Momentum: That Invaluable Quality!

Posted by David on August 9, 1998 under Bulletin Articles

Originally the word “momentum” was a science word. It measured the speed and the mass of a moving object. It defined the amount of energy needed to stop a moving object.

That science word is now a popular people word. Every “people activity” knows that creating momentum is critical. No matter what the activity (politics, championing a cause, or competing in a sport), momentum is critical. Why? Momentum moves the campaign, the cause, or the competition to a point of becoming virtually unstoppable.

Momentum in “people efforts” is not an imaginary force. It is quite visible. Consider team sports. Often you actually see the momentum shifting. It is amazing to watch a team who is definitely defeated become a team that refuses to be beaten–in the same game.

Momentum shifts when what was seen as impossible is suddenly seen as possible. When people who fear that they can not become people who know that they can, momentum shifts. The soul of momentum in any human endeavor is faith.

In our spiritual quest in Christ Jesus, positive momentum means everything. A unique blend of faith in God, love for people, commitment to service, and confidence in God’s purposes generates positive spiritual momentum. When Christians gladly combine their spirits with God’s Spirit, momentum accelerates. As fear decreases and faith increases, positive spiritual momentum moves the congregation.

It takes only fear and inactivity to control a congregation with negative spiritual momentum. It requires much more to move a congregation through positive spiritual momentum. That takes faith, love, service, and confidence in God.

Negative spiritual momentum produces depression and bitterness. Positive spiritual momentum produces joy and hope. Can you see and feel our positive momentum growing? Is it blessing you? Will you help it accelerate?

Hold Up Their Hands

Posted by David on August 2, 1998 under Sermons

Wednesday night Paul Shirley read for us from the 17th chapter of Exodus–the last part of the chapter, in which the Amalekites had attacked the nation of Israel unprovoked and created a major crisis. They had just recently crossed the Red Sea.

The Israelites were slaves. They’d never engaged in a battle in their entire lives. They didn’t know anything about war or warfare.

Moses had used the staff that God had given him for many purposes, including dividing of the Red Sea. Moses told them to prepare for battle. He would watch the battle. He would hold up the staff so that the Lord would give them victory.

Moses committed himself to something that he thought was very doable. And he committed himself very seriously to doing it. But the task proved far bigger than Moses realized. As long as he held the staff up, the army of Israel prevailed. But when his arms grew tired and began to lower the staff, the armies of Israel began to lose the battle.

I imagine when Moses made his commitment, he thought that he was more than strong enough to see the matter through. This was a solution–it would come from God. Moses would do his part and surely they would succeed. But his arms grew tired. Will as he might that he hold the staff up, he couldn’t do it.

I love the solution that was devised by the people. They brought a stone for Moses to sit on, because they knew, just like Moses couldn’t hold up his arms indefinitely, they couldn’t hold their arms up to support him indefinitely. So, they brought him a stone to sit on, and Moses sat down. Then two men stood beside him and used their strength to hold his arms up.

Those who become leaders in a congregation (and are committed to seeing that what is best prevails for the family of God) feel equal to the task or they wouldn’t accept it. They may feel a spirit of humility. They may feel some fear. They may know their limitations. They may understand their flaws. But within themselves, they feel like, that with the help of God, they can do what they commit themselves to do.

But the task is always greater than the man–always. And there are always times when the man needs the help of those he tries to care for and those he tries to lead. So, we need to do as was done of old. There are times when we need to bring a chair and let them sit down so we can hold their hands up.

It can be an awfully lonely task. I don’t believe there is probably any task that God has given us that is any lonelier than providing leadership in the church. Because a full 80% of all that you do, a full 80% of all that is expected of you, is never seen by anybody except the principals that are involved. You know so many things that can never be shared. Your heart breaks on so many occasions that you cannot even share why you are hurting. You’re distressed about many things that you can never talk about, and that happens almost every single week. In time, it can take its toll.

This evening we want to encourage those that provide us leadership. We want to do it this evening, and not only this evening. By holding up their hands, we want them to know that we appreciate them. It is so easy to take them for granted. It is so easy to say nothing.

When things go well, we don’t say anything. When we’re happy, we don’t say anything. When we feel like ‘right on, you’re doing exactly what needs to be done!,’ we don’t say anything.

It’s only when things are “bad” that we say something. And you know what? There is always somebody that thinks it is bad. Always, always, somebody thinks it’s bad, and they are the ones that say something.

Tonight is the night for the voice of those who know that we appreciate what has happened. We don’t laud them because they’re perfect. We don’t laud them because they make every decision just precisely, exactly as it should be made. We laud them because they have the heart of God and they have faith in Jesus Christ. Individually, and as a group, they are really committed to that which is best for us and we want them to know that we appreciate it.

So, I challenge you, not just this evening. I challenge you when things are good and going well, tell them. Okay? When something is done really right and you are just pleased as you can be that it was done well, tell them. When one of them individually does something that you notice, that you are very encouraged about, tell him. Not just this evening, but all the time be aware.

Let’s give the kind of support to our leadership that will encourage others to aspire to leadership so there will never be a dirth of leadership in this congregation.

We belong to a God that always holds our arms up. He always supports us. When we’ve been very bad, He still holds our arms up. When we’ve been very good, He holds our arms up when we don’t even think He’s holding. Every time in between, He holds our arms up.

Jesus Christ, our Lord, and our God and Father, always support us. They are always standing by us. As long as we maintain faith, they will always see that we have the strength and support that we need. And that strength and support is yours. It belongs to you. It belongs to you if you belong to God.

If you have not given your life to Christ, if you have not become a Christian and you would like to do so, we would love to assist you. We would love to have the privilege of witnessing your birth into Christ by baptism. If you need prayers, we would love to pray with you. If in any way you have any need, we invite you to Christ.

Making God’s Vision Our Reality

Posted by David on under Sermons

Let me describe two kinds of hard workers. The first hard worker does wonderful work as long as the work goes exactly as it is supposed to go. If the job that he is doing proceeds exactly as it should, he is an excellent worker. The work he does is done right. But if a problem develops, or if something does not go as it should, he quits the project. He never quits to do nothing. He quits to begin another project.

The second hard worker never gives up. If something goes wrong, he determines why it went wrong. If he needs to correct something, he studies and works until it is corrected. He is determined to finish every project he begins. He is determined to do the job right. He refuses to quit until the job is completed correctly.

To you, which of those two workers describes the way God works? When God begins a people project, and the people project does not go as it should, does God quit that people project and begin another people project? Or, does God refuse to quit until the people project is completed correctly?

1. Let’s get specific about the way that God works on His people projects.
   1. The Bible is divided into two major sections: Old Testament and New Testament.
      1. The first section is very old.
         1. It deals with a people called Israel.
         2. These people were the physical descendants of a man called Abraham.
         3. God began this people project with Abraham.
         4. God had some specific goals and objectives for these people.
         5. He had a specific vision of what He wanted these people to become.
         6. But Old Testament Israel failed to become the community that God envisioned.
      2. The second section of the Bible is old by our standards, but it is much newer than the first section.
         1. It deals with a people who are called the church.
         2. These people responded to Jesus Christ by accepting him as Savior.
         3. God began this people project with Jesus.
         4. God also has specific goals and objectives for these people.
         5. He has a specific vision of what these people can become.
         6. So far, these people also have failed to become the community that God envisioned.
   2. Allow me to ask you some specific questions.
      1. God made Israel a nation, but Israel failed to become the community that God wanted them to be. Did God drop the people project called Israel and began another people project called the church?
      2. Did God begin the church because Israel failed to be the community that God wanted them to be?
      3. Were Old Testament Israel and the church two completely different people projects?
      4. Or, is Old Testament Israel and the church a continuation of the same people project?
2. I want you to compare your answers to those questions with some Bible information.
   1. First, I want you to consider some information given to Old Testament Israel in Deuteronomy 15. This information was given in the form of laws.
      1. Notice the kind of community that the Israelites were to become in regard to taking care of the poor.
      2. This chapter makes two of three major provisions for poor Israelites.
         1. One provision was the forgiveness of debts (Deuteronomy 15:1-11).
         2. Another provision limited servitude to six years (Deuteronomy 15:12-18).
            1. An Israelite servant must be released from servitude on the seventh year.
            2. He must be set free “liberally furnished.”
         3. A third provision was involved in the way you harvested your crops (Leviticus 19:9,10).
            1. You had to leave part of your crop in the field for the poor to gather.
            2. You has to leave fallen fruit on the ground for the needy to gather.
      3. The first provision is in the form of laws about forgiving debts to Israelites.
         1. If a poor Israelite needed to borrow money to care for needs, a fellow Israelite was to loan him the money willingly (15:8).
         2. Another law stated that an Israelite could not charge a fellow Israelite interest on the loan (Deuteronomy 23:19,20).
         3. Deuteronomy 15:9 says that you can loan him the money for no more than seven years.
            1. He is responsible to repay you and must make a earnest attempt to repay you.
            2. If he is unable to repay you in the seven years, on the seventh year the debt was forgiven; after seven years the debt was canceled.
         4. This law applied only to Israelites loaning money to Israelites; debts to people who were not Israelites were not forgiven (15:3).
      4. Listen to these verses:
         Deuteronomy 15:4,5 However, there will be no poor among you, since the Lord will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, if only you listen obediently to the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
         Deuteronomy 15:7,8 If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
         Deuteronomy 15:10,11 You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings. For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’ (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
      5. These laws illustrate the fact that God wanted Israel to be a special community.
         1. “I, God, gave you freedom when I released you from Egypt.”
         2. “I, God, will give you your homeland, the land of Canaan.”
         3. “I, God, will be the direct source of your prosperity in your homeland.”
         4. “If I take care of you in this way, you must take care of each other.”
      6. If Israel had the faith to become this special community, God made them a promise.
         1. “If you have the faith to be the special community that I want you to be, I will bless you.”
         2. “But only by trusting me can you be that special community.”
      7. Notice that God knew that these laws would not eliminate poverty.
         1. It is quite plain that those laws did not exist to destroy poverty.
         2. God plainly said, “The poor will never cease to be in your land.”
      8. If this would not eliminate poverty, why did God want them to do it?
         1. Israel was to be a unique community because they belonged to God.
         2. No other community in all the world was like them.
         3. Specifically what would set them apart from all other communities?
            1. Their religious laws, their altar, their temple, their worship? No.
            2. The way they treated each other would make them unique.
         4. The only reason that they would exist as this special community was their special relationship with God.
         5. God made the difference; God was the reason for the difference.
         6. When the people who were not Israelites saw the difference, they would honor and glorify the God of Israel.
      9. Being this special community was God’s great vision for Israel.
         1. But Israel reduced God’s great vision to nothing more than another religion.
         2. They thought they were different because of their law, or because of their worship, or because of the temple that they built.
         3. Instead of Israelites becoming God’s unique people, they settled for being religious in the sense everyone else was religious.
         4. And God’s great vision never happened in Old Testament Israel.
3. Fifty days after God raised Jesus from the dead, Peter preached the first sermon that presented Jesus as Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36).
   1. Three thousand people who understood that Jesus was Lord and Christ were baptized that day for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38,41).
   2. Listen to what they became as a community, and see if it sounds familiar.
      1. They devoted themselves to fellowship (Acts 2:42).
      2. They were together (Acts 2:44).
      3. They had all things in common (Acts 2:44).
      4. They shared their possessions with anyone of the believers who had needs (Acts 2:45).
      5. With joy and sincerity, they shared meals (Acts 2:46).
      6. They were of one heart and one soul (Acts 4:32).
      7. They regarded all possessions as common property (Acts 4:32).
      8. There was not a needy person among them (Acts 4:34).
      9. They sold possessions to create a fund that was used to help any one who had a need (Acts 4:34,35).
   3. Look at the specifics.
      1. Who was Jesus? The promised Israelite who came to the Christ.
      2. Who was Peter? An Israelite who followed Jesus.
      3. Who was the multitude that heard Peter’s sermon? Israelites and proselytes.
      4. Who were the three thousand that were baptized? Israelites and proselytes.
      5. The very first congregation was an Israelite congregation.
   4. And what kind of community did they become? The community that God always envisioned–a people who were unique in the way they treated each other because they belonged to God.

Elder Appreciation Week

Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles

One complex, demanding task God created among His people is the work of an elder. By design, an elder shepherds a community of God’s sons and daughters. He serves in that role by the choice and desire of the Christians in that community.

A congregation is a complex community. If it is functioning by God’s design, it attracts all types of people to Christ. Backgrounds, family situations, education levels, Bible knowledge, maturity levels, and levels of spiritual development will differ widely within any healthy congregation.

It is also an all “volunteer” community. Each person worships, serves, and is involved only to the degree that he or she chooses to be. The only meaningful “power” conferred on an elder by a congregation exists as a result of their respect and his influential example. He leads. They follow. However, following is their choice, not his.

My adult life has been spent working with and for elders. I have watched good men enter that role with great expectations. They hungered to “move good things in better directions.” They were certain that would be simple. They quickly discovered the complexity of being an effective leader in a congregation. The level of insight, understanding, and wisdom required awed them.

When things go well because of good leadership, commonly we say nothing. Five Christians can be unhappy about five different personal concerns, and one hundred can be delighted with the congregation’s work and direction. The elders will hear from the five (as they should), but the one hundred will be silent.

Two things kill the hearts of capable elders. The first is “one-issue” Christians who never “see” nor “understand” the needs of a congregation as a whole. The second is the burden of being taken for granted.

Appreciation is spiritual adrenaline! Remember to write cards or notes to our elders individually. Do not mail them. Bring them Sunday. We will present them to each elder Sunday evening.