Rivers of GraceFitchburg Nazarene Church

March 12, 2017

by

Rev. Charles W. Pendleton, Jr.

(These are the Pastor’s notes. He may have said more which is not noted here. He could have ignored certain portions of these notes in our actual service.)

Ephesians 2:8-98For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.

Since we began this series on grace a month ago, I have had many occasions where one

or more of you have spoken to me about grace. More than that; there have been times when you’ve spoken to me about recent places in your life where the Spirit of Christ has asked you personally to exhibit His supernatural grace in your own lives, by extending grace toward others you were dealing with.

Even more close to home for me – some of you have extended grace to me when I’ve let you down.

I don’t know if you know it, but letting you down is not something that I’m good with. I mean, it doesn’t sit well with me. And the truth be told – in our humanity – it doesn’t

sit well with any of us when people let us down.

That is one of the reasons “grace” is such an important commodity in the body of Christ – the Church.

There are many reasons we let one another down – or disappoint – one another.

Human frailty –

Well intentioned, but poor decisions –

and on occasion – if we are honest – I’m going to guess; selfish choices.

I am convinced that until we learn to deal with one another graciously, we limit the work that God is able to do through us in our communities, and in our families.

To show you what I’m talking about, I want to talk to you about the human condition from which we each come – the condition that Paul talked to his Ephesian readers about.

1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.  3All of us also lived

among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

That’s the human condition “outside of Christ.”

Dead in transgressions and sins Following the ways of the world Gratifying the cravings of our flesh Following after the desires and thoughts

of those cravings.

Did you know that your flesh has a mind of its’ own?

Well, it does!

Which leads me to a big BUT.

How many of you are grateful for big buts?

After we read this next passage, I think you will be.

Ephesians 2:4ff

 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly

realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves , it is the gift of God—   9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

So here’s the deal.

You were DEAD! In your SINS!

B – U – T , God (because of His love for you) AND because He is…

RICH IN MERCY (v4)

God – made us ALIVE in CHRIST!!!

As we look to bring the gospel message to those living outside of the covenant of GRACE through Christ – we need to remember that we are bringing the message to DEAD PEOPLE!

Now, you might very well say – “Well why even try – dead people can’t respond!”

GREAT POINT!

But remember, God ALWAYS desires to use His children to bring others to Himself.

All we are responsible for is “bringing the gospel message in a clear way” – the awakening within a lost soul is only possible through the Spirit of God.

His prevenient grace – or the grace which goes in front of (before) salvation – is responsible for opening the ears, heart, and mind of those to whom we deliver the message.

These are DEAD PEOPLE! Only God can open their understanding.

Let me show you what I mean.

1 Corinthians 1:18ff

Part of me would like to just read the book ends here, but let’s read a major segment of this passage so that we don’t lose the context of where the message is given.

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;

the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”c

20Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the

wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.26Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of

the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.28God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”d

Let’s marry a couple of verses, now that we have read the context.

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus,

Our job is to bring the message…

God’s job is to bring the understanding of the message.

I know – a number of us would be a lot more comfortable if God would simply

come down and offer this gift of GRACE to people without our help.

But it’s not what He does!

It never has been.

GOD USES PEOPLE to bring others into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!

If you already know all this, then why do I beat this dead horse?

Because we need to be reminded of some things.

Not only have we been saved by grace through faith –

BUT, verse 10 tells us…

10For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Does this make you wonder at all about what it is that you’ve been prepared to do?

It does me!

BUT – here’s another big one!

But we need to not only extend GRACE to one another in the Body of Christ (which, I think we are learning to do – thanks to your pastor giving you all kinds of opportunity to

extend him some grace); we need to know going into it, that bringing the message of the gospel to our lost community, will demand that we have shovel-loads of grace to extend to the lost.

No, barrel-loads!

No, truck-loads FULL OF GRACE.

Something we are still learning is that it is not about “the rules” – it is about relationship!

And there is no quicker way to end a brand new relationship than by demanding that unbeliever’s “follow some list of rules.”

How can they do that until the Spirit of God works within them to bring understanding to the message?

When we look at how long it is taking the indwelling Spirit of God to bring us to completeness – i.e. holiness of heart, comparable to that which was in Christ Jesus…

when we see the process of holiness, growing within the lives of believers – I hope it gives us a spirit of grace toward

those who are perishing – those who have not yet given their lives to God through faith in Christ.

I thought Pastor Patty did a great job last week of bringing us a message of grace.

One of the things which she began to explain was this idea of our becoming rivers of grace.

I know she didn’t use those exact words, but it is where she was headed when she talked about our allowing the Spirit of God to not only pour His grace into our lives, but to then become channels whereby God could bring healing into the lives of others.

She brought us to the story of the Good Samaritan.

There we saw in the negative example of the priest and the Levite, that grace poured into a life – but where a refusal to then extend that grace toward others – resulted in a stinking mess!

Here’s the word picture I want you to think about in relation to the grace of God which He has poured into your life.

Think of a river flowing in the springtime of New England.

The early spring rains cause the river to pour up over its’ typical banks, and into some lower areas adjacent to the river.

The river looks wider than it does all the rest of the year.

But, that extra flow of spring rain which brings nutrients and minerals, and even sometimes animal life into typically dry areas – does so for only so long.

Soon the dryness of summer approaches, and the flow of the once ample stream, returns to its’ common state.

What gets left behind is wetlands with no river flowing through them.

Eventually all those nutrients and minerals and fish, begin to dry out – die – and STINK!

Why? Because there is no longer a river of life flowing through that area.

The life-giving river has ceased replenishing that low area, and the dried out gulch begins to stink.

You’ve all come upon these kinds of areas in some walks you’ve taken.

All of a sudden, the possibilities which once lay within the grasp of that area are gone.

This could very well be a picture of you and I if we are not careful.

The grace which God has poured into our lives can easily dry up and begin to stink.

Lives which once held the promise of becoming fertile ground for God to plant and bring a harvest – can become dried up, legalistic, and useless.

We must be rivers –

we must be conduits of God’s grace.

That only happens when there is an inflow and an outflow of grace.

Pastor Patty and I have been reading a great deal lately about church growth and reaching the lost in our community.

I want to share just one small article with you this morning.

7 Things Christians Should Give Up

to Reach Unchurched People

By

Carey Nieuwhof

 -

February 28, 2017

So you want your church to reach people who don’t go to church.

That’s wonderful because that’s basically the mission of the church: to share the love of Christ with the world in hopes that everyone will come into a relationship with Jesus.

The challenge is that unchurched people aren’t exactly flocking to most churches, and many Christians seem stumped as to why that is.

There are many reasons, but a surprising number center around one thing:  Christians who treat the church as if it’s their private club.

The gravitational pull of human nature is toward self, not toward others, and churches behave the same way.  You will focus almost exclusively on your needs and wants unless you decide not to.

And that’s exactly what far too many churches do: focus exclusively on the needs and wants of their members.

OK, it’s worse than that.  Maybe it’s not even about needs and wants.  Maybe it’s about preferences.

So many church leaders (staff and volunteer) struggle to lead beyond the preferences of the church members.  And as soon as they try, they get inundated with complaints and angry emails.  Too many Christians feel like it’s their right to have a church that caters exactly to their tastes and whims, and millions are paying the price for that (including unchurched people).

Catering to the preferences of members is a terrible idea for three reasons.

First, it’s killing the church. Attendance continues to stagnate or decline as people drift further and further from Christ (here’s a five-part blog series I did on declining church attendance).

Second, it’s an unwinnable game. Even in a church of 100 people, you’ll never be able to please everyone.

Finally, and most importantly, it’s just wrong. Since when did the personal preferences of members become a legitimate reason to keep people away from God’s love?

When your preferences keep unchurched people from the promise of Christ, it’s time to change your preferences.

Here are seven things Christians should give up to reach unchurched people.

1. Music

You would think by now we might have solved this one.  But even churches who think they’ve solved it often haven’t.

Many churches who call themselves contemporary…aren’t.  They’re just more contemporary than they used to be.

Have you listened to the top 40 on iTunes or Spotify recently?  Probably not…because you hate that music.  You even tell yourself it isn’t music.  There’s no guitar.  It’s all beats.  And what’s with the vocal Olympics? Why can’t they make music like they used to (like in the ’90s), you say to yourself?

Which may be part of the reason your church struggles to reach anyone under 40.

Be honest.  Don’t call yourself contemporary if you’re some paler version of it.  Self-awareness and honesty actually matter if you’re trying to reach unchurched people.

Sadly, well-meaning self-deception runs rampant in church leadership today.

Be truthful about what you’re doing. If you are, it might just make you frustrated enough to make you change again.

In the meantime, realize that despite all the change, you could still be miles away from   being relevant to the people living around you.

2. Politics

I’m not sure politics has been this divisive in a generation or two.  But I promise you; it’s divisive.  Just check your social media feed.

I know many people who say they have stopped following people on social channels and avoid the news because they’re so upset by the divisiveness.

By definition, your church needs to include people who are different than you.

God is not a Republican, a Democrat, a conservative, a liberal or a socialist. He transcends all our political categories, however important they might be to us.

Politics matter, but they will never change the world the way the Gospel can (or has).

Should Christians vote?  Of course.  Should Christians run for office?  Absolutely.  We need more women and men of character and conviction in government.

But the church doesn’t exist to elect or defeat politicians.  It exists to glorify Christ and grow  his Kingdom  (which is an alt Kingdom) in the world. 

Just know this:  If God has all the same opinions your political party does, you’re probably not worshipping God.

3. Style

It seems the likes and dislikes of Christians run deep and wide these days.

We have opinions on everything from the coffee we serve to the color of the paint to the flooring in the auditorium to what we call the auditorium (“It’s a sanctuary, people!” he said, loudly) to the color shirt the greeting team wears.

Christians seriously leave churches and try to divide churches over issues like that?

You know what that is?  It’s pettiness.

Obviously, at some level, all those things matter.

But instead of running it through a filter of what you like, run it instead through a filter of whether what you do is effective in reaching the people you’re trying to reach.

And church leaders, you need to choose who you focus on:  members or those not yet coming to your church.

I agree with my friend Reggie Joiner who says leaders should focus on who they want to reach, not who they want to keep.

4. Buildings

As Christians, sometimes we get more attached to our buildings than we do to our mission.  Christians should also be 

willing to give up their buildings to reach more people.

This can happen on several levels.

First, don’t resist renovations.  If you’re still asking toddlers to meet downstairs in a moldy basement with green carpet, don’t be surprised when you can’t keep young families coming to your church.

Second, be willing to do what it takes to reach people. Sometimes that might mean moving from a permanent to a portable location. Other times it might mean doing a huge expansion. Don’t resist.

Finally, in a growing number of cases where churches are dying, this will mean flipping 

the keys to a growing church that lacks a building.

One of the oddities of the era we’re in these days is that the churches who have buildings often have no people, and the church plants that have people often have no building. Flip that.

I love hearing about the growing number of churches who are giving their building, assets and leadership over to a young church that’s reaching people.

5. Money

Dying churches that own buildings also often have money.

If a church doesn’t flip the keys and simply closes, then in many cases, denominations (many of which are also in decline) often take the money after a church closes and uses it to prop up, well, a dying denomination.

What if instead that money was redeployed to plant new churches?  Even new churches that aren’t part of that ‘denomination’?

In the emerging post-Christian era, it’s time to build THE Kingdom rather than YOUR Kingdom.

Similarly, older Christians tend to have more money than younger Christians.

What if Christians who had money used their resources to fund innovation rather than fight it?

Could you imagine what might happen?

6. Time

Being the church is about a lot more than showing up for an hour on Sunday or tuning in online.

If you’re really going to reach the next generation, it means giving your time too.

Authentic Christianity is more about what we give than what we get.  Our giving 

doesn’t earn us our salvation, of course, but it’s a joyful response to a God who gave everything for us.

7. Our Lives

Christians should be the most generous and selfless people on the planet.

Sadly, we’re often known as the stingiest and most selfish (ask any non-Christian who’s worked at a restaurant).

The Gospel calls us to die to ourselves so that others may live and to put something bigger than ourselves above ourselves.

If you give your life away, you find it.

When you die to yourself, something greater rises.

Now, this article isn’t an “end all” look at what needs to be done here at the Fitchburg CotN.

But it is indicative of some of the changes that we might need to think about as we get “intentional” about sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our community.

Let’s pray.