This morning, I want to talk about why I love the church, and how we might become the best church we can be.
A few years ago, I was struck by a Toby Keith song called, “I Love This Bar.” I don’t even like country music, but I couldn’t get his song out of my head. Toby Keith and his band are singing behind a protective cage. And he’s describing people throughout the bar…
“We got winners, we got losers… chain smokers and boozers. An’ we got yuppies, we got bikers, An’ we got, thirsty hitchhikers… “We got cowboys, we got truckers, broken hearted fools and suckers. An’ we got hustlers, we got fighters, early birds and all nighters. And the veterans talk about their battle scars… I’ve seen short skirts, we’ve got high-techs, blue collar boys and rednecks…”
That’s not a complete list! But why would such a diverse group of people gather at a bar? What do they want? What are they looking for? What do they have in common? Are they just there for alcohol, or is there something else?
In the chorus Toby Keith tells us why he loves the bar… “I love this bar, it’s my kind of place. Just walk in through the front the door, puts a big smile on my face. It ain’t too far, come as you are… I love this bar.”
It’s like the old theme song for Cheers. “Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? . . . You wanna go where people know people are all the same, You wanna go where everybody knows your name.”
One reason I love the church is because the church is for everyone. The church is for everyone because the gospel is for everyone. Romans 1:16, “The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…” Now as you look over Toby Keith’s list, ask yourself, “Who is the church, who is the gospel, not for? Are there any exceptions? Is there anyone listed God’s power couldn’t transform?”
Maybe Toby Keith’s list makes you uncomfortable. Maybe you ’re saying, “I’d never be part of a church with ‘those kinds of people.’” In Paul’s writings, he never minces words about who the gospel is for. The gospel is for the ungodly, the wicked. the sexually immoral, the sexually confused, the impure, the lusters, the evil, the greedy, the sinful and idolatrous. The gospel is for the angry, the rageaholics, the slanderers, the filthy-mouthed, the gossip, the liar… In Romans, the gospel is the for the Jew/Gentile, slave/free, male/female, the religious/irreligious, the sincere/insincere, the faithful/unfaithful, the law-abider/law-breaker… the gospel is for the murderer, the insolent, the arrogant, the hypocrite, the obedient/disobedient, the monogamous/the heterosexual/ the GLBTQ.
In the gospel, we’re all being invited by faith, “come as you are. Just walk in through the front door. Seeing ‘those people’ here, puts a big smile on God’s face!”
Let me ask you a few questions. Do you believe God so loved the world? Do you believe God has a purpose and plan for every human being? Do you believe the gospel is for everyone, for all who believe? Do you believe God’s Holy Spirit is active in the world, convicting people in regard to sin, righteousness, and the coming judgment? Do you believe God is actively calling people to himself, by his Spirit, through his word, through the ministry of the local church? Do you think if God’s grace draws a person to Christ, that same grace can transform a person to be like Christ?
I’ve seen how sometimes the Church becomes its own worst obstacle. We complain about what people in the world are becoming, but when they show up in our midst, we freak out! We don’t know what to think, or how to act. In Romans 12, Paul gives some excellent insight into how we become the best church we can become.
First, We Must Practice True Humility (v. 3)
Romans 12:3 Paul says, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”
One of the biggest hurdles we have to becoming a great church is our attitude about our self, and our attitude about others. For instance, let’s talk about your attitude toward yourself. You either have a “high view” of yourself or a “low view” of yourself.
For example, if you have a high view of yourself, you might think you are a pretty good Christian person. You might feel you really have your stuff together, that you’re holy, righteous, and good. Perhaps you carry yourself w/a certain kind of pride.
But some of you have a “low view” of yourself. You beat yourself up every day. You cannot imagine how God could love you much less forgive you. Every day your ridden with guilt and shame. Maybe you wonder whether your life is a hopeless cause.
Just like we carry a certain attitude about ourselves, we often carry a certain attitude about others. Sometimes we have a high view of others (and put people on a pedestal), but sometimes we have a low view of others (and write them off). The problem is that God hasn’t appointed you to be the judge, and arbiter of his grace. He will show mercy to whomever he wants to show mercy. He will show compassion on whomever he wants to show compassion.
The problem in the church is that we can get so high on ourselves—imagining that we deserve more grace or less grace than the next person. So instead of opening our hand to the world, and sharing the gospel, we hold unto God’s grace with a closed hand, which to the world, looks like a closed fist! The message is, “this grace is ours…. It can never be yours…”
Instead of being so high on ourselves, Paul says we ought to think of ourselves with sober judgment. Notice how Paul speaks of himself, not just here but throughout Romans. He says, “By the grace given me I say to every one of you…” There is the high view, there is the low view, but then there is the grace view. As a church, we ought to have one attitude, and one attitude along toward one another: “Praise God you’re here, friend, it puts a big smile on my face, it puts a big smile on God’s face.” We should never be so arrogant as to say, “I deserve to be here more than you…”
Now there are times, when because of exceptional circumstances, the Bible commands leaders to expel a person. What we’re talking about however, is this kind of unilateral, pre-emptive attitude that writes people off without ever giving them a chance hear the gospel, and understand the gospel, to repent and believe on Jesus.
A while back a couple attended our church—two women. The women had wedding rings, they were clearly in a relationship, they sat together. I felt they were being respectful, they didn’t do anything to make anyone uncomfortable. I was glad they felt comfortable enough to be our guests here at Lakeside. But would you know I got a phone call first thing Monday morning. “Pastor, I’m leaving the church. I saw such-n-such couple sitting in front of me. I can’t believe nobody confronted them, I can’t believe you allowed it, my wife and I won’t be returning.”
We can be so full of ourselves, we preemptively (rudely) deny others the opportunity to embrace the very same grace that’s been afforded us. I think we need to chill out sometimes, and trust God. This is his Kingdom, and his Church. Why shouldn’t I trust God to take people on the same journey he’s been taking me?
Second, We Must Practice True Belonging (v. 4-5)
Romans 12:4-5, “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
In light of God’s grace, it isn’t enough that we’d simple coexist alongside one another, or quietly tolerate one another. It isn’t enough that we should look at ourselves with sober judgment. God wants us to see ourselves as members of “one” body, as members who truly belong to one another. He wants us to see ourselves as vitally connected as the members of you’re body (your hands, feet, ears, eyes, nose, tongue). God wants you to understand that YOU have a vital role/function in his church.
I know how some of you feel. You think to yourself, “I don’t feel like going to church. It doesn’t matter whether I go to worship, or join a small group, or serve on a ministry team, or attend some event. Nobody will notice, nobody will care. Besides, I’m not getting anything out of church.”
The paradigm shift is maybe church isn’t just about being served; Maybe it should be about serving others? Maybe it’s not about just attending; Maybe it’s about truly belonging, and truly investing in others, looking to the interests of others and not just your own interests? When you come to church, maybe you expect to be fed, or entertained, or pampered to. But what if you came with an expectation to serve, to give, to sacrifice, to care, to love, to invest in others? If you truly understood how God wants to use you to build up his body the church, you’d never miss a Sunday, you’d never miss a small group, you’d never miss a moment to touch another life.
Those high on themselves say, “I’m too good for the church. I’m superior. I’m above serving. I have more important priorities in the world.” Those low on themselves say, “What’s in it for me? What do I need from others, what can I take?” Those low on themselves say, “I don’t have anything to offer, I don’t matter.” Those who have a sober view of themselves say, “How can I serve? Where can I invest? Who can I come alongside and love? I’m not just here to attend, I’m here to truly, vitally belong…”
Third, We Must Practice True Grace (v. 6-8)
Romans 12:6-8, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”
The Biblical perspective on your life, is that your life is a conduit, a channel of grace. Think of the conduit the runs throughout this whole building. The conduit brings power to every room, every ceiling, every closet, every corner of this building. Every foot of conduit matters. Now that you understand how the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes… do you also understand how God intends your very life to be a conduit of that power? Who are you to judge whether your life matters or not? Who are you to deprive one part of Christ’s body, the Church, from receiving God’s power? You are a conduit of God’s grace and power into the lives of others!
The spiritual gifts Paul mentions are pretty straightforward, and easy to understand. But I would like you to notice the first and last gifts in the list. The first gift is prophesying, and the last gift is mercy. The similarity between a church and a bar is this: come as you are; But the difference between a church and a bar is this: don’t stay as you are, be renewed, be transformed! God raises up prophetic voices in the church to speak the truth clearly and unequivocally. But God also raises up merciful voices in the church, to hold out his love and compassion. We cannot allow the prophetic voices to silence the merciful voices nor the merciful voices to silence the prophetic.
If you tilt toward the prophetic end of the spectrum, you hate this sermon. You have been sitting there the whole time thinking to yourself, “What does he mean the gospel is for everyone who believes?” If you’re a prophet you tend to be a wrecking ball. You’re tendency is to snuff out the wick, instead of fanning the tiny ember of faith that might be there.
If you’re a prophet, you’re tendency is to break off the bruised reed, and destroy the weak, who don’t seem to measure up to your same your level of faith. If you’re a prophet, you often strain out the gnats while swallowing the camel. In you’re zeal for truth, you harshly deny other people the chance to hear, understand, or receive grace. If you’re not careful, you end up being the Monday morning guy who gets on the phone and instead of celebrating God’s work in some wayward soul, you call for it to be shut down.
If you tilt toward the mercy end of the spectrum, you’ve been sitting there the whole time imagining the smile on God’s face. When I spoke about God’s grace, and mercy, and forgiveness your heart leaped with joy inside your chest. But the reality is that the gospel is serious business. Grace isn’t cheap… it cost God everything.
God’s desire is that grace might “reign” in our lives, that his grace wouldn’t be without affect, that his grace would lead to repentance and awaken faith, that in view of his mercy/grace, we would offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God… that we would no longer be conformed to the world but be transformed through the renewing of our minds… that we wouldn’t seek what pleases ourselves, but discern what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, perfect will.
Sandwiched between the extremes of grace and truth is serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading… This church is at its best when all of us lean into our gifts, and allow God’s power and grace to freely flow through us, into every person God adds to this great fellowship.