Doing Good - The High Cost of Not Doing Good, Part 1

What happens when people stop doing good in a community, in a neighborhood or in a home? We see it happening right now. Here's what you must understand. When people stop doing good, evil reigns. Today, we'll explore the high cost of not doing good and how we can stem the tide. One person, one community at a time. Stay with me.

Welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with shipping group ships are Bible teacher of this Internacional discipleship program. I'm Dave Drouet. In this program, Chip continues his series Doing Good. What happens when Christians live like Christians by taking a look at how doing good looks different for different people? Just people jump in. Let me encourage you to try using Chip's message notes while you listen.

They've got his outline and all his scripture references to help you follow along. To do that, just go to the broadcast, stab at Living on the Edge, dawg, or tap Phil in notes on the app. OK. If you have a Bible handy. Open it now. The tightest chapter two it. Let's join Chip for his message.

The high cost of not doing good, you know, doing good looks different for different people, doesn't it? I mean, for some people, it's rescuing someone from a life of prostitution or for someone else it's providing shelter for someone that doesn't have a place to crash. And for others, it's a remodeling, a whole high school and using your gifts and talents and design and painting. And for a whole different group, it's, you know what? Remodeling high school is great. We did that. But you want to love the kids and be it after school programs and teach him the Bible and get to know their parents. And it just looks different for different people. This week I had the chance with one family and they invited another family and they invited their neighbors.

They've been planning up for six or seven months and we're very fearful and very prayerful. And God just filled the house with all their neighbors and most of which have really never met or understood anything about the Bible or God or Christ.

They just want to love them and they open their home.

And for some of you, year to stage in your life where your ministry really is right in the marketplace, and you you lead a team where you go to work every day and maybe it's a division or maybe the CEO or maybe the owner. And you have just absolutely said I'm going to do good. And how people get treated and what our policies are, what our values are.

We just we just work in such a way where people get to see the love and the grace and the holiness of God.

But regardless of how we express it, you'll notice on your notes here some things that are true about all of us. Doing good is not a suggestion. It's a command. When you know Christ personally, it's a command do good. And to others, we know it's powerful. But I mean, there's something powerful about when you see hurting people in the love of Christ connect. Third, it can be risky. I mean, we're afraid to do good. We're afraid to get out there. But I've never met anyone that when you've taken a risk and done good, that you said, oh, I wish I wouldn't have done that.

Doing good starts with who I am, not just what I do. And I would like to suggest that the price of doing good can be costly. It might be social rejection. It might be time. It might be energy. It might be money.

Might be going to a meeting of preparing for things when you're just overwhelmed and dead tired. But, you know, it's what God wants you to do. And then finally, here's what I'd like to talk about. Sometimes not doing good can be even more costly. You know, we always think of the price tag of something. And, boy, I mean, if I just had more time or just more energy or just more money or sure, I would like to do something someday, some way. But I want to tell you, there's a high cost of not doing good. Three things up, putting your notes. The first is a Barna study on Christian families. Right now, about 70 percent of the high schoolers in evangelical churches five years after high school are not in church and are not walking with God. The research says that the reason is they do not see the reality of Christ in their home and they never come to own their own faith. Another Barna study is terms of spiritual engagement in America. There's a category now used to be very, very small. When they survey all around the country, people who say they have no spiritual affiliation, I mean, just none. They're just out there and in the 16 to 29 year olds. It's astronomically high and growing. And finally, there's a perception of Christians in America. David Kinnaman in his book unChristian says, True or not. Christians in America today are viewed as harsh, judgmental, intolerant, anti intellectual and hypocritical. And I don't know about you, but that's a big PR problem. In fact, it's worse than a PR problem, because what you know and I know is there's a lot of corners in which that's true. In fact, there's times where it's true of me and there's times where it's true of you.

So here's the deal. How do we move the needle? How do we push the dial? How do. We in our homes and in this church and in this city be shining different exceptions where we do good in such a way that people would say, well, they're not intolerant. They're not judge mental. Now, they may say that, but when they would see the facts and see your life and experience, you, they would say, I guess I was wrong.

We need to ask and answer the question. So what does it look like? Very specifically for Christians to live like Christians when there's problems in the home. There's problems at work. This is exactly the situation, as Paul writes to this young pastor, Titus. The new Christians weren't walking with God. They weren't moral. They were in a culture, in a society. It was pulling them away from God. And just like today, there was a lot of false teachers that were telling people a lot of crazy things and families were being ruined. And so at the very end of Chapter one, he tells them, you've got to silence those false teachers, you've got to rebuke them. You're young, but you need to stand up and tell them this is what's true. And then in chapter two, he says, Now, here's what you must teach. In fact, open your Bibles, if you would. Titus Chapter two, and it's an emphatic position. He goes, look, those false teachers are ruining families. They're discrediting the gospel. They're making the church to be out of, you know, look crazy.

So you, Titus. Here's what I want you to do. Teach what's an accord with sound doctrine? Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-control and sound and faith and love and endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slandered or addicted to much wine, but to teach what's good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self controlled and pure, to be busy at home and to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands purpose clause.

Why should older men, older women and younger women live in a way that reflects Christ so that no one will malign the word of God?

Similarly, encourage literally it's exhort or admonish the young men to be self controlled and everything. Set an example for them by doing what is good in your teaching show integrity and seriousness and soundness of speech that can't be condemned.

Second purpose clause. Why? So that those who oppose you may be ashamed that they have nothing bad to say about us. Finally, he goes from the home and those relationships to about 16 million slaves were in the Roman Empire. The church was made up of at least 80 percent slaves and their masters usually were not very kind. And he gives them this charge that when you read it, if you read it in the first century, you'd shake your head and say, how could anyone do this apart from the power of Christ? Similarly, he goes on to say, teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please their masters not to talk back and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted so that in every way they will make the teaching about God, our savior, attractive last purpose clause live in such a way in the marketplace that literally your life, your work ethic, your integrity, your competence would make the Christian life and the person of Christ attractive.

And so what I want to do is I want to dig in with you and let's look at what this really is at home. Christians living like Christians at home. He says older men are to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-control.

Thilo quotes Epocrates and he says there are six stages of a man's life. And this word is used in the ancient Greek at this time for for a man who's between 50 and 65 years of age, it's the sixth stage of a man's life.

When he says the older man, this is different from the Elders Chapter one. It was the shepherds of the church, the Episcopals, the people that were in charge of the church, the leadership.

He's now saying the older men, the guys that have been around, the people look to. He says here's what needs to characterize their life. Temperate literally means a life of moderation and stability. It's a person that has their passions under control. They don't drink too much. They don't work too much.

It per person that's worthy of respect, literally as a a serious minded person with regard to their purpose. It has the idea of not being sort of a clown.

Not someone that people look at. And they're just kind of embarrassment. Their life is a joke. Instead, they're worthy of respect. They're wise. They're above reproach. They have a track record, you look at their life, you look at their work, you look at their family. You respect them. Self-control here is a matter of just one self-discipline.

It has the idea of having your your appetites under control and whether that's for sex or buying or food or money or work is just discipline. It's a living in a way that is it makes sense. You've come to your senses. You know what's important in your life reflects that. And then he goes on from these character qualities. You say sound in faith, in love and endurance. And the word sounds literally means to be healthy. You have a healthy faith. In other words, you walk with God, you take risks.

You're in his word. You have a healthy love.

You care about people. You walk in a room and you're around an older person like this and you think, you know, I'd like to love my wife the way that guy loves his wife. And I get to be that age. And, you know, people this age that, hey, there had the kids are kind of grown and you say, I'd like to have a relationship with my adult kids the way he has a relationship with his adult kids. When you meet him at work, it's a person that isn't easily threatened or overly insecure. It's just it's they have healthy relationships.

They love people. They care about people. They've kind of grown beyond trying to prove they're a somebody.

And then finally, they have endurance. Hypo Menno. Interesting word. It has the idea of holding up under pressure and adversity. Paul uses this phrase a lot, faith and love.

And then often he says hope into this particular group. I think maybe because it's Crete, there's hope. But when you really hope, biblical hope is the certainty of Christ's return, the certainty of his promises, what that does, that gives you endurance.

It's the kind of person that you say, like, I have a couple of friends, they'd been bankrupt a couple times or they lost their wife eight or nine years ago to cancer. And they keep pressing ahead or you know what? They got a really raw deal. And you know what? They're not bitter. They're not resentful.

In fact, to summarize, older men, you fifty to sixty five and above. Basically, he says, what's it look like for an older man to be a Christian who lives like a Christian? It means you're wise, godly example of a vibrant walk with God. You have authentic relationships and you finish.

Well, Alderman, that's what it looks like for a Christian to live like a Christian.

And when you live that way, people don't malign. That's a weird word, but it means they don't discredit the word of God.

They don't think that what you believe is crazy. What they say is, I don't know where you got that, but I'd like to explore what you believe in, why the next group is older women.

This is women that are sixty and above the phrases reverent in all their ways.

The word literally means they live a holy life. Or it was used of a a priestess in a temple. They would live like a priestess in the temple, a life of reverence negatively that they're not slanderous.

We all have struggles with our tongues. But when your kids get grown, apparently, and you have a little bit more time on your hands, Paul, fight. Be careful, ladies.

It's easy to see, easy to talk about other people when they're not around. And he says this is the kind of woman that doesn't do that and she's not addicted to much wine.

It's that same word for self-control. Just a little bit different view of it. But but it's someone that as she gets older, her priorities don't slide. And she doesn't just spend her time thinking about her. And if I lost my youth and what's really important and find a you know, my role again, because the kids are out of the house and, you know, so I can talk bad about other people, it makes me feel better or I sort of sedate my pain in some ways. Paul says, no, no, no. The spirit of God says through him, this is a woman that's holy and godly. In fact, that's her heart and her character. But then her focus is she teaches what is good.

It's a beautiful word. She teaches what is beautiful. She teaches what is winsome. She teaches what encourages. And then the focus of her teaching is younger women. We're going to find out literally the word younger here. It's not just an age word. It means literally means new or fresh and probably refers to not exclusively, but probably refers to a lot of women that just got married.

And they're that's new and it's fresh and they don't know what they're doing. What she sees is, you know, I don't know about you. US men don't know much about you women. I mean, we've taken courses. I've read so many books with Teresa that I can't hardly stand it. I've listened to tapes, I've watched DVD, I've gone to seminars, I've been to counseling. And I still high. I mean, it's like there's some things I just accept. They are a mystery. I mean, they really are.

And only another woman can teach another. Younger woman. About what it means to be a woman of God. What it means to respond and live in the culture that we live in. And what do you do when you're pregnant with that first baby? And what do you do with the first boyfriend? And what do you do when you're bombarded by all those magazines that say you need to be super skinny and super this and super that and and you struggle with your self-image? It's an older woman that comes along with focus and she helps younger women understand what matters and who matters and who she really is. I've watched my wife do this ever since I was a little girl. They'd read books together and then as she was, you know, flourishing and beginning to grow and become a woman, I notice they had all those talks and they would go out and have coffee and share.

And it seems like that every six months they were reading a book together. And then before she got married, I noticed they were spending a lot more time together. And then when she got pregnant, they were spending a lot more time together. And then once you had a baby, it was like I you know, I just stepped back and said, this is an amazing thing and left to myself, you know, there's been seasons where I've kind of felt left out.

You know, if you're a young father and your wife has a baby, you kind of feel like after about two weeks you. I mean, do I not even count anymore? Right. She's just, you know. And then like two months, then three months and you're thinking, hey, everything's OK. Why don't we just, like, go out? We get a baby, a baby sitter. What? You know. But as you get a little older, I've watched this amazing thing happen between my wife and my daughter. And I just thought it's it's a it's a picture of beauty. But God wants that for every young woman.

My wife and one of her friends, Janet, have done a Bible study and literally scores and scores of women in our church over the last few years has called five aspects of a woman.

And it's really a study about how to be a woman of God. And what are those aspects? And it's just exciting to see women about 60 and above investing in young women around here. Because when that happens, you know what validates and gives credibility? It's tough. It's tough to be a young man. It's tough to be a young woman.

But when that kind of relationship happens, it authenticates God's word and his truth. The third area is these young women, either newly married or they are at least young in life. And there's couplets. There's three different couples. He paris them together. He says older women need to teach him to love their husbands and their children. There's a lot of demands on a woman like how do you do that? And to be self controlled and pure, same word about mastering their own life and their own disciplining their own appetites. And that weird, pure literally just means wholly set apart, having the right kind of thoughts, putting the right kind of things in your mind, being pure and in how you think about life and then your behavior and then busy at home and be kind. Literally, the busy at home is a keeper of home. And what you need to understand as you read this passage is the average woman when this was written, as she lived in a home in a separate apartment when the men eight, she didn't eat with her husband. You know, the idea of a family meal, it didn't happen. She eight by herself or with the children. Most of the men, as we learned last time, we're not a one woman man. They were a three woman man. And they had a a slave girl that they could have sex with. They had a temple prostitute and then they had a wife to bear children for their lineage.

And so, I mean, life life for a woman was terrible. Like in some countries that we could probably name today, that just horrendous.

Well, now this revolutionary comes named Jesus and he starts talking about women being coheres at the grace of God and an equal and God saidon and loved and cared for. And and he gives these ridiculous commandments in this culture that men should lay down their life for their wives and care for them and love them and protect them and provide for them and connect with them and communicate with them. Well, in Crete, you have this wild culture going on. Apparently, some of the younger women were getting emancipated. But in their emancipation, we're starting to sort of take their emancipation where they were violating some of the cultural cues to such a point that it was undermining whole families.

And Paul saying, you know, be careful about your focus and there's a lot of things you can do as a woman, but make sure your priorities in order. There's certain things that no one else can do. But, you know, one can love your husband or be a mom to your kids like you. No one can have kind of the self-control and moral purity like you, especially in that culture or in ours.

And so he's saying to them, make sure that how you live, how you relate honors what God says.

I think the temptation for young women, especially in our day, is the same in that day. It's really an issue of priorities.

You've been listening to Chip's message. The high cost of not doing good. From his series. Doing good.

What happens when Christians live like Christians? He'll be right back with his application. But before he is, I hope you'll take a second to go online or tap, share and encourage others to join us for the series to Chip is teaching through the Book of Titus, and he explains why doing good is so much more than just a nice idea. The act of doing good is a catalyst that transforms both you and the world around you for the better. Jesus did good by breaking down barriers. Healing hurts and reviving hope. He's our example. It's simple, but it's not easy for a limited time. All the doing good resources are discounted, including the small group video study. How to order your copy or to send it to a friend. Just visit us online at Living on the Edge dot org. Tap special offers or give us a call at one 888 three three three six zero zero three.

Well, Chip, as we see what's happening with church and hear the confusing messages from all sides about meeting together and Living on the Edge, we're doing what we can to help people get out of isolation. No small groups do need to be safe and legal. But the fellowship of believers is critical for lots of reasons. Now, what would you say to people who are feeling alone and disconnected right now?

Dave, first of all, I would say I can really identify. I mean, I love our pastor. My son is a pastor. I've watch it online. And yet I will tell you my motivation to sit in front of a computer and watch other people sing and hear a message. It's very, very challenging. We need interaction as people. I think it's important to stay with that. But what we're doing right now is calling people, whether on Zoome. But much more importantly, I think things are opening up that in smaller groups we can get together. And this series Doing Good is God's answer to making a difference in a world gone crazy. I mean, when values are being pushed to the side, when truth is being trampled, when the world is in desperate need, the solution is do all things without grumbling or arguing, but holding forth the word of life. That's what he says to the Philippians Church. You can make a difference when you live in such a way that your excellent behavior and your good deeds silence those who oppose you. Now is the time to get in small groups. Share with one another and then take action. Do good. Make a difference.

Thanks, Chip. Well, one of the best ways to take advantage of our free and discounted small group resources is to visit us online or with a Chip Ingram map. Chip opens each video session. He does the teaching and then it'll get you started in your discussion. For leaders. We have loads of free video training at Living on the Edge, dawg, to build your skills and confidence. All that to say we're doing everything we know to help you do life and community around the truth of God's word for a limited time. You'll find all of our small group resources discounted along with this series doing good. When you ordered the study guides free online streaming is included, DVD are available and we'll ship it all free. Just go to Living on the Edge, dawg, or tap special offers and find the study you think would be most helpful. Then meet as a family or with a few friends and see what God will do in you and then through you to do good.

As we close today's program, I want you to really think about your perspective of your world. You know, we throw stats around and right now the statistics are pretty grim when it comes to the effectiveness of churches. The effectiveness of of Christians living out their faith. And there's great exceptions. I'm with you there. But I mean, overall, it's a little bit discouraging. And I think what happens to me is I start to just tune all that out and I'm tired of all that negativity. And I forget that the real change, the real transformation, it just happens like one very ordinary regular person at a time and that the world has gone through difficult times before. We're going through difficult times now. And God is about and is raising up people that are really making a difference. And so I'd like you to just kind of pause with me. And I want to talk to two groups, an older man and an older woman. Everyone is free to listen in. But you heard very clearly and specifically some things that you can do that are good. And we've lost respect for people that are old. I mean, every commercial is about Krien to make you look young and, you know, surgeries to make it look young. And we don't respect anymore the value of wisdom. Here's what I want to tell you. You need to bring it, grandparents. You need to flat out bring it women. You need to ask yourself, who am I to cycling whom I'm investing in you men who feel like, you know, the world keeps passing. You buy your life experience just as a man of God. You've raised some kids, you've been through work stuff. You need to bring that. Take initiative. Do good. Let's care for this younger generation. Believe me, younger people on a day are desperate to hear a word from older people. You may not think so, but I do Bible studies with them all the time. Twenty and thirty year olds longing for that parental wisdom. You could provide that and you could do it today.

Well, just before we close, I want to say thank you to those who make this program possible through your generous financial support. Your gifts help us create programs, purchase airtime and develop additional resources to help Christians live like Christians. Now, if you've been blessed by the Ministry of Living on the Edge, would you consider sending a gift today? You can call us at one 888 three three three six zero zero three. Give on line at Living on the Edge, Dawg, or tap the donate button on the Chip Ingram app.

We'll be sure to join us next time when Chip continues his series. Doing good. What happens when Christians live like Christians until then? This is Dave Drooly saying. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge.