A Serving Church Part 1

One reason for us.

Jesus phoned her right people give others first place.

That's what happens in church experiencing direct moving of God today all commands. One church for its spirit led service and will learn the lessons they learn so long ago, the Moody Church in Chicago this with Dr. when boots are clear. Teaching helps us make it across the finish line.

Insert give us a look ahead into what a serving church is all about, you know, Dave.

Let me be very honest and say that all of us have to have selfishness torn from our hearts. I know that that's a strong statement but there are things in our lives that only God is able to do so that we look not only on our things but also on the things of others. Show me a church where the Holy Spirit is at work and I will show you a church where people serve and they do it with joy and with a sense of satisfaction. That's exactly what God wants to produce in our churches today.

We are so encouraged by the many of you who connect with us and tell us what running to win has meant in your life. I am so blessed when I read this letter. Someone writes, as I was trying to think of something to say from my heart. All that I could say is healing your messages abroad.

Healing two compartments of my life where I don't go when I heard that there was a father God, who loved me regardless of my background. It's a promise.

I grabbed want to thank all of our listeners today because letters like this come because of you and because of your support. As I frequently say running to win is not our ministry.

It is God's ministry and it belongs to the people of God. Here's what you can do if you want to help us. By the way, we have a matching gift challenge you want to become a part of that and have your gift doubled go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 and now let us listen to God's word and see what is serving church looks like when God comes to church things happen. All I know that God is always coming to church because God is everywhere, but I'm talking about the real intense moving of the Holy Spirit of God.

When that happens there's transformation. One of the noticeable indications that God has come to church, is the willingness on the part of people to serve. To say I am available for whatever God has called me to do. I'm willing to help.

Even at great personal inconvenience when you have that you know that God has come to church.

I believe one of the great examples of where God came to church was the church of Thessalonica dear member just north of Athens. If you go to the OG and see there you can see the on a map of the city of Thessalonica where it used to be. And Paul was there only apparently three weeks and he taught them so much and he fell in love with them in a way that was really remarkable and that there were two groups of people in the church there were Jews who were the custodians of God's revelation. You think that that would've humbled them, but it had the opposite affect.

They became self-righteous just like us as Christians.

The fact that if you are a born again believer today you about all people should be greatly humbled. We should be the most humble broken people on earth and yet sometimes it's a cause for pride and we strut and we swagger that's not Christlike because we are undeserved recipients of God's blessing so there were Jews who were very proud of the fact that they were Jews and they were not interested in learning about the Messiah, but there were also some Greeks and the Greeks. He remembered they were schooled in Plato and I will say this to those of you have a great background that Plato and Aristotle were probably do the most brilliant men God ever created and yet they could not get to God because human reason, human reason does not have the building blocks to solve the question of God and what he's like and his relationship to the world and yet you had many of them believing in Jesus and both needed the gospel both needed the gospel. Our text today is first Thessalonians chapter 2 first Thessalonians chapter 2, where the apostle Paul says in verse two that we had boldness in our God to declare you to you the gospel of God that little phrase gospel of God can mean either the gospel about God. It can also mean and more likely it's the gospel that belongs to God when you come to Moody church and we proclaim the gospel where proclaiming a message that no man would've ever invented. Nobody would have come up with the idea that the only way to redeem sinners is to have God himself. In the second person of the Trinity, and be crucified, and offer sacrifice and then freely give eternal life to those who turn from their sin and believe no one would've come up with that on their this is God's gospel and then Paul talks about himself and he does it partially in defense, but personally, also to model for us. Servant leadership is really about. And that's our topic for today and as we go through chapter 2 all 19 verses we are going to go through as one would experience a garden you don't stop at all of the flowers you walk from one batch of flowers to another and you simply walk past a lot of them because you can't do it all and in order to do that. We're going to look at five characteristics of servant leadership and I want to apply this message not just to the pastoral staff and the elders but to everyone at Moody church who serves and to those of you who aren't serving yet, but you will everybody with the Bible open.

I write quickly. Are we ready to walk through the garden and pick some flowers.

First of all, the apostle Paul shows us that in his servant leadership.

He says his motive was pure. In fact, in verses three and again in verse five he lists all of the reasons why he did not come to Corinth. Undoubtedly, there were some people who are critical of him thinking that he had come because of greed he says I did not come because of error I wasn't preaching something I made up this is not because of impurity.

I wasn't sleeping with women on my day off, nor an attempt to deceive. I wasn't using this to somehow lead you astray and to control you as Paul's teachers do but just as we have been approved by God and so forth.

Verse five.

For we never came with words of flattery, you can use flattery. Flattery can either be truthful or it can be lies, but both are wrong if they are used to try to manipulate and to try to get that person to do what you want and to make a deal this is. We didn't use flattery nor with the pretext of greed we didn't, and leave the city with bags full of money. God is witness nor did we seek glory from people. Paul says I wasn't among you there, he says, so that others would say what a wonderful teacher. Paul is think of how much he knows he said we weren't there to receive praise from man.

This gets to the heart of the motivation of what it means to be a servant to be a servant means that you're not singing so that people will tell you how wonderful you are and how the song minister to them so you can use that encouragement from time to time that that you don't preach like I have the privilege of doing so that people will come up later and tell you what a great sermon. It is pulses that is a sinful motivation. So what motivated them while it's there in verse four he says, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel.

So we speak, not to please man, but to please God tests our hearts. That's the reason that you serve is to please God. The opinion of others might have their place, but that's not the first question that you ask the first question that you ask is, is this being really done so others will think well of me or is it being done for God. Are you content if God is satisfied even if no one else is satisfied God tests our hearts. God tests our motives this past week I heard a story of a man whom I happen to know he's from South Africa but he lives in Canada and in South Africa now this man spends most of his time in prayer and that he was in South Africa and he fasted for 11 days and he believed that God wanted him to have some meetings in a church and other people agreed. You should go to that church. They said we have a place for you to stay and what we want you to do is to have meetings there so the meetings were advertised. He went to the couple's home where he was to stay.

The wife was a believer. The husband was not a believer, but they were glad to house him and so he went to his first meeting and he went there and no one showed up at seven. He actually went to pray for a couple of hours. No one showed up at seven and then he thought, will maybe maybe there's been a mistake. Maybe the meetings were advertised at seven 3730 came in.

Nobody showed up. I was very discouraged and he was about to go home and he said God what is this and it was as if God spoke to Mrs. Wolfer who are you doing the preaching what you preach for me that okay all preach forgot all preach to an empty church. So he did preached a sermon token offering that would have been interesting token offering gave the benediction went home. They asked him how did the meetings go how many people showed up. He said nobody showed up.

They said what did you do is as I preached a sermon for God and that night that man could not sleep. The man of the house. She said what your trouble. His wife said and he said it's that preacher down there he preached a sermon for God even though God was the one who was listening only one who was listening and that night that man was converted.

Now you say well see that's what you get for these people who spend a lot of time in prayer you really fast for 11 days he goes to the church early and he prays for a couple of hours and that look at how beneficial his prayer turned out to be. Nobody showed up to the meeting, not too fast, as those meetings continued, many people were converted and today there's a very strong church there. Some of you are discouraged because you've chosen to pray with Christ for one hour every week of this year and you've done it a couple of times leave notice no difference and you say to yourself will see God doesn't answer prayer. But God is working and God will answer even if he doesn't answer the way in which you think you should and as quickly as you think you should. God is there. So I have to ask you today see when God comes to church. He house cleans our hearts. The motives are changed isn't what people will think of me now is what God thinks it isn't for greed.

It isn't for for manipulation so that you can get ahead.

It has everything to do with this simple question is God pleased. No wonder Paul continues on and says you know we were like an gentle among you, like a nursing mother. Verse seven taking care of her own children so being affectionately desirous of you we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also ourselves because you had become very dear to us. You begin to live this way with a God directed motivation and you find that you don't just give people your time you give people yourself.

Only God can do that and that's what happens when he shows up.

How do some nursing mother do it, that she say well you know I'm on duty 9 to 5. This kid cries in the middle of the night. I'm sorry. Wait until morning. Wait until 9 o'clock till I get to work now why she is imparting not just her time not just her ability, but she gives herself to the children as my wife did as her children were growing up pulses sensibly. Ministry should be. That's what should be happening at the Moody church people giving themselves to others without a time agenda. All I know we can't do it all, but with with such a sense of devotion and commitment to one another that we give not yes time we give ourselves I the pastor was preaching on this, who had a lot more nerve than I do.

But in the middle of the sermon he asked the Nasher and the idea just came to him to bring an offering plate and so he put the offering plate on the platform, and he stood in it that's what we give to God when God comes to church. We give ourselves pulses. That's the motivation of servant hood second notice quickly the sacrifice Paul says in verse nine and following for you.

Remember brothers are labor and toil. We worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you while we proclaim to you the gospel of God. Paul says I continue to work on tense. That's where the idea of tent making comes and so that we never even talked about money, so nobody would say holes in it for the buck. Remember, he lived in a time when there were professional orators used to come and give speeches but they always in advance would say how much money they needed for their speech pulses.

That's not I don't. I want to stay away from that and you know of course that the ministry is often been disgraced because people are in it for the money. Civil pastor Luther you get paid from the church. The staff gets paid from the church. Paul is not giving here a universal principle.

In fact, later on he says that those who teach the word and preach the word have a right to be taken care of what Paul is telling all of us very strongly, is this that when we do ministry. The motivation is not the motivation of money and shame on any person who has that motivation, you receive the money in order that you might serve, but you don't serve with a view to ask the question how much do I get it. I'm going to the ministry because you say why this is this is gonna make more money than than some other location and by the way, seldom does it make much money more money than other vocations. Remember the elders in a little church that cradled God. We promise that if you keep them humble. We promise to keep in now that's the agreement the other day I said to the staff with a smile on my face. I said I was to I was admonishing them regarding something about the need to do something and then I said, remember this, we hear on the staff. We are paid to be good and overpaid to be good given expectation.

I said all of the people at Moody church volunteer their good for nothing.

Now you're good for nothing.

Paul says we have to be willing to make financial sacrifice in ministry. If our ministry does not in any way affect our checkbook.

If it does not affect the way in which we give them the does not affect our motivation. We are not Christlike in our service.

God has not yet come to church as long as were hung up on all these things, so pulses I made that the sacrifice of that the sacrifice of devotion.

He says we were holy and righteous and blameless before you and I say this to the pastoral staff and all the leadership at Moody church that we who are in leadership should be more holy, more righteous and more blameless than we even expect our congregation to be. That's a note of conviction for all of us. So Paul says here he says there's a sacrifice to servant hood and then he says what is the goal.

The goal here is in verses 11 and 12, for you know how like a father with his children. We exhorted each of you and encourage you in charge do to walk in a manner worthy of God puts it all about, what are we trying to do with our teenagers. What are we trying to do with our leadership.

What are we doing in our ABF's adult Bible fellowships. What are we, what are we trying to accomplish at the end of the day would we want his character. People who walk worthy of God. In keeping with the dignity of belonging to God when I was growing up we as kids used to say to her mother and father. Like most kids do what we can do this.

Why can't we do this because look at the neighbors there doing that and her parents used to always say now their name is and then they give the name and then they'd say, but you know you're a loser and this is a different family. I don't know whether or not that helped but it should've and so I say to those of you today who are Christians the world can do this this this, but you can't because guess what you belong to a different family. Thank you very very much. We are to walk worthy of God. What this is pastor Luther you know what encourages me the most is when we receive reports of people coming to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. As a result of the ministry of running to win one woman writes to us and says that she and her husband were brought to an understanding of Christ as Lord. They were baptized, and so were some members of their family. She goes on to say this past summer. My husband passed from this life to heaven in your book. One minute after you die has been a comfort to our family, my friend. When we receive reports like this we know that it is because of God's people that we can continue this ministry, would you consider helping us. We now have a matching gift fund. So whatever you give will be doubled. Here is what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or if you prefer you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 it's time now for another chance for you to ask pastor Luther a question about the Bible or the Christian life tithing.

It means giving 1/10 of your income to God through the church and through other ministries. Cornelius wants to know pastor Luther's take on tithing he puts it like this. I want to know what Moody church believes about tithing.

I've heard some say this is an Old Testament concept that is been done away with.

Cornelius, thank you for asking. In the New Testament, there is no emphasis on tithing and I'll tell you why, because under grace. We have a brand-new relationship with God and therefore we should give as God has prospered us. We should give with joy.

We should not be bound by a law that says you must give that takes out the actual heart of what giving is all about. In the Old Testament the 10% was a kind of the tax. It was used in the temple.

It was used to pay the priest etc. etc. and in the New Testament we don't have that and therefore tithing is not a requirement, but Cornelius, I do need to add that 10% is a good way to begin the giving process. It's a good benchmark and if we give generously will want to give even more generously, and according to second Corinthians, God is going to prosper us so that we can give more as a whole.

A matter of the heart, not of the law. So go in peace, Cornelius would be generous. And God will bless you, thank you, Cornelius, and thank you pastor Luther if you'd like to hear your question answered. Go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask pastor Luther or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us have run into when 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 running to win comes to you from the Moody Church in Chicago next time why it's going to get tougher for Christians in the days ahead, and why maintaining our integrity, then will be more crucial than ever. Thanks for listening for Dr. Erwin Luther this is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the teacher