Bromley Baptist Church April 2 2006 AM – Discipleship & Giving (2)

Romans 12 is a very practical area after what has to be admitted is fairly dense stuff—the last 5 chapters are in fact fairly practical—and not to be dismissed as lighter weight and less important!

These 5 chapters are in fact the outworking of ch12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Paul is telling us to be different ...and to make a difference—and how to do it!

You have been transformed—go and transform the world!

Over it all is an attitude—how is the world transformed? What has transformed us?...

...Sacrifice.

Christ transformed us through His sacrifice -we transform the world through our sacrifice.

This emanates from his first exhortation in 12:1—Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

Any lifestyle change we demonstrate is ‘in view of God’s mercy’ - and that mercy isn’t just in him giving forgiveness the gift of new life or the opening of heavens doors —yes it was these but it was because Christ died for us that any of these are ours.

Sacrifice is at the root of our transformation and sacrifice is at the root of the world’s transformation.

That is what is involved with being Christ to the world! What changed us and what changes the world isn’t teaching about God, being a good example or just being an upright citizen. It is as Christ so becomes part of us that we go through our lives carrying the cross as he did.

When you became a Christian His sacrifice for you was total and free. It was all of grace—nothing you could do could ever deserve what He gave for and to you.

But His call then echoes around us - ‘Now take up your cross and follow me’.

· Did no-one ever tell you that was his call?

· Did you believe that you could sit back and receive all this and never say thank you in some meaningful way?

· His call is to transform the world as he has transformed you

· His call is to transform the world in the same way he has transformed you—by sacrifice.

Look further on into vv3-8 – what does Paul highlight?

1. Call to be a community of God

2. Gifts for the community of God

3. How we use those gifts for the community of God

Paul is talking about the way we grow as a church community. How we put grace into practise—how He has transformed us.

1. Call to take our place

To summarise—it’s how we act as the body of Christ towards one another—not exalting ourselves above where God has put us but taking our place in the body—even if that means sacrifice.

I have found that people tend not to play their part in the church mainly for 2 reasons..

· They don’t believe they can do anything significant

· They would rather be doing something that someone else is already doing! So they sit on the sidelines and criticise.

I also find some people who act as though they believe they are the only ones God can use!

All are equally wrong.

There is no one group God uses more than another because of any specific abilities or character—training, education, class, ethnic background, or because we’re ‘balanced’ (and dull!)

2. Gifts given

He has given each of us gifts which are to be laid at his feet and used for Him. (Rom 12:6-8)

· Prophesying—the ability to open up some insight from God

· Serving—being God’s hands to others

· Teaching—deepening our understanding of God and His ways with us

· Encouraging—building up God’s people by helping them on rather than bringing them under condemnation

· Contribution– the ability to make financial or other material provision for God’s work

· Leadership—under the chief shepherd, showing God’s sheep how to sacrifice for one another

· Showing mercy—laying down your life for someone else though they may not deserve it.

All are so necessary to any church—all are gifts given by God—for its upbuilding and growth.

I want to ask what you’re doing to say thank you to God—how you’re using the gifts entrusted to you and given for the community?

This community—Bromley Baptist Church—and indeed the whole church in Bromley can do so much for each other and for the outside community if people gave their gifts to God.

People wouldn’t be overloaded with multiple jobs and sometimes doing the wrong jobs—if people gave their gifts to God.

We need people with God’s gifts and call with our...

· children in Sunday school,

· youth with our PYP and brigades,

· homeless people with the new project we hope to begin for them,

· The elderly as we send people out to residential homes each Sunday

· Pastoral assistants and Home groups which are so crucial in the pastoral care of all in our fellowship

We also need people to contribute to the needs of others—people to help carry the financial burdens of the fellowship—people who (v.13) are called to share with God’s people who are in need, and who practise hospitality.

3. How should we use these gifts?

This isn’t the only list of spiritual gifts in the NT—(see list available) but what is unusual is that Paul reflects on the quality of our giving.

If your gift is serving—then do it! If it’s teaching then do it! - don’t fiddle about—get on with it!

Others are much more emphatic -

If your gift is leadership then govern diligently—in wisdom, if it’s showing mercy then do it cheerfully

The one about giving is quite unusual—

Paul writes—literally ‘If your gift is contributing then do it simply.’ what does he mean by that? Our translators are right in using the word ‘generously’ - but only because to give simply means we don’t let it be complicated by calculation and self interest. The person who gives simply will give straightforwardly, without personal agendas, generously, sacrificially and quietly. – Like the widow with her small coins in the face of the rich scattering their largess. (Matthew 12:42)

To summarise it—we’re called to give in the way the Lord gave to us - to our utmost!

John Wesley preached on the use of money. The 3 headings are ‘Gain all you can, save all you can and give all you can.’ He says—’Like your soul and body, your substance is not your own but God’s. He has told you, in the most clear and express terms, how you are to employ it for Him, in such a manner, that it may be a holy sacrifice, acceptable through Jesus Christ.’

Oswald Chambers wrote the classic devotional My Utmost For His Highest— a daily devotional guide, to challenge us not just to conversion but to zealous discipleship

He writes (Feb 24th) “Once the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit we deliberately begin to identify ourselves with Jesus Christ’s interests and purposes in others lives (Rom 5:5)) and Jesus has an interest in every individual person. We have no right in Christian service to be guided by our own interests and desires. In fact, this is one of the greatest tests of our relationship with Jesus Christ. The delight of sacrifice is that I lay down my life for my Friend, Jesus (John 15:13). I don’t throw my life away, but I willingly and deliberately lay it down for Him and His interests in other people. … Paul was in love with Jesus Christ!”

So we come back to where we started—to sacrifice.

· Any gift we give will be costly

· anything that makes a difference will be costly,

· anything which means anything will be costly,

· anything which is given to my utmost and for His highest will be costly.

Career? Time? Possessions? Money? Holidays? Energy? Convenience?

Just before he went down and was killed in his plane in 1940 a young RAF pilot wrote “The universe is so vast and so ageless that the life of one man can only be justified by the measure of his sacrifice.” - If you hold onto your life you will lose it – it will not be significant – give it away and it will count! See Matthew 16:24-26

The New Testament Greek word for "witness" is the word "martyros", (martyr) - Does that put some content on your desire to be a witness for Him? Are we ready to take the witness (martyros) stand? Are we ready to take up the cross and follow Him?