Every Member a Minister (2)

Trent Cornwell

Vision Baptist Church

Core Values • Sermon • Submitted 4 months ago • Presented 4 months ago

0 ratings

· 4 views

Notes

Transcript

Bible Reading

I would not be being honest if I told you I hate confrontation. Nor would I be faithful to my calling.

Looking to God’ Word to shape our lives may bring confrontation.

Isn’t being a minister a calling or profession?

What if I don’t feel equipped or able to serve?

What exactly is ministry?

What if I don’t have anything to offer?

Four Biblical Reasons we believe “every member is a minister.”

Every Christian has priestly responsibilities.

A congregation is not an audience.

Every Christian has been given gifts by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of ministry.

God placed people in the church to help equip you for ministry.

Sermon Introduction

Greg and I walking in NYC and saw a sign that caused us to start singing “I see trees of green, Red roses too, I see them bloom, For me and for you, And I think to myself, What a wonderful world.” Then we got invited to tour Louis Armstrong old house.

Another famous song was “Go down Moses” with the refrain “Let my people go.”

Exodus 5:1 “1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.”

Thought of it as I read Exodus this week. Moses 7 times in 4 chapters.

What I had forgotten was Moses was repeating what God told Moses to tell Pharoah.

Israel is God’s people. They are to serve Him.

Prepare a feast, serve me, worship me, make a sacrifice

They were not just called out of Egypt but they were called to Him.

Christianity isn’t a list of things we no longer do or places we no longer go. It is about finding freedom from the bondage of sin and being reconciled to our Creator.

Service to the Creator is the only freedom from the bondage of this world.

These are the words of Pharoah when he finally agreed to let Moses and the children of Israel go. Exodus 14:5 “5 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”

1. Every Christian has priestly responsibilities.

Important Baptist Distinctive

Biblical Authority, Autonomy of the Local Church, Priesthood of the Believer, Two Ordinances, Individual Soul Liberty, Saved Church Membership, Two Officers, Separation of Church and State [slide]

Every Member a Minister - Every Person a Priest

Our ministry comes out of our priestly identity. 1 Peter 2:5 “5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

In the Bible we are referred to as saints, ministers, disciples, and holy priests.

We have been given access to draw near..

Review from two weeks ago in Hebrews Hebrews 10:19–22 “19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having an high priest over the house of God; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

The veil has been torn from the top the bottom. We now have access to God.

Jesus fulfilled the Aaronic Priesthood and is now our great High Priest

The Tabernacle is now in us where the Holy Spirit communes with us.

We are now a part of the priesthood of all believers; this is the new and living way.

As much as Israel had a priesthood, so Christians are a holy priesthood. And as much as Israel had sacrifices, so Christians offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God.

God has not abandoned Israel they still have a place in God’s redemptive plan, but NT Christianity is in no way inferior to OT Judaism

We need to stand in this and reach out for others. Romans 5:1–2 “1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Our right gives us a new role and new responsibilities.

The word “Responsibility” is not typically our favorite word.

(Hobby Lobby doesn have “Rules. Regulations, and Responsibilities beside their Live, Laugh, Love signs)

We must love the responsibility and privileges that come with a new role in life; husband, dad, grandparent, car owner.

Work is part of God’s good design for this world.

In the garden of Eden we see that mankind was given work to do in this world.

Work - Service - Ministry to our God is a gift not a result of the curse.

God gifts us with the incredibly gracious dignity of real responsibilty.

Adam and Even had purpose and they had access to the presence of God.

Through Jesus our relationship has been reconciled and so our ability to serve Him as be restored.

We are to offer spiritual sacrifices to the Lord. 1 Peter 2:5 “5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

Good definition for ministry: Offering a spiritual sacrifice unto the Lord

Examples given.

Sacrifice was money sent to help others in Philippians.

Hebrews praised given to God

Romans 12 bodies given to the Lord

The way we live our lives. 1 Peter 2:1 “1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,”

We are to be involved as priests in the ministry of reconciliation.

As believers, As priests. We have been given a ministry. 2 Corinthians 5:18 “18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;”

How do we do this? We are witnesses to the fact that through Jesus we can be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:19 “19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”

Let me do that just for a moment.

I have here in my words the word of reconciliation.

We are born into this world with a broken relationship with God.

That relationship needs to be repaired, reconciled.

You and I have nothing to offer that will atone or pay for our sins.

The death of Jesus are the cross is the payment for our sins.

We ask and receive freely the gift of forgiveness as we repent of our sins.

Transition: We can please God by coming to Him and being built into a spiritual house, with other believers, to offer these sacrifices.

2. A congregation is not an audience.

As a teenager my pastor would tell me “The church is an organism not an organization.” I didn’t understand what he was saying. The distinction is found in that we are living. Established by a living God, connected to a living Savior, and led by the living, Holy Spirit.

The Spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 3:5–6 “5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”

Love seeing what only the Holy Spirit can do in, through, and among us.

Chris Vincent’s testimony of reading Genesis 1-3.

Christ is the Living Stone and we are living stones as we are connected to Him.

Jesus as the living stone. 1 Peter 2:4 “4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,”

In the next verse we are told that this is taught in Scripture. (v.6) Isaiah 28:16 “16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone..”

Jesus gave the a parable (Matthew 21) asking if they had not heard about the stone that builders rejected Psalm 118

Believers are now living stones. 1 Peter 2:5 “5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

Peter is addressing a group of people that are being rejected. 1 Peter 4:4 “4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:”

We now participate in the life of the one we have come to.

Bodies function together or not at all.

Bible explains the church a body. 1 Corinthians 12:13–16 “13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?”

God has uniquely equipped you with gifts to be used as part of the body of Christ.

Illustration: Need 2 Raquets and a ball for Pickle Ball

3. Every Christian has been given gifts by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of ministry.

When members of the body feel useless or when they feel self-sufficient we do not function as we should.

Confrontation to those who feel useless.

Bible says it is not true. Full stop. No cap.

Their is a need for us not all to be the same. 1 Corinthians 12:17 “17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?”

God’s design for the church is good and wise. 1 Corinthians 12:18 “18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.”

Confrontation to those who don’t think they need the other members.

Stated Negatively: How can you say you don’t have need of others. 1 Corinthians 12:21 “21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.”

Stated Positively: 1 Corinthians 12:22 “22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:”

Everyone has received a gift in which we are to use

Everyone is given a gift.. 1 Peter 4:10 “10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God”

The gift you received was to be serve others.

As we serve one another, we do it with the strength God provides, the ability which God supplies — so that God is glorified.

How we serve is as important has how I preach. 1 Peter 4:11 “11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

You say “well, I don’t want to preach as you are doing. Well good I’ll continue. God has given us a diversity of ways to serve one another.”

You have a God enabled gift that you are to be developing and sharing with this church.

There is a diversity of gifts. Romans 12:6–8 “6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us..”

How are we to know where are gifting or calling in life is found? We will pick up here tonight at 5 pm. If you don’t come just plan to live life aimlessly without knowing. :)

4. God placed people in the church to help equip you for ministry.

The popular notion that the clergy do ministry and lay people are consumers is wrong and unbiblical.

Don’t just look at who God gave to a church but ask why he gave them. Ephesians 4:11–12 “11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:”

God gave us leaders to equip church members, not to supplant them. Ministry belongs to the members.

Through ministry together the Bible is better understood.

Hermeneutics is the science of Bible interpretation. But understanding the Bible also involves a commitment to obey it. John 7:17 “17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”

As we put the Word of God to practice in our lives, the Lord brings His purposes and His will/Word into focus.

Service to God enhances one’s knowledge of God. Jesus at the wedding. John 2:9 “9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,”

Review

Four Biblical Reasons we believe “every member is a minister.”

Every Christian has priestly responsibilities.

A congregation is not an audience.

Every Christian has been given gifts by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of ministry.

God placed people in the church to help equip you for ministry.

When it comes to ministry do you feel like you are on the outside looking in, or do you recognize that God has a plan for your life?