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July 15, 2007

July 15: Deacon turned Evangelist: You, too Have Something to Share

Acts 6:1-6, Acts 8:26-40

In Acts 6:1-6 we see what we United Methodists would call a Charge Conference meeting (the annual meeting of a local congregation). Leaders are selected and blessed for the work of the church. Notice the suggestion of who is selected, “select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit, and of wisdom, whom we may appoint for this task, while we will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.”

In this case, the apostles cannot do all the work and so people from the new gathering of Christians are selected to do the day to day work of the church for the people. It is significant that the words, full of the Spirit, and of wisdom are included in this invitation to select leaders. Sometimes in the church, we get into the habit of filling slots and not allowing people to serve in areas that are live giving for them.

When we become members of a United Methodist church, we pledge to serve that church with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, and our service. Today, I want to talk about what it means to serve God in our church and beyond.

Sometimes we must serve in areas we are good at but that we don’t find life giving. For example, just because I’m an accountant doesn’t mean I always want to work with the church finances. Maybe I also love to work with my hands and would like to work around the building to keep it up. So I agree to do the finances to help the church for two years.

Meanwhile, I need to be looking for someone who is likes to work with numbers and finances. Then I mentor this person to help them become familiar with our particular way of doing the finances. When I do this, I take it upon myself to help find a replacement for myself. As a leader, I try to ensure that others will have a positive experience when serving the church. While working with the numbers, I take time to help with the gardening around the church. This fills me up with positive, spiritual energy.

We are a small growing church and I already know that many of our leaders feel burned out or don’t feel as if you know what is expected of you. I ask you to be patient. Stick with what you agreed to do, ask me and other leaders for help when you need it, and be encouraged that you are doing important work for your church. Take it upon yourself to get to know who might be a good replacement for you. Most importantly, find an area to serve in that feeds you spiritually or excited you about being a Christian.

It’s an old adage that 10% of the people do 90% of the work. While it may be true, I want to encourage us to turn that model on its ear. If there is any place where we could challenge that perception, why can’t it be the church? Where are you as it relates to your commitment to this church? Is the time you give life giving or life draining?

Paul Nixon, the author of the book, I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church, might ask us, “Are you having any fun?” Church isn’t supposed to be all serious and drudgery. Serving the Lord is a joyful experience. Let me suggest that everyone has something to offer their church, no matter how busy you are, how inadequate you feel your contribution might be, or what your age. And if we experience service as fun or life-giving, we are more apt to do it again and invite others to join us.

God has a plan for us as individuals and as the body of Christ at Grace & Keeler. In order for us to live into that plan, we’ve got to grow our church. Our part is to be open and ready for God’s leading in our lives. Philip is a good model for us this morning—the deacon turned evangelist.

A deacon in his church, he had responsibilities as many of you have and yet, when God called him in Acts 8, he did not hesitate he went. How could that be?
Philip was attuned to the small still voice of God that spoke to him.
Philip acted immediately.
Philip was confident that God would provide what he needed for the situation.
Philip realized his work for God went beyond church commitments.

Getting in touch with the small still voice in our head—

God’s voice is one of many competing for our attention. The voices are within and without. Each of us has a variety of exterior voices vying for our attention. Many of them one’s we can’t shut out—spouse, child, boss, parent, friend. We have any number of people and things that want our attention, peer pressure being the loudest. Peer pressure doesn’t stop when we leave high school. It follows us throughout our lives.

We also have healthy and unhealthy interior voices vying for our attention. For example, a woman who struggles with a weight addiction. She hears a voice that tells her she’s too fat, when in reality, she’s too thin. How many of us hear our mother/father’s voice in certain situations. I hear my mother’s voice after someone has given me a present or done something nice for me. It sounds like this, “Did you send them a thank you note?”

We have inner voices that tell us what we should and shouldn’t do. And then there’s God…Sometimes God speaks to us through others, but right now I want to invite us to respond to the inner voice of God at work in our lives.

1 Kings, chapter 19, verses 11-14 we note that Elijah the prophet is waiting in a cave for the Lord is about to pass by and speak to him. And Elijah intuitively knows that God was not in the great wind breaking things to pieces, not in the earthquake, nor the fire. God was in the sound of sheer silence. I think the sheer silence is in our own head. God speaks to us all the time, it’s just that we don’t take the time to listen—to be present in the moment.

I don’t remember God speaking much to me in my 20’s. I remember that my life was about running from reality and keeping myself away from times of silence. But as I began to explore a world in which God was a part, I sought God out. And slowly, I began to hear God speak to me. But even though I was seeking God out, I didn’t always recognize God’s voice when it came to me.
It started simply at first. On the way to the L one morning the voice came to me and said, “stop and get change for that $20.” I disregarded the voice and continued walking to the train. When I got there, the attendant did not have change for the $20. I had to find a place that was open at 7:00am and get change. I missed a train while I was messing around trying to get change. The voice continued working on me, “grab your umbrella today.” Call your sister (only to find out my sister had gotten fired the day before, the day the voice had suggested I call her.

Some people call this intuition. Intuition did not create us, doesn’t know what we are capable of. I call this small still voice, God--trying to get our attention. Am I crazy or has this ever happened to you?
The voice doesn’t start with go over and share your experience with that stranger. It starts with small things to get our attention and trust first. My experience has been that the more I listen to the voice, the more I recognize it quicker and usually respond. Notice I say usually because responding to God is always a choice and sometime we don’t feel like responding.

In today’s scripture reading, Philip responded to God’s voice. He went to the deserted road and when he arrived he encountered someone who needed his help. And responding again to God’s prompting, Philip ran to the chariot.

The second point: Philip Ran over the to the Chariot—We need to respond immediately to the voice. It’s not something we can put aside and say, “I’ll do it later.” Why not? Because the time to act is now and if we wait the opportunity, the event is gone. Think back to my warning to get change. I must have been walking by some place that was open early on a week day morning. The chance came and went and then when confronted with the necessity to get change, it did not have the same opportunities.

The chariot would only be there so long and then the man from Ethiopia would be gone. Philip needed to act immediately so he did. There’s a matter of trusting God’s timing in these situations.
Thirdly, Philip knew that he could trust God’s invitation and so he responded. We often minimize or dismiss the voice of God as if we know better. How often has that been proven wrong? Now many times could you clunk yourself on the head because you didn’t respond to the invitation by God?

When we don’t respond to God, we miss the experience of strengthening our trust in God. We are such self-sufficient creatures. But what kind of life would we have if we only trusted ourselves? At some point over time we come to trust the people in our lives. And over time, if we allow ourselves to respond to God and God’s leading, we will begin to trust God.

We see this trust in God because of the confidence Philip displays when he comes to the chariot. He asks the man a question, confident God would provide what he needed for that situation. Responding to God’s invitation was becoming natural for Philip. He knew through other experiences that God had equipped him or would provide whatever he needed for what God was asking him to do. God is calling each of us. God will not send us to a situation that we can’t handle.

Lastly, Philip realized his work for God went beyond his community of faith. He went from being a deacon to an evangelist. When we think of being an evangelist, we get fearful. We are apprehensive about sharing the Christian good news in large part because of the negative stereotypes of obnoxious people pushing their beliefs on others. Most people feel inadequate when it comes to putting their faith into words that sound good. So it becomes an easy matter to just tell ourselves that religion is best left a private matter.

Evangelism means good news. People are starving for meaningful community, such as much today as any time in history. And if we belong to a church that is invigorating and life-giving rather than life depleating, we will have something to share with others. As a church, we need to equip everyone to go out into the world and share your individual story. We need to help you realize that you have a story to tell—your own!!

After some small successes, we get to a point in our lives where we believe that we have the tools needed to do the work we are asked to do. That’s takes practice and leaps of faith. We’ve got to respond to God’s leading and realize that it’s God who sent us, God knows what is needed. For example, this particular situation did not demand Peter, a preacher who turned thousands to God. This situation required an individual touch. The man wanted to discuss the scriptures with someone and Philip was that man.

Trust God to put you into situations where you can be yourself, not what you think you should be. Work on authentic relationships with the people in your life. Can we take time to get to know our new neighbor beyond a hello as we continue walking from our garage into the house? When we experience a major breakthrough in our own spiritual journey, we can write a letter to a friend or share what happened over lunch with a co-worker?

So let’s leave here this morning, knowing that God speaks to us throughout the day, sometimes through other people and sometimes through that still small voice. It is our job to listen and respond to God’s invitation. When we are attuned to God’s leading in our lives, we develop a trust that grows and allows us to take risks of faith we’d never take on our own. Being attuned to God is energizing, its’ contagious and it shows!!

Posted by vickie at 10:00 AM