Jeffrey C. Long

The following sermon was preached on Sunday, July 9th, 2006 at Filer Mennonite Church. These are the notes that were used to preach from.

One day the preacher stood on Laymen’s Sunday, the first Sunday in October, and preached on lay ministry. He was so stirring and persuasive that at the end, when he said, “Will any men who are willing to dedicate themselves to the lay ministry please come forward?” a hundred men responded. Someone standing close to the pastor heard him mutter, “Oh my, what am I going to do with a hundred ushers?

Leading up to the annual meeting

Nominating committee will be meeting to recommend people to fill the various positions in the church.

Like taking time to examine the role of elders in the church, it is important for us to pause and consider what it means to serve in the church.

Turn in your Bibles to 1Peter 4:7-11

7 But the end of all things is near. Therefore be of sound mind, self-controlled, and sober in prayer. 8 And above all things be earnest in your love among yourselves, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable one to another without grumbling. 10 According as each has received a gift, be ministering it among yourselves, as good stewards of the grace of God in its various forms. 11 If any man speaks, let it be as it were oracles of God. If any man serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer

Lord, help us to be stewards of your grace as we serve your church.

I pray that the words I speak will bless people and provide guidance as we serve your church.

verse 7 of 1Peter says “7 But the end of all things is near. Therefore…”

The stakes are high when we serve in the church.

Our ministry in the church happens with an eye on earth’s destiny and people’s eternity.

The end of all things is near, therefore.

The end of all things is near, so we have things that God has called us to do.

We don’t just minister out of a sense of obligation or duty to the church as an institution.

We minister with the final destiny of mankind in mind.

3 Reasons that the end times should affect how we serve.

1. Because God is going to judge sinners and vindicate the persecuted. We need to not be found to be sinners. Our life should be lived in preparation for the final judgement day that we not be found as sinners.

Galatians 6:7-9 says

7 Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. 8 For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up.

second Reason that the end times should affect how we serve.

2. when the old heavens and earth will be destroyed there will be new ones based on righteousness.

Practice now for living in the new heavens and new earth.

Practice basketball in the summer in preparation for the new season.

Final reason that the end times should affect how we serve…

3. That when He comes, we would be Found doing the master’s work.

Luke 12:42

“Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the right times? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his lord will find doing so when he comes. 44 Truly I tell you, that he will set him over all that he has.

Our serving in the church is with an eye to destiny. We do the master’s work because we want to be found busy doing His work when he returns.

Answer three questions:

How should we serve

What should we minster

Why should we serve

1st question is How should we serve?

1Peter 4:8-10 says that We should serve out of love, hospitality, a spirit of servanthood and as stewards.

1st, We should serve out of love.

read verse 8

8 And above all things be earnest in your love among yourselves,

for love covers a multitude of sins.

Do you know that it is possible to work in the church without an attitude of love? To have relationships without an attitude of love?

It is possible, but it isn’t fun.

Love is not just love in this passage but it is earnest.

And one of the reasons is because love covers a multitude of sins. If you are serving with other people, both of you are going to sin. In fact, not just a few sins, but a multitude of sins. It’s in the very nature of being human.

Without love, sins will drive everybody nuts.

But instead, we are to be <emphasize> earnest

<emphasize>in all things

<emphasize> in love among yourselves.

read verse 10

10 According as each has received a gift, be serving it among yourselves,

When we minister in the church it is to be with the heart of a servant for others.

Paul frequently used the word servant to describe the ministry of leaders in the church, including himself.

2Corinthians 4:5 For we don’t preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake;

And He told Christians to be servants.

Galatians 5:13 says “through love be servants to one another.”

Peter wrote about servants back in chapter 2:18

Servants, be in subjection to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the wicked. 19 For it is commendable if someone endures pain, suffering unjustly, because of conscience toward God. 20 For what glory is it if, when you sin, you patiently endure beating? But if, when you do well, you patiently endure suffering, this is commendable with God.

1. Servants serve in subjection to their masters. Servants are not masters. We need to be very cautious that we not take on the attitude of masters. Rather, we should have a servants heart.

2. With all fear. Not of men, but of God.

3. Not only to the good and gentle, but also to the wicked. I’ve been in churches before with not nice people. If we are going to take our peace witness seriously, we will treat with love and not vindictiveness those who are wicked. Peace isn’t just about whether or not we will go to war and use weapons of violence. It is about how we will treat others.

4. Patiently endure suffering. There will be hardships in serving others in the church. We are to be patient with them, and endure suffering.

So, we are to minister in love, hospitality, servanthood and stewardship. I’ve emphasized love and service.

2nd Question is What should we minister?

verse 10 10 According as each has received a gift, be ministering it among yourselves, 11 If any man speaks, let it be as it were oracles of God. If any man serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies,

First, we should minister out of our gifts

10 According as each has received a gift, be ministering it among yourselves,

It is horrible to be ministering out of our weaknesses. Doing things in the church that we have no gifts for.

A. Find a position that you are gifted in.

Don’t take on a ministry that you aren’t gifted in. Find something you are gifted at and plug in. If you don’t work well with children, don’t become a sunday school teacher. If you aren’t a musician, don’t join the worship bands. If you work well with money and resources, volunteer for the management board. If you are gifted in service, come help with the church cleaning.

Some churches won’t even start a ministry until there is a gifted leader in place. Or if someone feels called to step down and no one takes their place, they put that ministry on hold until someone steps forward. There is no guilt. No pleas. No panic. Because God will provide gifted men and women to serve in the ministries he has ordained in the church. It may very well be that if there are no gifted servants, then God does not want that ministry in this season.

I believe these are important attitudes, because work is drudgery if you aren’t gifted by God for that area of service. And we need to not be acting as though it is the end of the world if a ministry position needs to be put on hold for a season. God is in control.

Another area to consider regarding gifts is that if you find yourself in a position in the church with some aspects in it that you are not gifted in, Find people to help you in those areas.

At the school. Both the teacher I worked with and myself had others do things we were no good at. Neither of us was good at accounting. We had student volunteers that kept the books on our donations and expenses. I was never good at the light board. In fact, I never learned how to use it. Technology was an area of my responsibility, but I found the light board too difficult for me to understand. So We always had volunteers do it.

The same principle is true in the church. I need to ask people to help me out with things that I’m not very good at. If you find yourself in a position in the church with some aspects in it that you are not gifted in, find someone who Is gifted in that area and ask for help.

2nd area that gifted people should be ministering in is teaching

verse 11 If any man speaks, let it be as it were oracles of God.

This is an area where I can get into gift projection. Do you know what gift projection is? It’s when someone who is gifted in evangelism thinks that everyone else should be an evangelist. Or someone who has the gift of prophecy thinks that everyone else should prophecy. As a teacher and preacher, I can fall into this.

In fact Hebrews 5:12 says 12 For when by reason of the time you ought to be teachers, you again need to have someone teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God.

There is something about maturity in the Lord that should make everyone capable of even a little bit of teaching. Maybe it is speaking up in a small group or sunday school. Maybe it is teaching a lesson.

But I do believe that for those more permanent positions of teaching we should have people gifted at it. And we are so appreciative of them. What a heavy responsibility sharing the good news of Jesus and teaching about the word of God.

verse 11

If any man serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies,

Just as God calls all mature Christians to be able to teach, He calls each of us to acts of service for one another.

Many of you are going to serve by helping with the summer cleaning of the church.

Many of you helped with the Idaho Mennonite Relief Sale.

Many of you have helped with the craft sale.

But there are also Some people who are gifted at acts of service.

Don was this morning chipping away at windows that had been painted shut by the painters.

Sam and now Trina and Caleb have served the church by cleaning it.

Both Floyd and Mike as moderators have done small and large jobs to improve our facility.

Some people are gifted at acts of service and Peter here says that they do it not out of their own strength, but out of the strength which God supplies.

In Conclusion we ask the question: “Why we should serve”

The answer is very simple and found in v. 11

so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ.

We glorify God when we serve His church.

We exalt Him.

We lift Him high.

We praise Him.

Westminster catechism, a tool used in developing young Christians asks as its first question

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
to which the answer is

A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God,[1] and to enjoy him forever.[2]

We need to be found doing the master’s business, serving in His church with earnest love that covers a multitude of sins as each has been gifted so that God may be glorified.