Doing Good - The High Cost of Not Doing Good, Part 2

Do you know why it's so important that Christians live like Christians? I mean, I say that a lot of Living on the Edge. Do you know where I got it and why it's so important? Well, that's today. Stay with me.

Well, thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge Chip Ingram Ro Living on the Edge features the Bible teaching of Chip Ingram on this daily discipleship program. I'm Dave Drooly. Chip continues his series Doing Good. What happens when Christians live like Christians with part two of the message he began. In our previous program. So if you missed it, let me encourage you to back up on the app or catch up when it works for you by going to Living on the Edge, dawg.

Just click the broadcast's tab in this program, Chip continues his look at the instructions from the apostle Paul to his protege, Titus. He's explaining that different people have different roles to play, different ways to do good depending on their stage of life and how God has positioned them. If you have a Bible, open it. Now to Titus Chapter two and let's join Chip as he finishes his message. The high cost of not doing good. I've had people I'm sure it's unintentional, but they've asked my wife.

So what do you do? She said, what am I? I'm actually a homemaker and she's worked at, you know, different times. And but she goes, you know, during this season when our kids were small and then on up through, you know, when we sent them out, I just felt like that was my greatest priority. And I've just had people look at her like, oh, you. So you don't really have a real job. So you must not really be an important person. And instead, we've had an entire world for the last 20 years bombard women and tell them that you don't really matter. If you don't work outside the home, in fact, beyond working outside the home. I mean, really, really make it happen. And all that liberation has done is most women I know have two jobs. They have all the job where they work. And I know all the theory about all the things are going to be shared at home. It really didn't work that way, does it?

Who feels the moral weight of nurturing? Who feels the moral way to what happens with kids? Who feels the moral weight?

And I just I think women have really been pulled apart. Does it mean you can't work? I don't think so. But I think what it does mean is your priorities in a season of life. You can only work and get needed income after you know, you're taking care of what no one else can do. Because on the one hand, it's really interesting. People, you know, at least come to me and say, well, you must be really amazed. God's done a few things through you. And I think, well, you know, has that there kind of one offs. And I look at my wife and I look at, you know, the the time that she spent in investing in our kids. And I think of our greatest joys and what's happening. Our kids are impacting far more people than I ever will and all my life.

Your investment is is a long haul investment. Very painful with and very difficult with. Not a lot of reward during the journey, but the payoff is deeper and greater. And so you have to have a long Fuze. You've got to really believe, you know what? This may this may feel kind of hard.

But, you know, you really talk and maybe, what, 15 years, 10, 12 that are super, super critical. And then and then you launch the kind of people that change the world. And so now he says, older man, this is what a Christian looks like who lives like a Christian, older women and younger women.

And then notice, he says, here's why. So that God's word will not be discredited.

That's the idea. People won't speak evil of it. In other words, God's word. Wow. This must be true. Why? Because of how older men and older women and young women actually live. Summary here is that our character and relationships at home are you ready for this?

Could cut, should cause our children to want to be like us and cause our neighbors and our friends to admire our marriages and our parenting, not question our faith. I remember talking to a guy that was very, quote, famous in a very technical field and a friend of a friend. Conversation was relayed to me as we were talking about this young man who was like 18, 19, 20 years old and in the interviewing process. He says, well, what do you really want to be when you grow up? Because I want to be like my dad. All you want to be a famous engineer like your dad. He has all. No, I want to be a Christian like my dad. My dad's the greatest person I've ever met.

You know what? That's what I want.

But that means whether I'm an older man or an older woman or a young woman, can you see? What would it take for our kids to grow up in environments where they would say, I want to be like you.

I don't want to do what you did. I may have different gifts and different passions, but the kind of person, the kind of Christian, the kind of friend, the kind of mom, the kind of debt I want to be like you.

See, that's how the revolution of Jesus Christ turned the world upside down.

He now goes to the young men in the home and he says younger men. He says you need to be self controlled. And interestingly, the word changes as you go through, like I did in my Bible. The word teach, teach, teach, teach, teach, train and courage, exhort, teach, teach that what you realize is people don't know how to do this.

If people already know something, you don't have to teach them. Go through your Bible, if you would, or if you have a little Kindle and highlight, teach, teach. And what you'll see is all of Chapter two, except for the second half, which we already covered. It's all about. People have to learn. Your kids have to learn. Your friends have to learn that people you disciple, that we have to teach them. And the culture in Crete, just like the culture today, is the opposite of Christians having lent Christians.

In fact, the tragedy is in most churches, the culture is different. Christians living lent Christians. And so our works cut out for us.

And so now it gets a little stronger. He says, I want you to exhort. I want you to admonish the young men. And it's interesting. There's only one thing you're supposed to tell them be self-control.

You make your own conclusions on that one.

The word self-control has showed up in every single one of the relationships, and it simply means to master oneself, to be disciplined. And I would say to young men here, to be discipline or controlled over your passions for success, for wealth, for sex, for power and for fame. And when young men are disciplined and aligned by the power of God with their time, their priorities, that their family, their own spiritual development in prayer and God's word. And they don't allow their work or their hobbies to dominate their lives.

They step up and they change the world. They have energy. They have focus. They have dreams. Those are the kind of Christians that change the world.

And then he says to Timothy, you know, well, how do you do that? You know, how do you gonna teach him to be self-control? And he says to to Titus, excuse me, very similar comments to the other young pastor, Timothy. He says you set them an example. You tell them be self controlled and then tell them, just look at me, you guys. Well, how would you like to be that pastor?

You just you model self-control, you model godliness, you model loving relationships. You model faith. You model how to treat women.

You model how to treat your kids and then demonstrate it demonstrated, he says, in the integrity and seriousness of your teaching, the word integrity has to do with motives. Notice the false teachers. They did it for money. He says, Titus, you teach in a way where people know you're not into their wallet. You're not into fame. You're not impressing people. You're just living it out. And then also, it needs to be serious. Don't come half hearted and give half baked messages.

You need to give messages that are well researched. And you need to do it with dignity. You need to do it with a sobriety that you do it before the living God.

And notice why. I mean, the reason here, so that the critics may have no basis for their accusations about the church, literally, it's about us. When young men are self controlled and don't lust on the job, don't log onto porn sites and don't tell dirty jokes and love their wives and take time and don't get addicted to work and are good dads. Not perfect dads. Good dads.

To what? That's a rare breed.

You meet a man like that.

Pretty soon all that criticism about Christians in the church and intolerant and hypocritical and Yangyang Yangyang. I'll tell you what, that's. You just you start exporting more and more of those kind of people.

Man, you don't have it all together, but you don't live like I live. You live a lot like Jesus. And when you don't, you don't fake it. You own it. You're real. You're authentic. That's like spiritual honey drawing the bees who long for life. And they're all around us where we work in our neighborhoods.

He shifts it now and says Christians need to live like Christians for the credibility of God's word and for the credibility of his church, but not just not just in our homes and our relationships. But he shifts gears now and talks about work.

Now, obviously, it's a different world, so we have to make a little transition here. He's going to talk to slaves because the great majority of the Christians were slaves. And by the way, what he's going to say to slaves, make your calling in your job really easy compared to what he's going to ask them to do, because you need to. You need to understand the view of slavery and slavery in the world. Aristotle said this.

Aristotle said, you can't misuse or abuse a slave because it's a piece of property, not unlike a washbasin or a woman.

How'd you like to live in a world where you are a piece of property? And therefore, if you are beaten, you know what it's like. You know my car. I want to record. I can wreck my car. If I want to beat it up, I can beat up my car. Now, to be fair, many people were very kind to their slaves.

But no rights. And by the way, like, if if it's not going real well, this was not one of the options.

You know, Master, I in I know I've kind of been here for quite a while, but I'm. I've asked for transfer. I'm going to be quitting. Yes.

There is no plan B.. So, listen, this this is why the church changed the world. What he's going to tell them is impossible. And yet they did it, but they didn't do it in their own strength. They did it by the power of the Holy Spirit, working in the power of God's word, in the context of authentic community, where they would meet and hear the teaching of the scripture.

They were all illiterate. And so these scrolls would be read and they would memorize them out loud together and go over them over and over and over in their mind.

And then they would meet in homes and they would share a meal and they would talk about, you know, that letter we got, you know, that was passed around that one to the Ephesians and the other little into the Colossians and and that one to the pestilent icons. And. And then they got up and they went into horrendous working situations and they responded, by and large, by his power the way Jesus would have responded if he was actually living inside their body.

Which he was.

And so he says to them, a slave, whether you have a Christian or non Christian master, be subject to your masters, that's sort of the overarching. The idea is you got to submit to them. You have to obey what they say.

Try to please or satisfy them.

The idea here is just do a good job. I was in New York City and heard Tim Keller speak and he was talking about impact in the marketplace. And he said, you know, we kind of have a generation and both young and all that.

We really want our work to have such meaning and we wanted to change the world.

And he said, you know, that's great. But, you know, part of just serving God, sometimes it's just like doing a great job. You know, if you're a dentist and drilling teeth, I mean, this by cuspid is going to change the world now.

But it will really be important to that person that you put in that crown on or if you're an airplane pilot. It's like all I do is live from here to Beijing. All I do is live from here, southwest, back and forth.

When you land correctly, we love you, do things with excellence, create software with excellence. Come on time. Do a great job, please. Your masters.

Then it says not to talk back to them. So there's a respect. There's an attitude, those of you that are supervisors or employees that you know, that people show to work.

But, you know, sometimes it's like this I got attitude, I'm here, but I don't like you and I'm gonna do it as little as possible to make as much as possible. And I'm just going to sort of poison things because, you know, when you find employees with a good attitude and then petty thievery was just common so that the slaves would steal, he says don't steal from them and then show that you can be trusted.

I mean, can you imagine mastery? You realize I don't know what this Christian stuff is and this Jesus and all this talk, our resurrection. And this is wild and crazy. But all I know is if I had another ten slaves like that, I'd change the world. That one hundred our company would be.

That's what God wants us to be where we're at.

I was picking up my laundry yesterday and the fellow's a guy I've gotten to know and he's come to church some, but his wife works at another church so he doesn't go here. But I know he's a believer. And I was I was behind the guy in front of me and the guy in front of me said, oh, that's my shirt. Did you get that stain out? He goes, Well, yeah, I really tried. You know, he said, but it was blood. So, you know, then come out, you said, well, I'm on the stain to come out. He goes, well, you know, I can do it more, but I'm free to go right through the fabric. And he said, well, then, if you can't get the stain, no, I don't want to pay for that. I'm sitting there thinking, as you know, who got the stain in the shirt? You brought the shirt. He cleaned the shirt. He tried to get the stain out of the shirt and he was not. I don't pay for that.

And this guy's response, I saw, you know, how you see sort of his eyes flashed like.

But then, I mean, they got didn't catch it. He goes, Absolutely, sir. That'd be OK. I'll take it. Take that right off your bill. And, you know, took care of him.

And I got my stuff and I walked out and, you know, had one of those little promptings. I thought, you know what? Man Now that's a Christian, lived like a Christian. I went back in there and it cleared out.

I said, Hey, can I tell you something? He said, what? I said, No way to go. Way to go. That was such a great attitude. That was such a great response. You could have talked back. You could've argued. And you know something? You just handled it with class.

Colossians, three, 23 and 24 says, do your work. Not as to me and not for eye service, not for their reward. Do you work as unto the Lord as an act of worship? I'm going to create this for God. I'm going to build this for God. I'm going to fix this for God. I'm going to write this software for God and then lead this team meeting for God. And his inspection is what I care about. Why? So that in every way they will make the teaching about God, our savior, attractive, attractive. It's a really amazing New Testament word. It's the picture like taking a very special gem and dropping it into a setting. But then around the setting, you put all these other very, very precious gems in it with a background and gold. So it just adorns it. So just makes it awesome looking.

And God says when we do our work that way, it makes people scratch their head and go.

So everyone else left early and you didn't why? You didn't really have to turn that in on your expense report, but you did and you knew we had a probable it wasn't even in your area that you covered for another guy. And what's this about?

And I would recommend this is not the exact it's Giese, but it's Jesus in in the right way and the right time.

You can verbalize and share as you earn that kind of respect.

Well, turn to the back page, if you will, because I'd like to wrap it up as we think about being the kind of older man. Older women, younger women and younger women and slaves, workers that really are Christians that live like Christian at home and at work. But we live in a day where our reputation as Christians has taken a hit.

Our influence is marginalized and our children are abandoning the faith. So let me ask you, what has the power to convince an unbelieving world that God's word is true? Second, what has the power to restore credibility and influence to the church?

And third, what has the power to make people want to explore a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

And the answer to all three is doing good. Where you live and where you work. Doing good. Not talking about it. Doing good in the power of the Holy Spirit as a person who understands.

You can't do it apart from time in God's word. And it is impossible unless you can do it life with people that give you the strength and the encouragement and the accountability to become who God has saved you to become.

You don't need any more of God. He needs more of you. And when he gets more of you and can allow his life to flow through you, you will be an older man that will admire and respect. You'll be an older women woman who realizes that the greatest beauty that you have to share is beauty that's on the inside, not the outside. And you'll be a young woman who has clean and clear and wise priorities. And you can invest in the thing that matters most and use your gifts to help other people.

And you'll be a young man who says, you know something? I've got a lot of passions and there's a lot of ditches and a lot of potholes out there. But I'm going to set my face like a flint and I'm going to be a man of God and a great father and a godly husband. And I'm gonna go to work and work will not own me, but I'm gonna go to work in a way unto you.

And I'm going to ask you for the opportunity with the energy and the dreams you put in me to change the world. But it starts with doing good.

Chip will be back in a minute, but a quick reminder before we go on the message you just heard, the high cost of not doing good is from CHIP series.

Doing good. What happens when Christians live like Christians? 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 eight eight eight three three three six zero zero three. Well, Chip, one of the disturbing trends we've seen it all is start stop stuff going on with COGAT. Is that a lot of people just stop doing church, which means isolation is increasing and Christian fellowship is decreasing. What's Living on the Edge doing to encourage people to stay engaged with each other?

Well, Dave, that is a great question. And there's a reason that we put this series on at this time in our nation's history. Peter would write to a group of Christians that were undergoing intense persecution, very, very difficult time for believers. They were maligned. Life was very, very difficult. And he writes to them and says, lives such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong. They may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day that he visits. You know, the fact the matter is, as our words are, arguments are positions are posting on Facebook or Instagram are not necessarily going to change the world very much, but acts of kindness, acts of love, especially to those who would think that you don't care. We are calling the church in this season to do good, to love our neighbor as ourself. And we're reminding everyone that when Jesus said, who is your neighbor? It's the person who's in proximity to you, regardless of what they look like, what color they are, what their view is, and political issues. When we as God's children love our neighbor, when we do good, we make a difference. I'm imagining in my mind's eye thousands of groups of Christians gathering together in small groups, studying what it looks like to do good, and then coming up with plans where you do good in neighborhoods, in your community and in workplaces, in ways where critics are silenced. God's name is glorified and change really begins to happen. Let me encourage you to be a part of one of those groups. Do good. Make a difference. God promises he will use it.

Thanks, Chip. Well, one of the best ways to begin is to gather a handful of friends and go through this series together. Chip opens each session. He does the teaching and then I'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 in 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 dot org 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 goggled do in you and then through you to do good.

As we close today's program, I want to give us a little perspective about what we've heard. Titus is writing in power about the Holy Spirit to tell a group of people in a very secular culture and with a group of Christians whose lives really aren't matching up the message of the gospel. And so as we think back, he's told them in your homes, you need to live this way because that's how Christians live and at work. This is how you need to work and this is how you represent your boss and how you tell the truth so that God's word won't be discredited. And at the very end, you know, I raise the question about what has the power to convince an unbelieving world that God's word is true. I mean, what has that power or what has the power to restore credibility and influence to the church? I mean, when you see Christians portrayed on TV or if you talk with people lighting at the church, you're relevant. What's going on? Or finally, what what has the power to cause people that you know and that you love? Maybe a relative, a neighbor, a coworker, maybe one of your kids to really want to explore who Jesus Christ is and what he really has to say. And it's so simple and yet it's so profound. It's doing good. It's when we actually live it out. And it's not just these. Huge things, what we do it it's little acts of kindness, it's showing up to work on time. It's being the kind of employee that a you know, a supervisor doesn't know why you do what you do may be yet, but it's being that kind of person. And I think sometimes we get this idea that there's gonna be this big, dramatic moment that changes everything. And the fact of the matter, it's lots of tiny, small moments of living an ordinary, godly, loving, caring life that make all the difference in the world. And I just want to say to all of you fellow ordinary people who feel like life is kind of mundane and you're just kind and you're just loving and you're living it out and you're praying God is going to use that. It's the accumulation of those things that are really going to make a difference. Let's all commit together to be Christians that just do good, live good in the power of the Holy Spirit and trust God that he's going to use the testimony of our lives. Most often when we don't even know it, to bring multitudes to Christ.

You know, a great way to stay engaged and connected to Chip and Living on the Edge is with the Chip and Graham app. You'll get free access to all of chips, recent messages. His message notes and much more. And not only that, but it couldn't be easier to call us or e-mail directly from the app will be with us again next time when Chip continues his series.

Doing Good. What happens when Christians live like Christians? Until then. This is Dave. Saying Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge.