Pastor Cal Lord's Recent Sermons
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The Marks of A Faithful Ministry
February 19, 2006 Mark 2:1-2:12
These last few weeks have been a lot of fun. We have had the opportunity to worship
together, get to know one another, and this afternoon we will start a new ministry together
with the interfaith luncheon.
We have had church, but it has been different. In a way, we have challenged the status
quo and done something that very few congregations have attempted. It is a lot easier to
simply establish a routine, get everyone on board and then begin to do the same thing over
and over and over again.
Since I started weight watchers again last year, I eat lunch five or six days a week at
Subway. They know me at all four Subway stores in Norwich. As a matter fact, when I
walk in the door, they ask, “turkey or spicy Italian?” I am a regular and the reason I go to
Subway is because I know how many points there are in a six inch sub. It is a lot easier
now to go to Subway than to try and figure out the points anywhere else.
Sometimes I wonder if we haven’t done the same thing with the way we do church. We
get used to certain things and stop looking at the value or usefulness of what we are doing.
This morning I am going to ask you to indulge me for a few minutes as we look at this
passage from the Gospel of Mark.
We meet Jesus here. Early on in his ministry he is setting a pattern for the way he interacts
with the community. He is establishing precedent for his disciples and teaching them how
to be, what we would call, “the church.”
I think as we look at this story we can find at least five marks of a faithful ministry that
we can use to measure and strengthen the work of our congregations.
I. The first mark is what I would call “a contagious enthusiasm.”
As the story opens, we see Jesus surrounded by a mob of people. He is visiting a home
and there are so many people that they can’t all fit inside the house. The word had gotten
out the Jesus was in town and there was so much excitement that the people couldn’t get
there quick enough and even after all the good seats were taken, the ones in the back, they
filtered in up front and then flowed outside the house, just hoping to hear a word or catch
a glimpse of him.
Contrast that to what happens in most of our churches. I don’t want to depress you and I
understand that there is a lot of virtue in being part of a small congregation, but we need to
ask the question. When people come to our churches are they finding Jesus? You see
Jesus is exciting. He comes offering unconditional love, forgiveness, new life, fresh
opportunities and much more.
People couldn’t get enough of him. Everywhere you look there are people voicing the fact
that Jesus spoke with authority, that he was unlike the other religious leaders of his day,
that he had compassion on people, that he had the power of God at his command. People
came to him because when they encountered him, they went away changed. Then they
told their friends and neighbors and got them excited too.
It wasn’t an accident that the house was overflowing that day. The word had gotten out
that Jesus would be there and he could change their lives. The word got out that Jesus
was approachable and he wanted people to come to him.
When was the last time you told someone about what Jesus did for you? When was the
last time you invited someone to come to church? When was the last time you got up in
the morning and were excited about coming to worship? You see that is the problem. I
don’t know if its me or Pastor Keller or you, but for some reason I think we forget or we
overlook the fact that our worship service is supposed to be a place where people come to
meet Jesus. And that is exciting. Its not about the choir. Sorry. Its not about the
preaching. Its not about the coffee hour. They are all nice. But they don’t compare to
Jesus.
A year ago I went to the Billy Graham School of Evangelism and the preacher said that our
job each week is to greet the broken hearted at the door and introduce them Jesus on a
Sunday morning. Are we doing that? Because if we are, if people are meeting Jesus, then
the word will get out that Jesus is in the building and we will draw the crowds.
A few years ago I was at MGM Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida. As we were
walking through the park we found ourselves stopped in the middle of a growing crowd.
After a few minutes, I sensed that something was about to happen. There was a buzz and
I asked someone what was going on. The woman told me that a big star was going to
arrive in a few minutes. I am not sure if anyone knew who was coming that day, but the
buzz was growing and the excitement was electric. I decided to stay and even though I
had no clue as to who was going to show up, I was fascinated and wanted to be a part of
whatever was going to take place. That crowd’s excitement was contagious. Is our
enthusiasm for the Lord that contagious that people want to come and stick around
because someone is coming?
Fifteen minutes later, Olivia Newton John showed up. When I was a teenager, I loved
Olivia Newton John and she made my day. But I’ll tell you she doesn’t have anything on
Jesus. We need to let the world know that every Sunday Jesus shows up in our house.
II. A second mark of a faithful ministry is “love overflowing.” The number one word
associated with Jesus in the New Testament is not judgment. It is not righteousness. It is
not obligation. It is compassion or love.
Jesus’ ministry was directed towards others. He saw their needs and he reached out to
them. People came to him because they knew he cared. That’s what motivated these four
men to bring their friend. They loved this friend and they knew that when Jesus saw him,
he would do something. He wouldn’t turn them away. That’s who he was.
Look at the life of Jesus and you will see His love and compassion: The little children, the
woman caught in adultery, the leper, the blind, the lame, the thief on the cross....
Our mission, if we are to walk be the church the Lord calls us to be, is to LOVE the
people God sends our way! We must display that love in our homes, in the marketplace, in
the schools, and in our neighborhoods! Everything that we do at our churches should be
directed at meeting the needs of those around us through the power and love of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
That is why I like what we will be doing at the Interfaith Luncheon. We will be feeding the
hungry and serving them with a smile. That’s why I appreciate the work Central does with
its Food Locker. Families are being served and the love of God is made real to them.
These are just two small ways we can show the love of God. But we need to make sure it
is part of everything we do.
III. A third mark is that of “people working together.” I know it is easy to think that since
you pay the minister so much, that he should be responsible for doing everything. The
truth is that if the church is operating according to God’s plan, the paid minister should
have very little to do. Notice what happens in our story. Four men bring their friend to
Jesus. They come together to bring this lame man to the Lord. If one or two of them had
decided that they were too busy or that it wasn’t really their job, the man wouldn’t have
his opportunity.
Our theology of the church is that God gives every member at least one gift and he calls us
together so we can do his work. That means every member has something he or she can
be doing to build up the ministry of the church. It might be a prayer ministry or a teaching
ministry, or a baking and hospitality ministry. You might be called to sing praises in the
choir or ring bells and make a joyful noise. You could be the one who nurtures the
children in the nursery or visits shut ins. The truth is, and I think Pastor Keller will agree,
part of the reason our churches are not running at 100% is because everyone has not
accepted their calling to work together. When that happens the world around us will never
be the same.
V. The fourth mark is one that most of us would sooner do without. I’m being honest
here. Up until now, we could wrap our arms around these marks. But the fourth is a
ministry is that it is “filled with challenges.”
Ouch! We want to have it easy. We want the money for the new organ to float down like
manna from heaven. We want the children for our Sunday School to pop up like
perennials in the spring time. We want young families with lots of money and lots of time
and energy to volunteer, to appear on our door step. We want everyone to think just the
way we do.
In our text, as wonderful as everything appeared, there were critics. The scribes watched
what Jesus did and they found all kinds of fault.
The truth is that any time you are doing something godly, there will be opposition and there
will be challenges. Either people will confront you on the changes or the needs will be
overwhelming. God never promised it would be easy but he did promise that he would be
with us and that he would supply our every need. We need to be a people of prayer. We
need to be a people who meet challenges by going to God.
We have one member of our congregation who reminds me of this constantly. Several
years ago we were in the midst of a stewardship campaign and he said, I don’t know why
you go through all this bother. My father has plenty of money. Whenever I need something
I just go to him. Like any good pastor, I asked him if his father wanted to join our church.
Then he said my Father is God and he promised he would supply our needs. Theology
101.
You see the challenges remind us that we can never do it alone. We need God. This is
God’s gig. We are simply the instruments to make it happen. The challenges keep us
humble and keep us on our knees. So let’s embrace them and let’s watch God work his
wonders.
VI. The final and fifth mark of a faithful; ministry is the presence of the power of God. In
our text Jesus said, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took his
mat and walked out in full view of them all…”
The Gospel of Jesus Christ will always ask us to do what we can not accomplish. Lame
people can not walk, not unless of course it is done in the power of His word and for His
glory! What is it that people say can NOT be done in our congregations?
How about two old, established congregations meeting together for Sunday School and
worship for eight weeks? Impossible. No one will ever go for it. Only by the grace of
God.
The truth is that we have seen miracles time after time in our congregations. I could tell
you about a boy who was in a car accident and thought to be dead but was brought back
to life and is now fully functioning because of a prayer meeting that trook place. I could
tell you of a man who was paralyzed from the nexk down who walks today because of
continued prayer. I could tell you of a man who was healed of his cancer when he was
anointed with oil during a worship service. I could tell you one story after another of
times when First Baptist and Central Baptist faced great challenges of fires and hurricanes
and conflicts and by the power of God overcame them to stand here today.
The fact is that Jesus has called us to action and He will equip us with that which we need
to see the demonstration of His presence and power in our midst. Jesus said, “Rise up and
walk!” The world said, “That’s impossible!” We know that it is possible and we
desperately need to see HIS POWER in our church today. We need to experience His
power in our homes, our marriage, our work, our schools, and our neighborhoods.
When this happens people will praise God and say, “We have never seen anything like this
before!” That’s what they said when Jesus entered the town and began to heal the people.
That’s what they’ll say when we walk with God and allow him to use us to reach out to
the people around us. We won’t need to advertise it. The people will be praising God and
leave a trail throughout the community. When we come together on Sunday morning, our
praise will resound in the courts of heaven.
Praise God. Let’s stop pretending to be the church and actually accept the calling of God
and be the church. May his presence, his power and his glory shine through us as we
become the church of Jesus Christ. Amen
February 19, 2006 Mark 2:1-2:12
These last few weeks have been a lot of fun. We have had the opportunity to worship
together, get to know one another, and this afternoon we will start a new ministry together
with the interfaith luncheon.
We have had church, but it has been different. In a way, we have challenged the status
quo and done something that very few congregations have attempted. It is a lot easier to
simply establish a routine, get everyone on board and then begin to do the same thing over
and over and over again.
Since I started weight watchers again last year, I eat lunch five or six days a week at
Subway. They know me at all four Subway stores in Norwich. As a matter fact, when I
walk in the door, they ask, “turkey or spicy Italian?” I am a regular and the reason I go to
Subway is because I know how many points there are in a six inch sub. It is a lot easier
now to go to Subway than to try and figure out the points anywhere else.
Sometimes I wonder if we haven’t done the same thing with the way we do church. We
get used to certain things and stop looking at the value or usefulness of what we are doing.
This morning I am going to ask you to indulge me for a few minutes as we look at this
passage from the Gospel of Mark.
We meet Jesus here. Early on in his ministry he is setting a pattern for the way he interacts
with the community. He is establishing precedent for his disciples and teaching them how
to be, what we would call, “the church.”
I think as we look at this story we can find at least five marks of a faithful ministry that
we can use to measure and strengthen the work of our congregations.
I. The first mark is what I would call “a contagious enthusiasm.”
As the story opens, we see Jesus surrounded by a mob of people. He is visiting a home
and there are so many people that they can’t all fit inside the house. The word had gotten
out the Jesus was in town and there was so much excitement that the people couldn’t get
there quick enough and even after all the good seats were taken, the ones in the back, they
filtered in up front and then flowed outside the house, just hoping to hear a word or catch
a glimpse of him.
Contrast that to what happens in most of our churches. I don’t want to depress you and I
understand that there is a lot of virtue in being part of a small congregation, but we need to
ask the question. When people come to our churches are they finding Jesus? You see
Jesus is exciting. He comes offering unconditional love, forgiveness, new life, fresh
opportunities and much more.
People couldn’t get enough of him. Everywhere you look there are people voicing the fact
that Jesus spoke with authority, that he was unlike the other religious leaders of his day,
that he had compassion on people, that he had the power of God at his command. People
came to him because when they encountered him, they went away changed. Then they
told their friends and neighbors and got them excited too.
It wasn’t an accident that the house was overflowing that day. The word had gotten out
that Jesus would be there and he could change their lives. The word got out that Jesus
was approachable and he wanted people to come to him.
When was the last time you told someone about what Jesus did for you? When was the
last time you invited someone to come to church? When was the last time you got up in
the morning and were excited about coming to worship? You see that is the problem. I
don’t know if its me or Pastor Keller or you, but for some reason I think we forget or we
overlook the fact that our worship service is supposed to be a place where people come to
meet Jesus. And that is exciting. Its not about the choir. Sorry. Its not about the
preaching. Its not about the coffee hour. They are all nice. But they don’t compare to
Jesus.
A year ago I went to the Billy Graham School of Evangelism and the preacher said that our
job each week is to greet the broken hearted at the door and introduce them Jesus on a
Sunday morning. Are we doing that? Because if we are, if people are meeting Jesus, then
the word will get out that Jesus is in the building and we will draw the crowds.
A few years ago I was at MGM Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida. As we were
walking through the park we found ourselves stopped in the middle of a growing crowd.
After a few minutes, I sensed that something was about to happen. There was a buzz and
I asked someone what was going on. The woman told me that a big star was going to
arrive in a few minutes. I am not sure if anyone knew who was coming that day, but the
buzz was growing and the excitement was electric. I decided to stay and even though I
had no clue as to who was going to show up, I was fascinated and wanted to be a part of
whatever was going to take place. That crowd’s excitement was contagious. Is our
enthusiasm for the Lord that contagious that people want to come and stick around
because someone is coming?
Fifteen minutes later, Olivia Newton John showed up. When I was a teenager, I loved
Olivia Newton John and she made my day. But I’ll tell you she doesn’t have anything on
Jesus. We need to let the world know that every Sunday Jesus shows up in our house.
II. A second mark of a faithful ministry is “love overflowing.” The number one word
associated with Jesus in the New Testament is not judgment. It is not righteousness. It is
not obligation. It is compassion or love.
Jesus’ ministry was directed towards others. He saw their needs and he reached out to
them. People came to him because they knew he cared. That’s what motivated these four
men to bring their friend. They loved this friend and they knew that when Jesus saw him,
he would do something. He wouldn’t turn them away. That’s who he was.
Look at the life of Jesus and you will see His love and compassion: The little children, the
woman caught in adultery, the leper, the blind, the lame, the thief on the cross....
Our mission, if we are to walk be the church the Lord calls us to be, is to LOVE the
people God sends our way! We must display that love in our homes, in the marketplace, in
the schools, and in our neighborhoods! Everything that we do at our churches should be
directed at meeting the needs of those around us through the power and love of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
That is why I like what we will be doing at the Interfaith Luncheon. We will be feeding the
hungry and serving them with a smile. That’s why I appreciate the work Central does with
its Food Locker. Families are being served and the love of God is made real to them.
These are just two small ways we can show the love of God. But we need to make sure it
is part of everything we do.
III. A third mark is that of “people working together.” I know it is easy to think that since
you pay the minister so much, that he should be responsible for doing everything. The
truth is that if the church is operating according to God’s plan, the paid minister should
have very little to do. Notice what happens in our story. Four men bring their friend to
Jesus. They come together to bring this lame man to the Lord. If one or two of them had
decided that they were too busy or that it wasn’t really their job, the man wouldn’t have
his opportunity.
Our theology of the church is that God gives every member at least one gift and he calls us
together so we can do his work. That means every member has something he or she can
be doing to build up the ministry of the church. It might be a prayer ministry or a teaching
ministry, or a baking and hospitality ministry. You might be called to sing praises in the
choir or ring bells and make a joyful noise. You could be the one who nurtures the
children in the nursery or visits shut ins. The truth is, and I think Pastor Keller will agree,
part of the reason our churches are not running at 100% is because everyone has not
accepted their calling to work together. When that happens the world around us will never
be the same.
V. The fourth mark is one that most of us would sooner do without. I’m being honest
here. Up until now, we could wrap our arms around these marks. But the fourth is a
ministry is that it is “filled with challenges.”
Ouch! We want to have it easy. We want the money for the new organ to float down like
manna from heaven. We want the children for our Sunday School to pop up like
perennials in the spring time. We want young families with lots of money and lots of time
and energy to volunteer, to appear on our door step. We want everyone to think just the
way we do.
In our text, as wonderful as everything appeared, there were critics. The scribes watched
what Jesus did and they found all kinds of fault.
The truth is that any time you are doing something godly, there will be opposition and there
will be challenges. Either people will confront you on the changes or the needs will be
overwhelming. God never promised it would be easy but he did promise that he would be
with us and that he would supply our every need. We need to be a people of prayer. We
need to be a people who meet challenges by going to God.
We have one member of our congregation who reminds me of this constantly. Several
years ago we were in the midst of a stewardship campaign and he said, I don’t know why
you go through all this bother. My father has plenty of money. Whenever I need something
I just go to him. Like any good pastor, I asked him if his father wanted to join our church.
Then he said my Father is God and he promised he would supply our needs. Theology
101.
You see the challenges remind us that we can never do it alone. We need God. This is
God’s gig. We are simply the instruments to make it happen. The challenges keep us
humble and keep us on our knees. So let’s embrace them and let’s watch God work his
wonders.
VI. The final and fifth mark of a faithful; ministry is the presence of the power of God. In
our text Jesus said, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took his
mat and walked out in full view of them all…”
The Gospel of Jesus Christ will always ask us to do what we can not accomplish. Lame
people can not walk, not unless of course it is done in the power of His word and for His
glory! What is it that people say can NOT be done in our congregations?
How about two old, established congregations meeting together for Sunday School and
worship for eight weeks? Impossible. No one will ever go for it. Only by the grace of
God.
The truth is that we have seen miracles time after time in our congregations. I could tell
you about a boy who was in a car accident and thought to be dead but was brought back
to life and is now fully functioning because of a prayer meeting that trook place. I could
tell you of a man who was paralyzed from the nexk down who walks today because of
continued prayer. I could tell you of a man who was healed of his cancer when he was
anointed with oil during a worship service. I could tell you one story after another of
times when First Baptist and Central Baptist faced great challenges of fires and hurricanes
and conflicts and by the power of God overcame them to stand here today.
The fact is that Jesus has called us to action and He will equip us with that which we need
to see the demonstration of His presence and power in our midst. Jesus said, “Rise up and
walk!” The world said, “That’s impossible!” We know that it is possible and we
desperately need to see HIS POWER in our church today. We need to experience His
power in our homes, our marriage, our work, our schools, and our neighborhoods.
When this happens people will praise God and say, “We have never seen anything like this
before!” That’s what they said when Jesus entered the town and began to heal the people.
That’s what they’ll say when we walk with God and allow him to use us to reach out to
the people around us. We won’t need to advertise it. The people will be praising God and
leave a trail throughout the community. When we come together on Sunday morning, our
praise will resound in the courts of heaven.
Praise God. Let’s stop pretending to be the church and actually accept the calling of God
and be the church. May his presence, his power and his glory shine through us as we
become the church of Jesus Christ. Amen
The First Baptist Church of Norwich