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On September 22, 2001 82,601 fans arrived at the Texas A&M Oklahoma
State football game. It would be the most memorable game for many not
because of what happened on the field, but because of what happened in
the stands. A group of students decided that this first home game
after the terrorist attacks on September 11th would be a
“Red, White, and Blue Out”. Over 70,000 t-shirts were sold and others
worn according to the scheme – the top deck had red, the middle deck
white, and the lower deck blue. The scene of that game has been shown
at every game that I have attended and every time I Google “Kyle
Field”. On that day there was something for everyone, and that
something (be it red, white, or blue) was for everyone.
For the
last three weeks we have focused on the biblical principle that
“Each believer has been given a gift of grace, a capacity for service;
every believer has a contribution to make.” Today’s message is along that same line
only today we hope to do something about it. First, however, listen
to how Peter wrote to his friends about this very principle. His
words are found in I Peter 4:10-11. For your convenience these words
are printed in your worship guides. I encourage to take
out a pen or pencil as we read this passage as I will highlight some
words for you to underline shortly after reading these two verses.
Hear now the Word of the Lord:
10Like good stewards of the manifold grace
of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you
has received. 11Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking
the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength
that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all
things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and power
forever and ever. Amen.
This is
the word of God for the people of God. In this passage Peter
announced to his audience that others should benefit and God should be
glorified by the implementation of gifts for ministry. Let us pray.
Now if
you would take out those pens and pencils and underline the following
six words: stewards, manifold, serve, each, supplies and the last time
God is mentioned. These two verses and those six words underscore
that in God’s kingdom everyone has received something and that
something is for everyone.
The
ushers are coming down the aisle to distribute this year’s Ministry
Menu and response cards. Instead of a Ministry Fair this year, I am
going to walk you through the ministries of this church and encourage
you to declare today where God is leading you to serve. As you take
these booklets let me state the obvious – you cannot do everything in
this menu, just like you cannot eat every dish on the menu at your
favorite restaurant. Let me state one more obvious fact – you can do
something. Somewhere in this menu is a ministry that fits your time
and talent. I want to challenge you to find at least one of those as
I go back to those six words. You don’t need to open your menu yet, I
will guide you through it as a group. First, look at that scripture
and the six words you underlined.
Stewards – The first word we underlined was stewards. This
word indicates that what we have - be it time, talent, treasures,
personality or experiences - is not ours. It is a blessing from God
that we are to manage as stewards. William Barclay wrote, “Every
Christian must always be under the conviction that nothing he
possesses of material goods or personal qualities is his own; it all
belongs to God and he must ever use what he has in the interests of
God to whom he is always answerable.” We are stewards, housekeepers
of someone else’s home, accountants of someone else’s estate. God has
included each of us in that plan as everyone has received
something from God, and that something is for everyone.
Manifold – The something we have received from God is more
varied than the possible combinations when ordering a Whataburger.
Open your menu to page three where you are introduced to the
S.T.R.I.D.E. acronym. S.T.R.I.D.E. stands for Spiritual
Gifts, which the Bible speaks of as a universal experience of
believers - each one of us has a capacity for service. Wayne Grudem
defines a spiritual gift as, “any talent or ability empowered by the
spirit and used in ministry of the church.” He further wrote, “every
person in the fellowship of believers in every church to which Peter
was writing had received a spiritual gift for use in the life of the
church.” T is for Talent – which all of us have, but
some of us cannot see how God might use that for this church or this
community, but God can. R is for Resources, which
speaks of our time, our money, our contacts, our possessions. Many of
you are already sharing your home with others as you host Home Small
Groups. I is for Individuality. You are unique,
introverted or extroverted, flexible (comfortable with taking things
as they come) or stable (preferring to have a plan and work the
plan). These are gifts from God of which you are a steward. D is for
Dreams. Bobb Biehl often asked people, “What makes you
weep or pound the table?” What kind of dreams do you have for this
church and for the usefulness of your life? E is for Experience.
God can take every experience in your life and use it for ministry.
If you want to know more about finding your S.T.R.I.D.E. for ministry,
be sure to sign up for the next “Serving from the Heart” class.
Serve – The something that you have received from God is to be
employed to serve others. Peter wrote, “serve one another with
whatever gift each of you has received.” This means that every single
one of us has a place for service. Now let me walk you through these
opportunities. The Ministry Menu is divided into nine sections.
These are the nine major ministry areas of our church. These areas
are: Invest, Invite, Include in Worship, Involve in Small Groups,
Implement Gifts for Ministry, Children, Youth, College, and
Administration.
·
Invest Ministries are focused on mission efforts here and around the
world. We have opportunities for you to go on a mission trip, spend
the night here with Family Promise families, or participate in a UMW
circle.
·
Invite Ministries are focused on hospitality to our guests. Here you
may commit to using your gifts to welcoming guests, describe the
ministries of the church, call visitors and receive feedback on this
church, and being a one-to-one sponsor for those looking deeper into
the Christian faith.
·
Include in Worship Ministries are focused on the worship expressions
of the church. Do you have the talent and interest in running a sound
system, singing in the choir, serving as an usher, or making sure
Easter 2009 is an extraordinary Sunday? Look at all of the
opportunities for ministry in the 300’s.
·
Involve in Small Groups Ministries are focused on one of the critical
steps in equipping followers of Jesus Christ. This is where we live
out the “one anothers” of scripture. Facilitators and hosts of Home
Small Groups are always needed. Sunday Schools enjoy the ministries
of those gifted to teach. Bible Studies are best experienced when
facilitated by someone passionate about the subject.
·
Implementing Gifts Ministries are those that seek to care for the
congregation through prayer, membership care, assisting others with
meals at significant moments in their lives, stewardship, and making
sure every member finds his or her S.T.R.I.D.E. for ministry.
·
Children’s’ Ministries are ministries with our children that encompass
all of the 5 I’s I have already discussed. This is an investment in
the life of a child that can vary from a couple of hours a year to a
couple of hours every week. For those of that can’t wait for
grandkids, get involved in Children’s ministries.
·
Youth Ministries are about as active as you can get. Our church is
blessed by college students who commit themselves to youth and
children’s ministries, but it is amazing what happens when older
adults get involved in these areas of ministries. Lives are changed
on so many levels. If you had seen some of the amazing life-changing
experiences that I have witnessed in youth ministry, you would want to
sign up for something in this area.
·
College Ministries is the unique element of A&M UMC. We have the
opportunity to minister to and with college students like few churches
in the United States do. Whether it is making and serving coffee in
the Coffee House, going on a mission trip, or hosting the leadership
team at your lake house, this is a great area to get involved.
·
Administrative Ministries are those individuals who are good at
keeping the wheels greased. We have lots of members assist us in
communications through answering the phone, labeling mail outs, and
registering attendance. We also have administrative committees, who
though nominated and elected, are always seeking people passionate
about these important ministries.
So
that’s our Ministry Menu. There are nine basic areas of ministry with
each area having a variety of ministries from which to choose. As you
continue to ponder those pages and think about what ministry you might
be willing to sign up for today, allow me to return to the scripture
from I Peter, “serve one another with whatever gift each of you has
received”.
Each – Each believer has a capacity for service. What is
yours? My dream for this church is for every member to be in
meaningful ministry both inside and outside of this church. I would
rejoice all the way from here til Christmas if every person present
today signed up for at least one ministry that would benefit this
church and one ministry that would benefit people not a part of this
church. Have you found yours yet? Remember, everyone has received
something from God and that something is for everyone. As you
continue to look, let me say a couple things about the last two words
that you underlined.
Supplies – “Whoever serves must do so with the strength that
God supplies.” This is an interesting word that is not used much in
the Bible. The word “choregei” originally referred to someone
who was the underwriter for a choral presentation in ancient Greece.
“Choral” is in the root word. This means that God underwrites the
service we render with divine strength. Peter Davids wrote, “One can
try to do ministry out of one’s own zeal and strength (a recipe for
ultimate ineffectiveness and burnout) or one can depend on the
strength that God supplies.” I prefer the second choice. Are you
getting close to declaring your ministry choices for 2009? Let me
highlight one last word.
God – In these two verses Peter includes God’s name four
times: “the manifold grace of God”, “the words of God”, “the strength
God supplies”, and “so that God may be glorified”. Do you get the
feeling that this is not really about us? It is about God. God gives
to us for us to serve others with the strength God gives so that God
is glorified. You have been given the opportunity to bring God glory
by what you do. Curtis Vaughan wrote, “Service performed by merely
human energy and for one’s own status in the eyes of others can soon
become a wearying activity and increase one’s pride rather than one’s
faith.” Let that which you do, be done out of God’s strength and for
God’s glory and watch how energized you become by being part of it.
As we were preparing for this Sunday’s service, one of our staff members
said that with you having the Ministry Menu in your lap, you may tune
me out and read your menu. I said, “For once I hope so.” I want you
to read your menu. I want you to fill out your Response Card today,
right now if possible. Some of you are already doing a ministry, if
you want to continue to do that, sign up for it. Some of you have not
found your S.T.R.I.D.E. for ministry yet. Try something out that
seems to fit your gifts, abilities, interests, and schedule. There is
a basket as you leave. Please place your Response Card in there. As
for September 22, 2001, the Aggies won that game against Oklahoma
State, few people remember that. The score was 21-7, even fewer
people remember that. No one can ever forget what happened in the
stands that day. Remember, everyone has received something from
God and that something is for everyone.
10Like good stewards of the
manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift
each of you has received. 11Whoever
speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever
serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that
God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To
him belong the glory and power forever and ever. Amen.
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