Preparing God’s People – how has God accomplished this?
Ephesians 4:11, 12, 13 It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (NIV)
Isaiah 61:6 And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. (NIV)
Throughout the summer, we‘ve been exploring Paul’s ministry to the Ephesian church and the response has been amazing. God seems to be working amongst us and I have never known a more exciting time of expectancy and enthusiasm in this wee church than what we are experiencing now. As the Church year is set to begin again in September with all our programs and projects in full swing, there is a deep sense of commitment, purpose, and direction that we have not known in a long time. God has been preparing us for this moment in our church’s history and I am so glad to be a part of the revival that is going on.
Today’s message is about preparation and how Christ positions His people in different places and times, in order to accomplish His ministry and mission. He did this in the mighty seaport of Ephesus when he called Paul to minister there for a couple of years. The people were ready to do something new and beautiful for God. Paul was merely the catalyst that Christ used to get the people moving.
Six generations ago, God positioned our church in this beautiful area that we call Bearden. Whether there was an actual den of Black or Grizzly bears in this region, I do not know, but I have come to love the name. Where I grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, my brothers and I used to hike twelve miles during the summer to visit a small town called Bearsden, which even existed when the Romans of Paul’s time occupied Scotland! It is a bonnie wee place and one dear to my heart – which is why I often refer to our church as being a bonnie wee place, too.
For some mysterious reason, God positioned our church here in this area 130 years ago and the great thing is this: Bearden is undergoing renewal, expansion and growth. I’ve been amazed at how much this whole area has been transformed. It’s become a commercial Klondike as a bounty of businesses develops this area. New houses are being built all over the place, which really excites me. This means that there is a new population here just waiting to be contacted, encouraged, and supported. In fact, at the last Outreach meeting, Tracy suggested that we begin to contact the people living in the surrounding apartments that are literally on our doorstep. I think that is a fantastic idea and one that we need to follow through.
But there are also booming new businesses in this area. A couple of years ago, a hairdressing salon was built across from our parking lot. In the first week of business, the owners came to visit our church and sent us some chocolates, coffee, and mugs. It was the start of a great relationship and friendship, for those business people were none other than Mary Alice, Don, Jose and Tonio, who are now part of our church family. God prepared us to be here for them, but He also moved their hearts to reach out to us first! And think of the great ministries and missions that have been born out of that connection, especially to the school in Guatemala!
It has made me think. There are new businesses opening in our area every year. Wouldn’t it be great if we could take a welcome basket from the church wishing them every blessing for the future? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our church was known for its prayers and support to business men and women in this area? They are investing their lives in this part of our lovely city. Why shouldn’t we let them know that God has invested us here, too? God positions the church to fulfill His mission. He makes us Ephesian Christians in a sea of commerce to advance the work of the Gospel.
But as well as positioning His people, God is constantly readying His congregations for missions that matter. The Ephesians people were amongst the biggest idolaters in the Mediterranean region, yet Christ planted a church there. He was going to use the Ephesians enthusiasm for organized religion and turn it into a great gift of evangelization across the region. Many Christians in the first couple of centuries after Christ would be thankful for the faith that was expressed and sent out from Ephesus. Its bishops would be revered for generations and in the history of the church, some of the greatest thinkers and theologians emerged from Ephesus.
But what about us here at Erin? What have we done in our history that has made any impact for the Christian church in the world? Well, let me give you three current examples.
Yesterday I received this email from Samuel Lawrence in Canada:
Dear Mr. Stuart:
This past summer, I spent six-weeks in China as a volunteer English
Teacher. The program was hosted by China Christian Council, and my local
sponsor is the United Church of Canada. Our students were young
ministers, lecturers from theological seminaries and other church
workers. We had a team of four teachers--two from Canada and two from
the USA. It was an awesome experience!!!. Now, daily I am forwarding my
"Daily Devotion" to about 35 students, who came to learn English from
all over China--from Inner Mongolia to Hanan Island in the South. All my
students love receiving "Daily Devotion". It is very valuable to them
for Devotion and continuous learning of English language.
I wish to thank all the devoted writers to "Daily Devotion", it has
become a part of my global ministry.
Cheers!!
Keep on writing
Samuel Lawrence
Part of the ministry that you allow me to do here is writing daily devotionals which connect with many people in our congregation. Over 120 of them have been used by the Presbyterian Church of Canada’s daily devotion series…and now they are influencing the hearts and minds of people in China! That’s how we are an Ephesian church!
Secondly, we received a phone call this week from a young mother in Cookeville, TN. She wants to start up a MOPS group in her church and she heard that ours was one of the best in this area. That means that the ministry which young moms set up here and have continued throughout the years is having a bigger impact than we ever dreamed of. This is Erin being an Ephesian Church!
Thirdly, in October, when Evelyn and I are away for a weekend to go and visit Lynsey in Blacksburg, I’ve arranged for a missionary to come and lead the service. He has worked in Africa for decades, setting up a seminary to train pastors in Kenya. The seminary has graduated hundreds of pastors, who in turn have led thousands of churches, which in turn are full of hundreds of thousands of Africans hungry for the Gospel and sharing the Good news. What has all of this to do with Erin, I hear you ask?
The missionary is Myron Goodwin, who was baptized in this church many years ago, who grew up amongst us and when he was in Youth group, he gave his heart to the Lord! That’s what an Ephesian Christian church can do! And that’s what our wee church has been doing and will continue to do in the future.
When Christ calls us to be Ephesians servants at Erin, He wants us to be equipped in a unity of faith that will be displayed through our service to the community. But how do we equip people for Christian service at Erin?
Well, take today for instance. It’s stacked full of opportunities to be equipped in faith and to serve the Lord. We gathered for Rally Day to give everyone the opportunity to sign up for Sunday School Classes. We cater to all age groups from newborns to people in their nineties. We offer different classes with different themes. We all come in here to share worship together, teaching the faith to our kids, commissioning our teachers, and preaching the Word. We have an opportunity to cheerfully give to the Church so that we can enhance Christ’s work through the resources of the congregation.
After worship, we’re holding a Family Council to discus our current needs and to work on our future areas of growth. This afternoon, we have a funeral with the Brasher & Huber families – giving us an opportunity to offer them our support, our love, and our prayers. And tonight, our young people of Such is the Kingdom meet to practice singing for an event at Farragut Presbyterian Church in October; our youth groups meet to worship and discuss current issues, and then at the end of the evening, Glenfinnan are practicing for an all day Scottish concert that’s being held in Dandridge in September. All in one day – all for one purpose – to serve Christ within and beyond the walls of this church.
But it gets even better because wherever you go this week – to your work, place of business, to your school, to neighborhood clubs and societies – wherever you are, you are called to be ambassadors for Christ, ministers of God, and servants of the Kingdom. God has brought you here today to be equipped in faith, hope, and love, so that you can go out from this building to share the Gospel through your words, choices and deeds throughout this week until we gather here once more. We are all priests with a purpose and pastors with a passion for proclaiming the word and praising God’s name. We are all Ephesian Christians, equipped for service in the world, growing and building this church, this bonnie wee place called Erin to the glory of God and the exaltation of Christ’s Name!
One day, one glorious day, when we are all gathered in Heaven, Christ will show us what our wee church has done throughout its history. Six, sixteen or even sixty generations of Erin people will be standing together and feel proud of the faith we share, the hopes we have born, and the love we have shown…and then Jesus will show us even more people from all over the world – myriads of people who came to Christ through being treated by Christian nurses in Pakistan that we support – hundreds of children in Guatemala whose lives were touched and transformed through the missions we have financed – thousands of Chinese who have been taught the faith by students learning English using our daily devotions – and hundreds of thousands of Africans whose pastors have been trained by a missionary leader who gave his heart to the Lord as a teenager in this bonnie wee place called Erin.
And if you think that is wonderful, well to quote Al Jolson – You ain’t seen nothing yet! Glory to God and Halleujah!
No comments:
Post a Comment