Church Machine
Colossians 4:7-18; nv 11/11/07 pm
OS: All the parts of a car working together …
I. In every mechanism parts must work together (business / church)
A. When it’s working three questions have precise answers.
1. What are we trying to accomplish? (Horse Power / produce energy)
2. How? (Transmission of energy to wheels)
3. Where do I fit in?
B. As a church we are trying to bring people closer to Jesus.
II. Final comments of Paul in Colossians give us a glimpse of a very successful ministry team of people.
A. As we read the text look for specifics that each person contributes to the churches work.
B. Read text:
III. All through the letter – Supremacy of Christ – now our part.
I. Faithful Encouragement (Tychicus & Onesimus)
A. Lessons From Geese
1. Fact: As each goose flaps its wings it creates an "uplift" for the birds that follow. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.
Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.
2. Fact: When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front of it.
Lesson: If we have as much common sense as a goose, we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others.
3. Fact: When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position.
Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each others’ skills, capabilities, and unique arrangements of gifts, talents, or resources.
4. Fact: Geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
Lesson: We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement, the production is much greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one’s heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.
5. Fact: When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then, they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.
B. How are we doing at encouragement?
1. 77% go out of their way to encourage or compliment someone for something excellent or special they have done. (Foster Letter 6/25/03)
2. When is the last time you thought of the people you know and determined which one was in need of encouragement the most?
C. NT alone (46 “encourage”)
1. Acts 14:21-22, They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
2. 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12, For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
3. Hebrews 3:13, But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
4. Hebrews 10:25, Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
II. Faithful Comfort (Aristarchus, Mark, Justus)
A. Life is hard and we often just need a little comfort from one another.
1. God is more concerned with our character than our comfort.
2. We shouldn’t have to go through the hard times of life void of comfort from one another.
B. The good news is that science now agrees: Religion really is a good thing. Consider the following, reported in Time magazine’s cover story for June 24:
1. Heart-surgery patients who draw comfort from their religious faith have a significantly higher survival rate than those who do not.
2. The blood pressure of people who attend church is 5 mm lower than that of those who do not.
3. People with religious faith who attend church regularly experience less depression than nonreligious people, while suicide is four times higher among nonchurchgoers. “Perspectives on the News,” Signs of the Times, September 1996, p. 4.
C. A hospital administrator was once startled to see a patient fleeing down the hall out of the operating room, his loose hospital gown flapping the breeze behind him. He stopped the fleeing patient and said, "Do you mind telling me why you ran away from the operating room?" The patient looked at him with startled eyes and said, "It was because of what the nurse said." The administrator said "Oh, what did she say?" She said, "Be brave! An appendectomy is quite simple." The administrator looked a bit confused and said, "Well, so what? It is quite simple. I would think that would comfort you." The patient said "Are you kidding, the nurse wasn't talking to me; she was talking to the doctor."
D. Jesus demonstrated tremendous compassion on people.
1. Mark 1:41, Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”
2. Colossians 3:12, Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
III. Faithful in Prayer (Epaphras)
A. “wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”
B. Who Prays?
· 88% of Americans pray
· 82% believe in the healing power of prayer
· 78% say prayer is an important part of daily life
· 63% pray often
· 25% pray occasionally
· 65% believe they have had specific prayers answered
· 79% say praying helps speed recovery
· 24% say they have been cured through prayer
· 49% have prayed for guidance in finances.
· (National Day of Prayer, The Power of Family Prayer, 2000)
C. Prayer is Work (Ministry)
D. The roof of the church hall of a little Swiss church, at the turn of the 20th century, was falling down. So the members of the church held regular prayer meetings in the hall after the service to pray for funds to repair the roof . There was an old man, known to be very tight with his money, who used to attend and sit near the back of the hall. He could sneak out just before the collection plate came round at the end of the prayer meeting. One Sunday, he was held up on his way to the prayer meeting in the Hall and could only find a seat at the front of the church. During the prayer meeting, a piece of the roof fell and hit him on the head. Feeling spoke to by the Lord, he stood up and said "Lord, I’ll give £1000" A voice at the back of the church was heard to say " Hit him again, Lord"!
Conclusion: Encouragement / Comfort / Prayer (Ministries) Usually we think of listed official ministries / recognized ministries, etc. Notice these are very close to Jesus’ example.
Colossians 4:17, καὶ εἴπατε Ἀρχίππῳ· βλέπε τὴν διακονίαν ἣν παρέλαβες ἐν κυρίῳ, ἵνα αὐτὴν πληροῖς.