01.01.2012 Grace Summit - It's Bigger on the Inside!

SermonAudio

It’s bigger on the inside – God does bigger things through smaller things – like a mustard seed, or leaven. The smallest thing is the biggest thing – the first shall be last, the least shall be the greatest; the leader shall be the servant. Much done with little – Jesus feeds the multitudes with a tiny thing. Elijah – the flour and oil that lasted to the end of the famine. Widow’s mite: all the others were dumping all kinds of money into the offering – yet she gave more than all of them, combined.

The weak are strong – Little David defeats big Goliath. Gideon – defeats a multitude with only 300 soldiers. God does significant work through insignificant people.
In the next few weeks - it will be very practical.
1 Corinthians 1: 26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, 29 that no man should boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 that, just as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord."
A lot happened in Jerusalem initially – but most early churches were small – they met in houses - , and yet turned the world upside down.
This can be lost today in the mega church movement – and I’m not saying that is good or bad – but it is a bit of an anomaly in Christian history. The reality is – the church is often most powerful when it is most limited. Even today – do you know where the greatest works are taking place today? In China and India – where there are not a lot of resources – but 10s of thousands and millions are coming to Christ. That is the principle and what we want to look at – how we as a church – God likes to take little and do much and accomplish great things – not only in our church, but in your life. Sometimes that is where we are most limited in our lives that God wants to take and use most when we offer it up to him.
In many ways, our church is bigger on the inside – and over the next few weeks, I’d like to show how that is true and how we can move forward – allowing God to do new things in our lives.
I’m not talking about New Year’s resolutions – but making life change – today is going to be better – I’m going to try to be more devoted to Christ –to put Him first – to believe that God is working and active in and around my life – and I’ll try to open my eyes to that. That is a life of faith – being in tune to what God is doing. It was a long time ago – Experiencing God – observing what God is doing and joining in. God is active – he got there before we were there! It is still true today – you can say it in different ways but it’s the same.
2 Cor. 4: 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us
First thing we must remember: We are jars of clay – frail, fragile, broken, corrupt – they are decaying! That is what we are, but inside it is a treasure, a brilliant light – and the power comes from the treasure – not from the clay jar.
He uses this term to mean – it is the most commonly used thing for ignoble purposes. That is who you are – the common pot of clay.
In it is a treasure – Jesus. We preach Jesus – not ourselves. It is not about you or me or strategy – or resources or buildings or worship teams – but a complete total focus on Jesus – all the power comes through Him.
Paul had some issues he prayed for – he just calls it a thorn in the flesh – a weakness – and he prayed three times that it would depart
2 Cor. 12: . 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Christ’s power is demonstrated, made perfect, comes to completion, is fulfilled in our lives – through weakness – through our struggle.
There are two kinds of brokenness – a brokenness that we cannot live with – addiction, some terrible habit, some problem that continually ruins and cripples your life. And some of us have those. Okay, all of us have those. There is a second kind of brokenness – a brokenness that OTHERS can’t live with. It is the brokenness that causes you to be angry, to put others down, to think you are superior, and things that make us hard to live with.
But Paul is saying – it is through our weakness that God chooses to demonstrate WHO He is. It is true of a person and a church. And God said that He glories in it – he boasts in it!
If you are not free to be broken – to lament, mourn, be fragile, vulnerable – if you are not free to be those things – you are not free to receive power in Christ. If you are in a place you don’t want anyone to know – recognize it – if pride keeps you from looking at it, you are not free to receive power.
Now to the practicals – and how we are, and need to become – people of the Great Reversal – Much from little, power from weakness.
We do well at this – but first – The greatest being a servant. We can, and do, exhibit Christ’s power when we come to serve. We have many servants who serve faithfully within our church – and of that we can boast – not in the wrong way, of course, but that in our service, laying aside ourselves, God does great things. You recognize needs and ask, How can I help? Many of you are very hands-on. We need to celebrate and release that for greater ministry. Allow it to grow – allow people to initiate and serve in greater ways. There are so many ways this goes on – someone just starts something and they are doing it! It wasn’t meant to come from ‘on high’ (except when ‘on high’ means God Himself!)
We don’t have a lot of people. And we don’t compare ourselves with others – but the rule of 80/20 – that only 20% do the work or engage in ministry – is totally not true here. We are way beyond that.
Ephesians 4: 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
We don’t try to turn a foot into a hand – we allow for diversity – that people are gifted differently. And the worst thing the church can do is to say that we are all going to be one way! As people are allowed to function according to their giftedness, the body functions properly and grows – we need to help people find their place in the body.
Third – we like to fellowship together – we have a fellowship committee. We love to get together for meals. Fellowship is not the greatest word in the world – it sounds like something from the 40s. The Bible calls it parties. Did you ever think about parties in the Bible? The prodigal son – what does the father do? He throws one whale of a party. Wedding in Cana – PARTY! Matthew! Zaccheus! PARTY. What will we do when He returns? PARTY.
Jesus instituted two sacraments – baptism, and a meal - but we have turned it into something that melts in your mouth. But it was a meal – a celebration!
When we party – fellowship – we need to do it with eyes open. Think- is there anyone who needs someone to sit with them? Is anyone looking left out? Does anyone need encouraged? Do you have your eyes open to that when you enter fellowship? Who needs help? For me, the radar goes up and the eyes go out.
Paul said it this way – Look out for others’ interests – not your own.
Third – also, we need to party/fellowship with outsiders – there were always outsiders connected to his parties!
Fourth – There is a ministry out there that a church can hire – to send visitors to your church and then they will write a report! I won’t tell you whether we are doing this! It is good on occasion to enter our church as if it is your first time – think about going into somewhere different – a new place.
We went to Janelle’s wedding shower this weekend. Everyone there knew everyone else – and they were very welcoming and it was a great time – but you know that feeling of entering something brand new.. Try that – what would I be nervous about when I enter this church. You won’t hurt our feelings – let us know – it would be of great benefit. We know we are weak and have needs.
Let the greeters do their job – I know they are greeting down there and do a great job – sometimes make room for people – careful not to clog up the entryways and stairs and coffee tables. Few churches are upstairs – well, the first one was (the upper room).
Generosity – we are a widow’s mite church – you can’t tell names and stories – but it is amazing how it happens and what God has done. Later – Doug and I will be putting out a financial statement. It is amazing how much we do for being a small church. We give a lot of money to people in need – people on mission – and we don’t talk about it a lot. It is encouraging. Both inside the church and outside – when we mention there is a benevolence need – you all give to it. It is encouraging – and that shows where your hearts are. That is how Christ was – He was rich, and became poor, that we might become rich.
We have this treasure in earthen vessels – jars of clay.
Lord, we thank you that there is a treasure inside of us – It is Christ and through that treasure – power flows through us – not from us – that people may be blessed. In Your name we pray. Amen