHES (finish)

 

5.  The Great Commission Becomes The Great Omission

     

Healthy and thriving churches have The Great Commission as the focal point of their vision.  Dying churches have “remember when” as the centerpiece of their vision.

 

Thom Rainer talks about Great Commission Amnesia.  This describes Christians, and churches, who choose to forget about all of the New Testament scriptures where Jesus sends out his followers (that’s you and me and ALL Christians).

 

Back to the Great Commission . . .

 

Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)

19 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

The imperative in these verses is “GO.”  But, as we go, Jesus gave us several sub-commands.  We are to “make disciples.”  We are to “baptize.”  We are to “teach.” 

 

Those are a lot of action words!  But, dead and dying churches have “forgotten” to act upon The Great Commission.  They stopped going, stopped making disciples, stopped baptizing & stopped teaching.

 

Did they really “forget?”  Or did they just “decide” to NOT act upon Christ’s command? 

 

How about Us?  Be honest.  How about us? 

 

Do we have Great Commission Amnesia?  Or is it just plain Great Commission Disobedience?

 

The Great Commission requires at least two points of obedience.  1) We are to “go”, and, 2) We are to depend totally upon the power of Jesus Christ.

That’s why Jesus reminds us twice in The Great Commission . . .

 

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  20 And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

The results of our “going / making disciples / baptizing / teaching” are dependent on Jesus.  But, our obedience is our work.  We must pray to Jesus so that we can reach others.  We must have an “others” focus  That requires us to look beyond ourselves.  And that requires us to get uncomfortable and to “go.” 

 

Members of dying churches aren’t willing to go into the community to reach and minister to people.  They aren’t willing to invite their unchurched friends and relatives.  They aren’t willing to spend the funds necessary for vibrant outreach. 

 

They just want it to happen.  Without prayer.  Without sacrifice.  Without hard work.

 

Even more sad is the fact that if growth began to happen on its own, in a dying church, members of a dying church would only accept the growth if the new members “were like them” and if the church would continue to “do church” the way they wanted.

 

GOD HELP US!

 

TRAITS OF DECEASED CHURCHES

6.  The “Preference Driven” Church 

  

Years ago, Rick Warren gave the church world his God-inspired book, The Purpose Driven Church.   The thesis of the book is what we’re about now - finding God’s purpose / vision for our church . . . and then being obedient to God’s vision / purpose!

 

Too many churches (dying churches) today have the Me, Myself and I mentality . . . we want what we prefer!  EVERY DECEASED CHURCH THAT WAS PART OF THE AUTOPSY IN RAINER’S BOOK HAD SOME LEVEL OF THIS PROBLEM!  Have we moved the focus from others to ourselves?  A church cannot survive long-term where members focus on their own preferences.

 

We are to be servants.  We are to be obedient to Jesus.  We are to put others first.  We are to do whatever it takes to seek the best for others and for our church!  Jesus calls his Church to have a self-sacrificial attitude . . . NOT a self-serving, self-giving, self-entitled attitude.

 

Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)

3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

 

TRAITS OF DECEASED CHURCHES

7.  Pastoral Tenure Decreases

 

In the churches autopsied, the majority of pastors came and went at a pace of every 2 to 3 years, especially in the two decades leading to the death of the churches.  The cycle went like this:

  • The churches were declining

 

  • A new pastor was called to make changes and get the church back on track

 

  • The new pastor comes and leads the church in a few changes

 

  • The members don’t like the changes and resist

 

  • The pastor becomes discouraged and leaves (or is fired)

 

  • Repeat the cycle

 

Thom Rainer’s Life Way Christian Resources Group has studied the tenure of pastors for years.  He has 5 different categories, marked by the years a pastor has been at the church.

 

Since we are in the fifth stage of his categories (11 years and beyond), we’ll look briefly at just this category.  He calls this category:  Crossroads, Part 2.

 

Crossroads, Part 1 is years 4-5 of a pastor’s tenure, when often there is a serious challenge / conflict in the ministry of the church.

 

This is a reality!  I’ve been a full-time lead pastor for 41 years, and I have seen this again and again . . . in my own experience, usually between years 5-7.

 

In the Years 11 and beyond:  Crossroads Part 2, Rainer explains it this way . . .

 

During this relatively rare tenure beyond ten years, the pastor will go down one of two paths.  One path is to be reinvigorated as a leader and ready to tackle new challenges and cast new visions.  Or the pastor will be resistant to change, and then become complacent.  I have seen both extremes, but I am still struggling to understand why pastors go down one path versus the other.

 

Rainer then gives this humbling and scary report:

 

Four of the fourteen deceased churches studied had long-term pastorates near / at the end of the life of the church. 

 

WHY?

 

 “The pastor made the decision to adopt the obstinate and uncooperative attitude of the members and be unwilling to do what should be done.”

 

There was no attempt to lead toward change.  There was no attempt to have an outward focus.  There was no attempt to become more like the community in which the church was located.

 

The pastors took the path of least resistance.  They likely knew the church was headed toward demise, or at least toward severe decline.

For those pastors, decline and death of the church was preferable to conflict.  They became caretakers of members only.  They sided with the members at any hint of change.

 

Three of the four pastors reached retirement age when the churches closed the doors.  The 4th pastor was able to get a staff position at another church.

 

But in all case . . . the churches died!

 

MY TRUTH / MY TESTIMONY

 

For much of last year (2023) I was very much feeling the burden and pressure that Rainer just talked about . . . our church is at a critical point of needing to find God’s direction / vision / purpose for A&D - for 2024 and forward! 

 

I was there when God planted the original vision for A&D, in 2007, and when he birthed our church on Saturday, September 20, 2008.  Our launch that day was held on the property of Grace Baptist Church.  I  remember what a massive undertaking and  amount of work it was back then, to find God’s direction / vision / purpose for A&D.  Now, God wants to rebirth us?  Expand his vision / purpose for real-time today?

 

But, I’m older now.  I’ll turn 65 next month.  I’ve lost a step or two.  And it would be SO much work, again!  If you were around here the last 6 months of 2023, you heard me publicly mention, multiple times, the very real possibility of my retirement in the next year or so.  Well, I’m here to publicly tell you . . . through our current process of Finding, Keeping, Sharing IT -  God has convicted me and broken me. 

 

A couple of weeks ago, I had a Come to Jesus moment in my personal prayer time.  I surrendered my life, again, to our holy / sovereign / enteral God.  I promised him, and I promise you here and now, IF it is what God wants; and if our congregation is unified in embracing God’s unfolding vision for A&D right now; and if we are growing God’s Kingdom by loving and winning people to Jesus - I will joyfully remain here as pastor until I am 70. 

 

AND, I will obediently surrender my position as Pastor, whenever God raises up his next servant to be lead pastor of A&D.  It's not my church.  It’s not your church.  THIS IS GOD’S CHURCH and we are his servants!

 

Our District Superintendent and District Leaders believe in A&D, and our future, so much that they’re putting together possible helps for us in this journey over the next couple of years.  I am so encouraged and excited at what God is doing! 

 

We’ll talk more about this, soon.  Now, back to . . .

 

TRAITS OF DECEASED CHURCHES

8.  The Church Rarely Prayed Together

     

Almost every deceased church, to the day they shut their doors for the last time, had some type of prayer time.  At the start of the worship service, or after the pastor’s sermon. 

Maybe even an invitation for people to come forward for prayer following the worship service.  Is all of that devoted and meaningful prayer, like the New Testament Church had in Acts 2?  Prayer and health of that church went hand in hand . . .

 

Acts 2:42 (NIV)

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

 

Note what the early followers of Jesus found important:  the apostles’ teaching (the Word of God), the fellowship and breaking of bread (each other), and prayer.

 

Don’t read too quickly over that word “devoted”.  It means much intensity and deliberation.

 

Prayer was the lifeblood of the early church.  They didn’t just read names off of a Prayer Alert.  They didn’t just pray in order to give permission to eat a meal.  They were fervent, intense, and passionate about prayer!  They had NO doubt that God was listening to them and responding to them.  Prayer was to their spiritual life like breath was to their body!

 

HOW ABOUT US?

 

Where there is no intentional, fervent, directed, unified prayer by a church’s members, that church is dying.

 

TRAITS OF DECEASED CHURCHES

9.  The Church Had No Clear Purpose


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