MidTree Church
The sermon audio of MidTree Church in Harris County, Ga. BEHOLD // BELIEVE // BECOME
MidTree Church
Embracing Active Faith: The Power of Service and Community | Pastor Will Hawk | January 12, 2025
This episode reveals the powerful impact of active participation in church communities, emphasizing that attending is not enough. Listeners are encouraged to embrace their roles, contributing their time, talent, and treasure to foster a family-like environment where service is central to experiencing God’s love.
• Reflection on Romans 12 and Acts 20
• Sharing statistics about church engagement
• The risks of complacency in faith communities
• Exploring the biblical call to service and commitment
• The significance of community and family in church identity
• Challenging listeners to identify their unique contributions
• Emphasizing the joy of serving as a response to God’s love
• Encouraging financial stewardship aligned with genuine heart
• Practical steps for getting involved in the church family
• Reinforcing that everyone has a place and a role to play
If you want to learn more about the MidTree story or connect with us, go to our website HERE or text us at 812-MID-TREE.
Good morning everyone. If y'all would grab your Bibles and turn to the book of Romans, chapter 12. If you're using the Pew Bibles, that'll be page 947. Again, it's Romans, chapter 12, and we'll be getting verse 1. Follow along as I read God's word. I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercy of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that, by testing, you may discern what is the will of God. Jumping down to verse 4. So we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually members of one another, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us. Let us use them If prophecy in proportion to our faith, if service in our serving. The one who teaches in his teaching. The one who exhorts in his exhortation, the one who contributes in generosity, the one who leads with zeal, the one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness.
Speaker 2:This is the word of the Lord. I was rooting so hard for you to make mistakes. It would have served the sermon so much better if you had stumbled and flubbed your way through. Carrie got short notice that she was going to be filling in and helping out in. Is this for me, carrie? Is this for me today? Okay, all right, thank you. Anyway, the point was would you rather be reading or would you rather be singing? Come on, right. And the reason you would rather be singing than reading is because you're better at it, right. You're more comfortable with it.
Speaker 2:If you guys have your Bibles, flip to Acts, chapter 20. We've been living in Acts chapter 20 for three weeks. This is week two of three, and as you guys flip there, let me get organized here and tell you this is probably going to be one of my favorite sermons that I get to preach, at least this quarter, because I could probably preach it without one single note and with a Bible in my back pocket. It is by far one of the realities of scripture that I most love and attune with. It fits my personality, all of the things and Thomas like what a great call into this like so good, even for a guy who doesn't have a beard, to have good application about a scripture that deals with beards. So Acts chapter 20 is where we are going to be. Hopefully you are there.
Speaker 2:I want to start with a couple of statistics. As we talk about being in a church and guys, here's the thing I don't want you to just show up, and I am going to try to make a compelling argument that not only would it be less than advantageous for you to just sort of show up and be in a church or around church, I think it would actually be a detriment to you. Many times we can inoculate ourselves to the reality of God if we give ourselves enough gospel to feel good about ourselves, but not enough gospel to actually change the very being of who we are. So that's what I'm going to be pushing for today, what we have been looking at. Oh guys, y'all got me with control back there. Oh, that one might be on me. I had it set up before I walked up here. I promise you I did, I double checked it, I did the whole nine Crockett's ready. Hang on, buddy, hold tight. Oh, I got it working. I'm sorry, crockett's my guy. That's one of the ways he serves the church. He's the iPad runner in between.
Speaker 2:Okay, so what we looked at last week solid theology and warm community Can't have one without the other. If you do have one heavier than the other, it's not going to be good for you, for your soul, for the church, for the world around you. Today we're going to look that midtree by God, I believe, is called to be a family where everyone has a place and pitches in. Let me hit you with a couple of quick statistics. I know that you can't read this. You can probably make out the first part People at our church just won't volunteer.
Speaker 2:I did a very quick survey of a number of articles of people serving the church generally speaking, and I just wanted you to see a couple of things. This first one says that, on average, churches engage about 45%. You'll have 45% of folks who serve the church that they are in. Crosswalk did one as well. Their number was 37%. And then there's this really like deep researchy group that did serving in the church pre-pandemic, during pandemic and post-pandemic, and what they found was similar to the other two. It was around 40% of membership in early 2020. And by March of 22, so we're a couple of years old. At this point, it was still down all the way to 20%. All right, I would say, generally speaking, in an average church, one third Okay. So if this is the makeup of the church, thank you, we have our work to do. Whatever, it's probably a third.
Speaker 2:One of the reasons I bring this up is because I have great news for you guys. Our church is currently serving at 78% of membership. That's worth clapping for. By the way, even if you're not on staff, that's worth clapping for. All right, that is really really, really cool. In fact, our numbers are down. That's one of the things that we track, because if you want to be a family where everyone has a place and pitches in, you got to kind of keep an eye on that. Our number was up to 86%, but our membership has been growing. So we've had people come into membership that haven't quite found their spot yet, and so some of that may actually happen. This morning, we may be able to see that happen.
Speaker 2:I give you this as means of illustration, to let you know you're not about to hear an angry guy banging on a pulpit telling you what is wrong with you. Do you not appreciate the sacrifice of Christ on your behalf? I'm not about to do that. What I am going to tell you is this this is one of the easiest realities to preach to anyone, because I believe this God is not going to ask you. He is not asking you for more than he is guaranteeing to give you. You will always come out in a net win situation. If you say to the Lord here is what I am able to give time, talent, treasure, whatever it is you are going to watch God receive that, not because you're earning anything from him we cannot earn the sacrifice of Christ but because we are expressing gratitude to him in the way that his word calls us to. So here is your job this morning. You need to decide if the way that his word calls us to. So here is your job this morning. You need to decide if the words that are in bold on the screen are actually biblical, if they are actually supported, because you do not see a Bible verse passage attached to this, or if this is just something that an over-enthusiastic guy in the morning is amped about Because he needs to get free labor out of you. That's what you need to decide and it is my job to tell you here is what God's word actually says, and look at some really cool passages, as we do. I don't know if you guys realize I I am nursing a cough right now and we're just going to have to hit pause. Going to have to hit pause? All right, here we go.
Speaker 2:I don't know if this is true of you guys, but it became very true of our family. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we ended up spending a lot more time with family. That's pretty generic. Specifically for us, because of our family makeup, that means we go to Marmee's house more often. I don't know, I'm looking at my wife here. We probably have dinner at my mom's house a couple of times a month, generally Good, okay, that's the kind of stuff I get zinged for, not like scripture, she's like it's actually higher or lower. So I just want to start on a good foot here.
Speaker 2:However, over Christmas, it moved from once or twice a month to once or twice a week, and something started happening inside us as a mom and a dad primarily as a mom, if I'm being honest and what happened was we would show up to lunch, we would show up to breakfast, we would show up to dinner, our kids would sit down at the table hanging out with their cousins having a blast. They would scarf down their food and then dip out from the table to go do an activity, play outside, throw the ball, enjoy a Christmas gift, hop on the couch and pull out their phone and instead of pitching in or helping out, they just walked in like it's Thanksgiving, it's Christmas, it's the time between the two, it's the most magical time in the world to be a kid, because everybody's just giving you stuff and you have low responsibilities no school, no homework. Chores seem to get pushed to the side and we began realizing hey, it's one thing to show up to Marmy's once a month and the kids just be like this magical land of Marmy. It's another thing when we're there a couple of times a week and it looks like there's this sort of self-focused, not pitching in reality that we do not like seeing in our kids. With that reality, I want to point you to a passage in scripture in 1 Corinthians. I'm going to put it on the screen so you can stay in Acts 20,.
Speaker 2:But here's what I want you to realize and start wrestling with when service steps back, idolatry steps forward. You can pick any area of your life. This can be you walking through the foyer and seeing trash on the ground and deciding ah, I got my coffee, I got my Bible. I can't pick it up right now. I'm not trying to create a bunch of legalists. I just want you to realize this reality in your own soul, whether you are a Christian or not. There is inside of you this little self-driven box that is constantly going to be speaking to your mind, saying this is what would be best, most advantageous and enjoyable for you, and it's a very loud box, even though nobody on the outside can hear it. And in one moment, in milliseconds, you are deciding am I going to serve, am I going to be others oriented? Am I going to diminish that Christ may increase, or am I going to ignore areas where I can make myself less because? And then fill in one of a million different excuses that your justification can make. What I want you to begin wrestling with is this concept when an opportunity to serve is in front of you and you do this, just know that the gap between that decision and where you end up, idolatry is going to try to slide into that. You know what. You're too busy. You've got too much going on. Your family, your children are too young. If people understood the stress that was on you and a million other things that are going to come into your mind as soon as you do this. Keep in mind I'm not trying to build legalists. What I'm trying to get you to do is wrestle with the reality of your own soul. Let me prove it to you.
Speaker 2:This is 1 Corinthians 10. Paul is writing to a church. In fact, I'll show you where the church is. This was the journey that we watched Paul take last week. And if you pay close attention, he starts here, hits Ephesus we know Ephesus. Here's Philippi, philippians, thessalonians. He hits Athens and then here is Corinth.
Speaker 2:Right here, corinth ends up getting a couple of letters from Paul because their church is a hot mess. If you want to read about crazy stuff that happened in the church, read the book of Corinthians, and Paul is writing to them in his first book, in chapter 10, and here is what he says to them. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers. Hey guys, I'm writing you something in this letter and I'm writing to the Christians. All right, so Christians perk up. That's what this word, brothers, is pointing to.
Speaker 2:He is specifically talking to Christians at a church and he's saying there is something I'm going to talk to you about that you are prone to be unaware of. You're prone to miss this. You can go to church a lot and still miss this reality. Here's what he says Our fathers were under the cloud. All of them were under the cloud. All of them passed through the sea. All of them were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. All of them ate the same spiritual food and all of them drank the same spiritual drink. I justified everything to the left so you can see who he's talking to.
Speaker 2:He looks at the church in Corinth and he says all of us can look back to one of the greatest stories of God's salvation when we look at him rescuing his people from Egypt. That is our heritage, it's our history. You don't have to be a Jew for that to be a history. You just need to put your faith in Christ, of which that is his history. And then he goes on and I'll prove to you that it's pointing to Jesus. It goes on and all of a sudden we get an odd word capitalized they all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock. You notice this capital R. It's pointing to the fact that all of these things are pointing to Jesus, the rock that followed them. And the rock was Christ.
Speaker 2:If you didn't grow up in the church and if you didn't have coloring sheets, you may not realize that the greatest story of salvation that we have in the Old Testament is God rescuing his people from 400 years of slavery. He steps in and this is where Pharaoh has the 10 plagues and God leads them out. Why on earth is Paul talking about that 2,000 years later? Here's why he's saying hey, church, family, I don't want you to miss this. It's going to be easy for you to miss, so I'm pointing it out to you.
Speaker 2:All of these people were under the cloud. It's not saying it was about to rain. It's saying every one of them experienced this cloud come down from heaven and lead God's people. And it was an incredible cloud because you noticed it and it moved to tell God's people where to go. When the lights went out at night, god turned it on and fire erupted inside the thing so that they had a nightlight moving through the night and they could continue to move with it. Every one of us were a part of this. All of them passed through the sea. They were caught up, the enemy coming and they had nowhere to go. And God rips the sea open and All of them passed through the sea. They were caught up, the enemy coming and they had nowhere to go. And God rips the sea open and all of them passed through. All of them had the leadership of Moses. All of them ate food that fell from heaven.
Speaker 2:Do you want to see your faith increase, operate off of a God who feeds you daily? Not by you going to work, making a little bit of money and running to Publix or Walmart, but you open the door, walk outside and say, gee, god thanks Good for the day Done. And when you're thirsty, this rock all of a sudden opens up and water begins pouring out of it. All of them were a part of it. And then he says this nevertheless, with most of them, god was not pleased.
Speaker 2:Here's what Paul doesn't want people to miss. You can be a part of the most impressive Christian community. You can have testimony after testimony, story after story. You can watch God do incredible things like give a church that didn't have a building for five years in five different locations an incredible place to meet and worship like this. I love watching the water drip off of that back roof. Is it still happening right now? No, did it clear up it is? I love being able to worship in this place, open up these doors and be in creation while we're worshiping the one who created it. You can have every advantage.
Speaker 2:But, brothers, I don't want you to be aware of this God wasn't pleased with most of them. I don't know how many that is, but it's 51% plus. I know that. I know how percentages work. I know that God looked at them and he was not pleased. Why? Well, he wasn't pleased with them for a reason. These things took place as an example for us. In fact, he's going to mention it again.
Speaker 2:These things happened as an example. What happened? The same people who saw God do amazing things were the people who sat down to eat and drink and rise up to play. The same people who saw God do incredible things had this response to God Well, if he's gonna feed me, if he's gonna take care of all of my needs, I mean if he's gonna lead me and protect me, if he's and, by the way, I'm just walking you through all of those alls I mean, if God's got it, let's enjoy this thing, right? I mean, I don't need to go to work, god's going to take care of that. I don't even have to worry about finding fresh water. Do you remember how annoying that was? God's got it. Enemies no problem, he's ripping open seas. Where are we going to go next month? What are we supposed to do with our lives? No problem. He leads us by day and he leads us by night. And after God did all of these things, they sit down and they say let's just enjoy life, let's lean back, let's eat and drink and be merry. And God says I want you to understand this. I allowed this to happen as an example to you believer in 2025. To you believer in 2025.
Speaker 2:I wanted you to see something that was here. I wanted you to see that simply being a part of God's family is not enough. You can't show up weekly and then just plan to go and find a couch to lean back on, grab a donut, grab a cup of coffee, slide in. Let's literally I mean literally, this is what we do every Sunday let's sit down to eat a little bit, drink a little bit, let the kids go off and play, let's do church, it's going to be great.
Speaker 2:Do not be unaware, brothers, of what we are prone to. So what is the alternative? Well, the alternative reality is serving God as a family. If serving God is not the mission of a household, idols will fill the vacuum and that family will not worship what it should. I would invite you to apply this not only to this faith family, but to 320 Rolling Farmway. Fill in your own address. If serving God is not the mission of a household I'm talking to you, mom and dad. I'm talking to you, roommates. I'm talking to you single living alone. I'm talking to all of us who open and close a door when our car pulls into a driveway. If that household is not on mission for God, idols are going to fill in that vacuum and that family will begin to worship what it should not do.
Speaker 2:So here comes Paul in Acts, chapter 20. This is where we've been. He reminds us don't be unaware, brothers. It's going to be so easy to just sit back and relax. If you do that, do not be unaware God will not be pleased. And he wasn't pleased with most of them, even though they would say, yeah, I'm in the family of God. You kidding me, I was a part of this and this and this and this and this. So Paul steps in. He says I'm going to give you two examples that I have lived out that I want you to follow up with. And here's what he says in Acts 20.
Speaker 2:Now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem. I want you to think of somebody else who went on a journey to Jerusalem. Don't shout out your answers yet, spoiler alert. It's a very easy one. Who was going to Jerusalem that was constrained by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit was calling him and pulling him there. Paul says I'm not knowing what will happen to me there, except the Holy Spirit testifies promises. Lets me know that in every city. Here's what's waiting for me imprisonment and affliction.
Speaker 2:Now I've got a question for you. Who does this sound like to you? Who do you know that was on his way to Jerusalem, compelled by the spirit, even though he's thinking father, is there any other way that this could happen, knowing that imprisonment, being chained and affliction is waiting for him? Easiest question I'm ever going to ask you on a Sunday morning who is this pointing to? It's pointing to Jesus. Why is Paul bringing this up? Because he's saying to, he's pointing to Jesus.
Speaker 2:Why is Paul bringing this up? Because he's saying church, look, listen, this is a letter to the church that he loves in Ephesus, loves them so much that if you were here last week, you remember he couldn't even pull the boat in because he knew I would not finish the mission that God has called me to. I'd slide into this family and, I'll be honest with you, I would be prone to eat and drink and sit down and then rise up to play, and I need to be aware, brothers, that that is what is inside of me. But instead I'm on my way to Jerusalem. The Spirit is calling me there and I know it's waiting for me. I don't know exactly how it's going to pan out, but it's going to be imprisonment, it's going to be affliction. And then he says this I do not account my life of any value.
Speaker 2:Now, if you read that out of context, it is a non-biblical statement. It sounds extreme, it sounds uncaring and it honestly sounds unbiblical. I do not account my life of any value. Well, god certainly did. He accounted your life of great value. So what must Paul be saying? Well, he's making a comparison statement I don't account my life of any value. I don't think it's precious to me. Here's what matters. If only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus.
Speaker 2:I got to tell people about Christ. I have to tell people about the gospel. I have to tell them that they don't have to try to earn a right relationship with God. They simply need to receive one. Christ did all the earning. You get to do all of the expressing. Christ did all of the work. You get to receive all of the rewards. But when we receive the rewards and when we desire to express, we ought not be 10-year-old children who show up to God's house looking for the Cheetos, looking for the donuts. Where can I find my favorite place to sit? Where can I find my favorite this? No, how can I be a part of a family where everybody has a role to play? This is what Paul is pointing to.
Speaker 2:I don't account my life of value. I'll tell you what matters that my life counts for something valuable. And there is one valuable thing telling people about Jesus. Now, if I'm listening to this and I'm you, if I'm sitting in a pew, what's today, the 12th? Yeah, it's January 12th. I mean, we're looking at New Year's resolution. Some of us hadn't even started, but it's still January, so we're like, ah, it's not too late, I can still do that thing. Some of us have already given up on that. Like our Bible reading plan made it to Genesis four and we were like, well, adam and Eve were great, they'll be great next year too, right? If I'm looking at this, I'm like, well, it's a bit of a big ask to not value my life of value at all, except for telling people about Jesus. But what I want you to really focus on first of all, I do believe that. Second of all, I want you to notice how Paul sees this. He said that is my course. This is what I have received from God. God is probably not calling somebody in this room to go to Jerusalem constrained by the spirit to be in prison. Maybe there's one of you in here. I'm willing to bet this is not your course, but I want you to notice what happens when we get presented with hard things like this.
Speaker 2:It's one of my favorite stories in the gospels. John is writing toward the end of his gospel in John 21. Let me help you get to where we are in verse 17. Peter has denied Jesus three times. Jesus has died, he has resurrected. He has now come back and he went to Peter and just as Peter denied him three times, jesus said Peter, do Peter, do you love me? And Peter's like Lord, you know, you know, I love you. You know all things right, you created everything. And he's like yeah, yeah, hey, peter, do you love me? Lord? Yes, I love you. And then we end up here. He said to him a third time Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved. Jesus, I'm embarrassed. Okay, I'm ashamed. I was the one who picked up a sword, I was the one who vocalized I will die before I let you die. I was the loudest, most outspoken disciple and I ran away like a scared little child as soon as difficulty comes. Jesus, do I love you? Yes, you know everything, you know that I love you. This is Jesus's response.
Speaker 2:When Peter gets to that heartbroken moment, he says take care of my family, peter, feed my sheep. If I'm the shepherd and you are my sheep, peter, take care of my family. You are going to be the rock upon which the church is built, peter, and I'm not going to be standing next to you when it happens. Do you love me, peter? Lord, you know. You know that I love you. Then take care of my family. This is the best. I know I'm being heavy right now. I'm about to bring you up to breathe. Okay, this is the best. I mean the absolute best.
Speaker 2:You may not feel like Paul, you may feel like just some guy or some girl sitting in some pew on some Sunday. Truly, truly, I say to you, peter, do you remember being young? You used to dress yourself. Remember laying out your outfit before school, getting excited about what you were going to wear. You picked it out and you would walk wherever you wanted to go. But, peter, if you're going to take care of my family when you're old, you're going to stretch out your hands and another is going to dress you. You're going to stretch out your hands because you're going to be chained. You're not going to be able to dress yourself. In fact, instead of going wherever you want to go, somebody is going to carry you where you do not want to go.
Speaker 2:Jesus said this to show him by what kind of death he was going to glorify God. And then he turned and he said follow me. Okay, I don't know how you would respond to Jesus saying you're going to give your life for the gospel. I don't know how I would respond to Jesus saying I hope I do a little better than this. No time passes, not a moment. A tick on the watch and here's what happened. All right, notice. Verse 19, 20,.
Speaker 2:Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following him. It's talking about John. John didn't write about himself in the first person in his own letter, so when Johnny says the disciple whom Jesus loves I'm a guy that Jesus loves Peter turns and he sees John, and when Peter saw him, he said to Jesus hey, hey, jesus, what about him? What about? Can you not love that, peter? You remember being a child dressing yourself? Yes, lord, you remember how you got to go wherever you wanted to go. You would play and you would run around, hang out on the couch, play in the front yard. You remember all that football? Yeah, lord, I remember that. Hey, I just want you to know. A day is coming where you're not going to be able to dress yourself. Okay, that's a bit bleak. Somebody's going to carry you where you do not want to go. You're going to die for this, peter. Here's Peter's response. Okay, hey, what about him? What about him? Like, this is a bit heavy, or, and then Jesus doubles down on it.
Speaker 2:And one of my favorite statements. Jesus said if it's my will that he remain until I come, what's that to you? You follow me. If I make John live for 2000 years and you last for 20 more minutes and die an excruciating, painful death on a cross, what's that to you? Peter's like it's kind of a lot to me. It feels like it's sort of directed at me. What am I supposed to be doing with this? And Jesus says this take care of my family. You follow me.
Speaker 2:This is one of the things that I want everybody in this room to see. You follow me, peter. You. You, the one who denied me three times the one with all the enthusiasm. You, the one who constantly got into trouble. You, the callous handed fisherman without an education. You, when I tell you we are called to be a family where everyone has a place and pitches in, the first thing I want you to see is family. Showing up doesn't make you family. Pitching in is what makes you family. Having a place is what makes you family. Knowing and being known is what makes you family. Where you park your car at 845, if you're on it on a Sunday morning is not what makes you family. The pew that you sit in does not make you a family. It's how we operate around, the people around us that make us family, and I know this because we've adopted in our family. Biology. Birthplace does not make you a family. What the mission of the family is about is what makes you a family.
Speaker 2:And he looks at Peter and he says you, you follow me. This is one of the most encouraging realities in scripture you follow me. You know what that means. I mean, I try not to make eye contact when I'm up here, especially if I know you're dealing with something that I'm talking about. I try really hard not to do that, just so you know. If you feel like that happens not on purpose, okay, I try to leave that to the Holy Spirit and not me compulsing you towards something. I'm going to try to make eye contact right now.
Speaker 2:You are intended to follow God. You, specifically you, you with your doubts are who God wants, because in your doubts he displays that he is the one that is stronger than those things, that in your weakness he is strong. Your past, all of your experiences, some of which you're ashamed about, he wants you with those past experiences which he has given you and carried you through he wants you to ashamed about. He wants you with those past experiences which he has given you and carried you through. He wants you to follow him. He wants your hesitations so that others who hesitate will see somebody who hesitates Trust in God. He wants you with your pride so that he can step in and dislodge this thing that is actually dragging you through life instead of propelling you forward, you with your gifts which, by the way, he gave you in the first place when you were knit together in your mother's womb.
Speaker 2:Psalm 139, you, you, you, you, you, you. You follow me. Is what Jesus is saying, and any church or any believer who does not believe, any believer who does not believe that God desires them specifically, will be paralyzed in their pursuit of Jesus. You will miss out on incredible amounts of joy and you will struggle to find meaning in your life. You will and I can say all of those things and say you are precisely outfitted by God for what God is calling you to do. This is why I want us to be a family where you can't fake it, where everyone has a place, which only leaves us one other thing to look at.
Speaker 2:Does Scripture actually call me to pitch in? This is the last thing that I want you to realize from Paul in his letter in Acts 20. Paul says hey, you know these hands, you know my hands. You yourselves know that these hands minister to my necessities and to those who were with me. You saw these hands flip through scripture. You saw these hands lift up the weak. You saw these hands go after the poor. You watched these hands pray over the blind and over the diseased. You saw these hands nurture a child and comfort the broken. You watched these hands work. And how did they work? Verse 35.
Speaker 2:In all things, I have shown you that by working hard in this way, we must help the weak Doesn't say the poor, the weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus it's more blessed to give than to receive. You watched me work. You knew I wasn't here for a free ride. If you want to flip in your Bible one verse behind, in verse 33, he says I didn't even get silver or gold from you. I had brought salvation to you. I could have asked for any amount of payment that I wanted. I didn't let you guys pay me.
Speaker 2:As an example to this church and to every church that would read about this, that you would realize. These hands want to serve the weak. These hands have been rescued by these hands and, as a result of that, I'm spending my time trying to find those who are physically sick, physically burdened, blind, addicted, overwhelmed, young, vulnerable. I want to get my hands on people and draw them to Christ. You've seen me go to those who are spiritually overcome by evil, those who have given up on life, those who are depressed and anxious and hopeless, and those people walk into this church every Sunday, every single Sunday the week, walk in here and if you're looking for a place to sit down and eat and then rise up to play, you're going to miss them and you're going to miss your hands being known as hands that work hard. You're going to miss the opportunity to hear well done, my good and faithful servant. Because do not be unaware, brothers, that just because you are a part of something or something cool is happening does not mean that God is automatically pleased with us, but God is pleased with this. Working hard, helping the weak, remembering the words of Christ.
Speaker 2:You want to know the best way to find a pastor, find a guy who would love to do this stuff for free, and then don't make him. You can challenge me on this and I'll be honest with you. It would challenge my wife and my children more than it would challenge me. Stop paying me. I'll still be here on Sunday, I promise you. It may not be as well prepared. You may not have graphics with the blueprints of our church in the background. It may not be as well prepared. You may not have graphics with the blueprints of our church in the background. It may be a little more haphazard and you may be sitting there thinking how could it possibly be more haphazard? I challenge you. Find it All right, you want to see it. Find the guy who will do this for free and then don't make him.
Speaker 2:When we pray for a church plan, we just want to find these people who will work hard with their hands, who want to remember the words of Christ, because, going back to first Corinthians three, which is going all the way back to the book of Exodus, when that bread fell, it was reminding them of Jesus. When we are calling people to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, when that bread fell, it was to remind them that Jesus' body was breaking for us. When the rock was struck, we were to be reminded that his body would be struck. When the water poured out, we were to be reminded that his blood poured out. My brothers, do not be unaware the sacrifice of Jesus was not in vain, nor was it only just for your salvation. It was that this life would matter.
Speaker 2:And here's the good news You'll actually enjoy life more. You will find more meaning and purpose and value. You will laugh louder. You'll also cry harder if your hands and your soul becomes calloused with the work of being a part of a family where everyone, everyone you specifically have a role to play. This is what we are to be reminded of. The reason that I love this so much, the reason this is easy for me to preach, is because I remember being oh gosh, I bet I was eight years old. I don't know. Do we have an eight-year-old floating around in here?
Speaker 2:Most of them are in there, perfect, okay eight years old and I was in the nursery at the church that I grew up at. Sarah, I don't know if you remember the nursery at St Stephen's, but it had this one room where you could put. It was much smaller than what we have here. The nursery had three rooms in it the dark room Luke, you may remember this where they had like bunk beds of cribs, which sounds dangerous to me at this point, but whatever, it was the nineties and so, like you just put the kids in drawers, kind of right, and that's how. Then there was another room where you can like rock a crying kid or nurse, and there was this big window that then went into the large room where most of the kids were playing.
Speaker 2:When I was about eight years old, I was invited to serve my church at eight years old, and do you know what it looked like? It looked like me getting on one side of that big window, picking up stuffed animals and doing little things in the window, so that all of the kids would just sit there and leave the adults alone for a minute. That was the way that I served the church, and they probably did ungodly things like fight each other, right, but it didn't matter, because I was eight years old and I was serving. I, you and all of my deep theological knowledge as an eight-year-old was serving, holding up these little puppets and playing with the kids. Well, about four years later, I started teaching in kids' church. I don't know why they let it happen. Whatever Like. If you're putting kids in drawers, you'll let the 12-year-old teach sometimes, I guess. And so I would go and in all of my deep theological knowledge, I would talk as a 13-year-old to eight-year-olds and I would say here's what the Bible says, here's what it gets to do. Then that 12-year-old got involved in camp ministry. Any of you guys ever help out at Camp Joy Thomas, I know you did.
Speaker 2:Natalie did Underprivileged kids, difficult kids, not very often, nor well-parented, and they were my responsibility for five days, monday to Friday. I had eight of them. One day a missionary got sick and I had to take care of his kids. So I had 16 of them and I had to make sure they didn't kill each other and try to talk to them about the good news of Jesus Christ. And as that happened that happened from the time I was 13 till 18, went on staff as a youth pastor, then went on staff as a pastor. Why am I telling you this? I'm not impressive. I'm a guy who, at eight years old, was allowed to serve, and if you'll be a family where everybody has a place and everybody pitches in, you will see incredible things happen.
Speaker 2:Do you realize? The church that you're sitting in exists because it was built by a bunch of youth leaders. Do you know that? Do you know that Midtree left Crosspoint with 63 folks, but the first group was a lot smaller than that. It was mostly youth leaders and kids ministry volunteers. That's it.
Speaker 2:The people who were youth leaders and kids volunteers 10 years ago just said yeah, man, I'll work hard, I'll remember the name of the Lord Jesus. Do you know how crazy that is? What happens if it isn't 63 people but 630 people? What happens if it's not about showing up to sit down and eat and drink and play? It's showing up and saying I want to work hard for the spirit of God. What if it's? I'm constrained by the Spirit to be in a place where everyone can pitch in? What happens then? Well, this is my heart for you and I'll give you three ways that I think you can do that. This is not something I came up with, but here's where I think we start Time, talent and treasure.
Speaker 2:When it comes to your time, I would remind you to consider how to stir up one another in love and good works. One of the greatest things that you can do is simply walk into the room and say how can I be a blessing to others? This is the opposite of taking a step back from serving and letting idolatry come in. Taking a step forward and saying who needs to be encouraged here today? Who? I've got my head on a swivel. I'm not so worried about where I'm going to sit. Am I going to be comfortable? Is it going to be too hot? How are my kids going to do? All of those things matter, but they matter like this. I'll tell you what ultimately matters my ministry and, by the way, if you're a Christian, all of you have a ministry. You're going to see that in the next verse that I throw up.
Speaker 2:But one of your most primary ministries is to walk in those doors. Even better, the doors that come before it. Even better, the door that opens and closes, like this, when you get out of your car and say okay, how can I stir up other people to love Jesus today? How can I walk into a place and help them seek love and good works? How can I not neglect to meet together? How can I walk into a place and help them seek love and good works? How can I not neglect to meet together? How can I not make excuses to not show up, as is the habit of some, but encourage people day by day as Jesus draws near?
Speaker 2:When it comes to time, we don't have any particular metric. We don't ask all of our people to serve weekly or monthly or quarterly. A lot of it's going to have to do with your season of time. Maybe you've got small kids, full-time job, run a business. That's fine, but you are still called to serve. It might look like you serving in kids ministry once a month. Some of you guys serve there once a week. It might mean getting on the photography team, which is more event-based. It might mean I don't know driving heavy machinery, driving big buses and stuff like that. Whenever the youth goes on a trip, whatever it is, find a way for your time to be used. At the church we have people who show up and they just say hey, I'm the kind of person who can't handle a junk drawer. Point me in the right direction and we're like we're a church. All we have are junk drawers until Carrie gets to them Like, wow, we're so glad that you're here. Time, find a job for yourself and go after it.
Speaker 2:Talent this is my favorite one, for, as in one body, we have many members and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, that illustration that Thomas gave. All of us are coming to Christ and from the blessings that flow, we're just saying whatever I can do, however, I can pitch in. I want to be a part of that and please notice this having gifts that differ. One of the things that I've been praying over this Sunday has been against comfort-driven Christianity, against consumerism, where I'm just going to go find a church for whatever makes me the most happy and bored Christians, christians who have just sort of been whatever I'm doing, or they're comparing themselves to others and feeling like, well, there's not a place for me. I can't sing like that, I can't play like that, I can't talk like that, I can't. No, everyone. God made us different on purpose. Grace has been given differently to us, but let us use them.
Speaker 2:Whatever your gift is Stokes my favorite part of this passage. There's no singing in it at all, None at all. And just so you know, like in churchdom, these are the impressive people right Like these are the ones who serve the Lord. They get up early and they do this thing or this thing, not even on the list, and I love it. Teaching's on the list I love that too. But do you know what else is on the list? Things like if prophecy in proportion to our faith, if service in our serving. The one who teaches in his teaching. The one who encourages Do you realize? Being an encourager makes the list before being somebody who sings on stage? That's a different perspective of a church that serves. The one who contributes in generosity we really appreciate you guys the one who leads as somebody who leads with zeal, the one who does acts of mercy and does it cheerfully. Do you notice that in the church, generally speaking, get on social media. The things that are pushed forward and praised most. Most of them don't even make this list.
Speaker 2:Paul's saying you concert, you are called to whatever you are gifted in and it is great that you're not all gifted in the same way. Finally, with your money, each one must give. All right, let's pray. This is also why this is such an easy thing to preach. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly, not under compulsion. Do you know why? God loves it when we give cheerfully, you know? This is why I don't know why pastors hate talking about money. It only makes me cringy when I'm talking about, like our budget which, by the way, we have our budget. We make that available, one of my favorite things we do.
Speaker 2:If you're a member, you need to check it out because we're gonna vote on it in a minute. I don't want your money unless you want to give it. I don't want you to serve unless you desire to do it. Listen, god does not want you reluctantly serving, reluctantly giving. He doesn't want you feeling, oh, I've got to do this thing to be a good person. If that is, you sit down, eat and play why not? But if there is something in you that wants to be a part of something bigger than you, if there is something that wants to leave a legacy behind, if there are people that you want to meet in heaven, whose names you don't know and faces you have not seen because of money you have given or service you have rendered, then I would invite you to come. I want to be a part of people who want to be a part of that. I would just tell you that there are so many easy ways to do this.
Speaker 2:By the way, we have conveniently located ways to serve in the pews around you. I'd love for you to grab it and look at it right now. The reason I want you to grab and look at it right now is not because kids ministry is top on the list. It's because of what's the last part of the list. My favorite thing on that list is the word other. It's the word for you to put your specific name.
Speaker 2:Do you realize that some of you have gifts that we don't even know that you have? Some of you are good at lettering. That's cool, we can use you. Some of you are very organizational that's great, we can use you. Some of you are good with business that's wonderful, we can use you. Some of you are patient with kids that's great, we can use you. God can use you and other. Please do not wait for me or somebody else to come and ask you to serve in your particular way.
Speaker 2:I don't know what it is. All I know is that God has made you uniquely to serve him and to be a part of that. He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. If God's going to make sure that you have enough, then what is he actually doing? He is enriching in every way you so that you can be generous in every way. And when you do this, it's not that church buildings grow, don't care about that. What matters is that God receives thanks and ultimately, that's what our lives should be about henceforth, once we come to Christ.
Speaker 2:I don't know what your treasure is. I think for some of you guys, it's giving, and y'all are a giving congregation. I'm grateful for that. I'm less concerned that you try to get to the 10% mark and I'm more concerned that you say how can I give non-reluctantly, not without compulsion, but excitedly? And it matters not to me how, how these three pan out in your world. What matters to me is this all of them should. And the reason I say this is not because I'm trying to get free labor at the church. It's because I would free you from comparison. I would free you from feeling like you can't serve. If you're not that person, I would free you from consumerism, from feeling like your soul is a part of something just because you show up to something. I would free you to serve a.
Speaker 2:God, who has served you so deeply and powerfully. And when I did this, my faith stopped being compartmental. My faith became alive when I put myself in a situation where I couldn't just be a Christian here and then be willed not a Christian here. All of a sudden, I had to decide am I really about Jesus or am I just about Jesus when I'm right there, and that is one of the greatest gifts that I think God would give to every one of us. This is what makes us. Us and churches are different and they're allowed to be, but if you're at midtree, we desire to live this out and to be a family where everyone has a place and everyone pitches in, and we do it joyfully, knowing that this brings glory to God and puts thankfulness in our own heart. I'm going to leave this up. I just want you to ponder it for a moment. What might that look like? We have done this. It's not like all of a sudden there's a volunteer shortage. I'm so pumped to be a part of you guys, the fact that almost 80% of our members are serving somewhere Wonderful.
Speaker 2:I hope a lot of you guys are just hearing this, as God is saying hey, way to go, keep serving. Keep working hard, keep being diligent, but if there's a place for you to lean in, I'm telling you. I want you to do it, not for me. We're always trying to make systems better. We always want to make it easier to serve. A lot of my meetings are because people use their gifts and other people have different gifts and they just. I have the gift of being frugal. I have the gift of making things beautiful. Let's put you guys together and see how that whole thing pans out. Sounds like a Tuesday lunch to me, is what it sounds like, but it's better. It's better Because God has called you to serve him, you to serve him.
Speaker 2:What's it look like For some of you in this room? Your first step of service might just be repenting and recognizing. You need to be grateful for this before you can express anything else. Stand with me, if you would, father. My hope for each and every one of us is that we would find our part to play in the family of faith, and I hope that it is very apparent that this is your desire as well. We don't need to build, we don't need to go and do, but we are called to be, to be a people who have beheld who you are believed in Christ and are actively becoming the men and the women and the eight-year-old children that you have called us to be. Would you continue to do great things, that we would be thankful and that your name would be magnified, amen.