Sermon 29th January 2012
Speaker: Steve Woods
Download sermon here
Steve’s vision from 36 Hour PrayerHouse
To hear the vision click here
Significance or Sacrifice?
I’ve been thinking this week about the difference between significance and sacrifice. I was reading a blog post (http://www.24-7prayer.com/features/1440) that quoted a bloke called Ken McGreavey. He was talking about a lot of things, but one quote in particular stood out to me. Ken said, “As we train young people, we must impart significance, but also sacrifice.”
It got me thinking! Most of the material I’ve read about parenting that has been written in the past 30 years places high importance on teaching kids they are significant and special. There’s nothing wrong with that. Jesus called little children to himself and blessed them and gave them significance in a culture where children usually had none. In our own country in previous generations, children were supposed to be “seen and not heard”. They had no voice. So it was right that the correction came and we valued children more and imparted a greater level of significance to them.
But at what cost?
It seems we have created a generation that is very aware of their significance. Some have been young entrepreneurs and some have been world changers by the time they are 25. However, many young people are just “significant”. In our affluent culture, that means they have just about everything they want, and usually before they want it! How much time do parents spend each week running kids around to sports practices, dance lessons, music lessons, swimming lessons and a zillion other things like the weekly birthday party that everyone in the class has to go to!
Many of the “significant generation” are now parents themselves and see the world through the eyes of significance. Charities know this – people won’t give generously now unless they receive something in return – from raffle tickets to chocolates to tax-deductions. Gimmicky fundraising has become the norm in a society where everyone wants value for their buck.
We’ve created a significant generation of significant people who are very aware of their own significance!
Worst of all, the church has bought into this! Today in churches, we expect great programs for children and youth. In fact, research shows that if you want visitors to stay, a vibrant kids’ ministry is the most important for parents. We build ministry programs, worship and teaching around helping people understand just how important and significant they are in the eyes of God!
Along with “significance” comes consumerism. If I don’t feel special and loved, I look for somewhere else that makes me feel like that. We’ve been so conned by our culture to believe that we must feel happy and important all the time, that we feel a great deal of anxiety when our “personal significance bank” starts to run low.
We’ve created a cultural black hole that is slowly sucking us into its dark void!
While Jesus did talk about significance – actually he seemed to talk more about honour (children, women, orphans, tax collectors, prostitutes) – his kingdom focus led him to teach about sacrifice. In fact, his teaching cuts right against our cultural need for significance. He said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.” (Mark 8:34-35)
Why is it, that in our culture, the churches that preach “You are significant and deserve lots” are big and getting bigger, and the churches that preach “give up everything and follow Jesus” remain small?
Why is it that church leaderships feel the pressure to produce high quality programs, but struggle for people to serve in these ministries?
Why is it that overseas mission is generally reduced to short-term overseas stints in carefully stage-managed experiences rather than lifetime commitments to gospel ministry that defined the first half of last century?
Is the reason we have no time to serve anymore simply that we are spending all our time doing so much to impart significance to ourselves and our kids?
Uncomfortable ……? Me too! I’m starting to pray this week that God will change my need for significance into a radical, Jesus-centred, courageous, self-denying, counter-cultural sacrifice that will bring glory and honour to him!
I dare you to join me!
UNhindered
Here it is! Our next sermon series! Getting excited already!!! Don’t forget, if you want to get a head start on the series, read Michael Green’s book, “30 Years That Changed The World.”
We Need You!
This Saturday we have a very important working bee to do some painting and other jobs that have to be done before our new carpet is installed next Tuesday. Please come along from 9am to help!!!
If you can help with some sanding on Thursday or Friday, it would make Saturday easier on all of us. Drop in, or give us a call. All help appreciated.
Great Article
I have just read one of the best articles I’ve seen in a long time …… GODS AND MONSTERS
Thought you might like to read it as well! CLICK HERE!
I’d love to hear your thoughts … post a comment!
Weekly Update – 27th October, 2010
Hi everyone
I’m back from leave and feeling refreshed and renewed and looking forward to the lead-up to Christmas.
There’s a a few things happening around the place that we’d love you to be involved in:
- Working Bee – this Saturday morning (30th Oct) we have a working bee to do all the bits and pieces that need doing around our property. We start at 9am and would love your help.
- Sunday’s Worship Gathering is going to be a great time as we begin the wind-up of our series in Matthew’s Gospel – this week Matthew 21 and Jesus’ Authority.
- From next Wednesday onwards, its all go around Bunyarra as we get the auditorium ready for the new carpet and finish off that stage of the project! We are planning a WORKING BEE on Saturday 6th November and we have a lot to do, so we’d appreciate “all hands on deck!!”
- We are hosting the City-wide Men’s Breakfast on 6th November – so all you blokes can come early and fill-up before the Working Bee. Cost is $5.00
It’s been sooooo good to have Lesley on board as Executive Pastor. Already I have more time to focus on Teaching & Equipping and all the Admin things are not being left undone! I am excited at the possibilities for us as a church with this new model. Can I remind you that our weekly budget is now $3,890 pw - so please pray about your financial support of our church ministries.
We have our next “Vision & Discussion NIght” planned for Wednesday 17th November and we are going to spend some time talking about Church Membership, so please come along and join in.
Finally, our 24 Hour prayer meeting is fast approaching, and you can book a time slot to pray online HERE or from the homepage of our church website!
Well, that’s about all this week.
Praying you know the Glory and Presence of God in your life today!
Steve
Weekly Update – 13th July, 2010
Hello again! It’s been a few weeks since I posted an update blog, so I thought I’d better get onto it! I realise that the last few weeks have been stressful and difficult as we have dealt with the departure of our Youth Pastor, but I am also very conscious of God’s ongoing provision and His amazing work among us. To begin this blog I want to share a few highlights from the past few weeks.
Highlights
There have been a significant number of people who have been impacted and challenged by God during our worship gatherings recently. I have had some amazing feedback from last Sunday’s message where God challenged us to seek after the treasure of the kingdom, that is – Jesus, and to have our hearts so captured by him that we are willing to “joyfully abandon” our own desires and agendas to follow Him.
I have spoken to people who are discovering their call to mission or ministry – some for the first time! God is opening some amazing doors for his people, and we need to acknowledge and celebrate him!
Many people are using the “tea-bag” provided by the Pastoral Care Team as a chance to make some great new connections. Don’t forget to make that call if you haven’t already! We are in this journey together and we need each others’ support as we pursue God together. Why not find someone to bless this week!
Our Sunday Night Prayer gatherings have been a very special time of late, with God revealing his heart for our church family in very clear ways. These are a great time to hear him together so I encourage you to come along.
The Vision Information Sessions we have been holding have been a great time for people to meet with the Elders to discuss our future directions. If you haven’t been to one yet, I strongly encourage you to come and interact with us as we seek God’s future together.
I am also very encouraged that we can present five nominations for eldership this year. These people all feel God is calling them to serve in this important role of leadership in our church family. Please pray for them, and for the voting process that concludes this Sunday. If you haven’t handed back your voting form, please do so this week.
Ministry Opportunities
There’s a few exciting opportunities we are exploring at the moment, the most significant of these is the idea of a Breakfast Program at one of our local High Schools. We have had some great discussions with the school and they are very excited about partnering with us to provide such a service. We are looking for volunteers who can participate in this strategic ministry opportunity one morning per week. If you are interested, please speak to me ASAP.
More Changes
You will probably notice some more changes happening around the building in the next couple of weeks. New signs will be going up out the front to show our partnership with BaptistCare. The upstairs toilets will be worked on too so that they will soon be fully functional. There’s always something that needs doing around our property, so if you want to help please speak to Rick or Susan.
Theological Thoughts
Here are a couple of quotes that might be a thought-starter for you.
“Traditionally, the kingdom of God has been packaged as a one-time gift that, once received, is done. But the Bible describes a process. We are all in a journey from glory to glory… I believe our churches will be much healthier once we are no longer concerned only with decisions to accept Christ but rather with the process of becoming like him.” Neil Cole, Church 3.0
“An inclusive church will not be made up only of people who have life sorted. Instead it will almost certainly include drug users, alcoholics, people with mental health problems, the homeless, the unemployed, single mothers, ex-convicts, prostitutes and so on. It will be a church where the imperfect are perfectly welcome. It will strive to ensure that it is accessible to those who can’t walk, or hear, or see or speak. In short, it will be a home for those who need one.” Steve Chalke, Intelligent Church
“Jesus’ primary family is not composed of those who share his genetic makeup, but those who share his obedient spirit.” Rodney Clapp: Quoted by Tom Sine in The New Conspirators
Prayer
If you’ve been around at WBC for any length of time, you’ll know how important prayer is to us. I just wanted to give you advanced notice of our next 24 hour prayer gathering, which will begin at 7pm on Friday 3rd September.
While you think about prayer, could I ask you to pray this week for the selection process of a new CEO for BaptistCare SA? Applications are about to close and our family of churches need to make the right appointment to lead our community services ministries into the future. Pray for wisdom and discernment for the Board as they begin the interview process.
Well, that’s about all this week. I trust you will have a blessed week, and will find ways to pursue God in all you do. See you Sunday – its gonna be another great worship gathering and message. Want a heads up? Read Matthew 14!!!
Steve
Vision & Discussion Documents
Vision and Discussion Meeting
Sunday 27th June we have a special day. In our worship gathering, Rev Mike Mills (State Executive Minister of Baptist Churches SA) will be sharing with us. Mike is a great preacher and a passionate supporter of Whyalla Baptist, so make sure you are here to be part of it.
The worship gathering will be followed by a church lunch (bring and share) and then a meeting for all people who are committed to WBC. At the meeting, Mike will share the results of my Pastoral Review, we will welcome some new people into membership and we will table the Goals and Budget for the next financial year. It will be a great day of looking forward to the things God has in store for us.
Here are the pdf Documents for the meeting: Agenda 2010 Budget & Goals
Weekly Update – 16th June, 2010
I remember when I was a kid, my mum used to buy me clothes that were a size too big – so they would last longer and I would “grow into them!!” I hated it! Now, as a parent of teenagers who grow faster than you can bring clothes home from the shops, I understand the logic. Especially with shoes! I think I need frequent flyer points with shoe stores!
Growing into the next size is always awkward. There is that sense of things not fitting right. We know the old favourite jumper is too small and constricting, but the new option feels so loose and baggy that we become self conscious and timid.
As a church, we are beginning to grow into the “next size”. The tipping point for churches seems to be at around 150-200 people. Using our new church directory as a guide, we are a community of about 190 people. That’s pretty good in a town our size – but we are continuing to grow.
If God is bringing the growth, then we should accept it. In fact, to not grow would be a sin. But there is no doubt that it feels different to be a bigger church. There is a sociological principle that says we can “know” about 150 people. Once a group gets bigger than this, it can feel less welcoming or connected. That’s why most churches don’t grow bigger than 150-200 people.
The reality is that bigger churches look, feel and operate differently to smaller churches. This is most helpfully highlighted by Pastor Mark Driscoll in his book Confessions of a Reformission Rev. which the Leadership Team are currently studying together. Here is the appendix he has which shows some of those differences.
Distinctives of Larger Churches (by Mark Driscoll)
Larger churches have a different kind of pastor
- The preaching pastor has a long tenure, is funny, and preaches well.
- The preaching pastor mainly preaches and does not do much counselling.
- The preaching pastor is not as accessible as a pastor of a small church.
- The preaching pastor understands how to raise large sums of money.
- The preaching pastor works well with the media to increase church exposure.
- The preaching pastor learns from other pastors of large churches, not from conferences.
Larger churches are led differently
- Larger churches are able to make decisions with the involvement of fewer people.
- Larger churches are able to shape their direction with the involvement of fewer people.
- Larger churches have multiple leadership teams instead of one team.
- Larger churches hire specialists with narrow ministry areas, not generalists.
- Larger churches have multiple levels of organisational responsibility and multiple centres of organisational leadership and are not run by the primary leader.
- Larger churches hire more from within the church than do smaller churches.
- Larger churches hire slowly and fire quickly.
- Larger churches must plan much further ahead because they are more complicated.
Larger churches use their facilities differently
- Larger churches tend to have longer worship services than smaller congregations do.
- Larger churches are willing to open their doors as often as is needed to grow.
- Larger churches depend on small groups in homes, whereas smaller churches conduct most of their church meetings in the church building.
Larger churches have higher expectations
- Larger churches have higher expectations for their members’ active participation.
- Larger churches have a higher number of higher-quality ministries and expect a higher level of excellence than do comparable ministries in smaller churches.
- Larger churches expect to lose people who are not committed to their mission, while smaller churches work much harder at keeping people from leaving the church.
- Larger churches generally have a superior music ministry.
Larger churches rely more on their own resources
- Larger churches function independently or in loosely affiliated networks.
- Local leaders govern larger churches, while smaller churches rely more on regional or national leadership.
- Larger churches are more likely to plant churches or to have multiple sites.
- Larger churches innovate new ministries, and smaller churches copy successful models from other churches.
Larger churches are theologically conservative and culturally liberal
- Larger churches tend to be more conservative in theology and more liberal in practice, while smaller churches are often more liberal in theology (e.g., denial of eternal hell) and conservative in practice (e.g., liturgy, hymns, vestments).
- Larger churches tend to present clear, authoritative teaching from Scripture, while theological pluralism tends to thrive in smaller churches.
I’d love to hear your feedback on these statements by Driscoll. How do you think we are going? What size church is God asking us to be? What will it cost us to be that size (large or small)?
Members Meeting
Coming up on Sunday 27thJune we have a special day. In our worship gathering, Rev Mike Mills (State Executive Minister of Baptist Churches SA) will be sharing with us. Mike is a great preacher and a passionate supporter of Whyalla Baptist, so make sure you are here to be part of it.
The worship gathering will be followed by a church lunch (bring and share) and then a meeting for all people who are committed to WBC. At the meeting, Mike will share the results of my Pastoral Review, we will welcome some new people into membership and we will table the Goals and Budget for the next financial year. It will be a great day of looking forward to the things God has in store for us.
Keeping In Touch
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Blessings to You
Steve