Authentic Ministry

Well, pastors who are really good at evangelism and do a lot of evangelism say They tell me that one of the ways you get your congregation more involved in evangelism is sharing stories sharing stories about evangelism, and so I wanted to share a story of I've been working on Share in the gospel with my barber. He's kind of a captive audience. Or I am actually he's the one holding the razor and And so I've been working You know and in the way you do evangelism like real one on one and you know interested authentic ministry Yeah, you find out about them So I found out lost off about them. I know the name of the band he plays in I know when they're next concert is And I ask him about his children. That's a great avenue for ministry because a lot of times people who don't really want to Go to the church themselves kind of want their children to grow up with some kind of code So I know that he is a nine-year-old boy and an 11-year-old boy He's really thankful that the 11-year-olds not gotten certainly. Yes, been great. It was good conversation and and I ask him about his interests, you know, and The Lord of the Rings. He loves Lord of the Rings. He's got books all all these books around and that's a real easy Kind of avenue to the gospel because that that whole book said has about 40 illustrations of you know Christ sacrificed for us So that's real easy and so using all that information I Went to my friend Jason Bobo and I said I'll pay for your next haircut if you'll witness to my barber That's pretty good. See there's things about ministry that I find really hard I find really hard and things are very easy This is easy. This is not actually ministry. This is public speaking and public speaking is easy for me and I enjoy it and Ministry that involves like being in front of somebody You know where you can be rejected? That's hard Ministry where people can I ask questions? That's difficult. One time we had a lady in our worship service you raised her hand in the middle of the sermon To see if you could ask his question and I've ignored her for 15 good minutes. See I don't we you know, we're good That kind of stuff is hard One-on-one stuff is hard. This this stuff is easy for for me Sin management is easy Sin management is easy. Just make you feel guilt Use your flesh against your flesh. That's not hard. We'll talk more about that in a few minutes fixing people. I Like that Fixing people. That's really good. You come to me with a problem. I'll fix you You don't get the right to ask me about my problems. That's easy. I love all That but but being actually Transparent and authentic and one-on-one face-to-face Life on life ministry is hard Find it very hard The Apostle Paul today he's taking a little excursus. He's been he's been really pouring it on the Galatians You know he was with him for a while and he's gone and he's finding out that they're they're turning back to to legalism They're they're turning back to law. They started so well and they're on their way to to fully receiving God's sonship or they've already received it but to fully enjoying that and and they're freedom in the gospel and he's And then he kind of just kind of takes this little Detour and he says don't you remember what it was like when I was there Don't you remember how I lived among you? Don't you remember when we were face-to-face and I let you see my weaknesses and You were nice. You were kind to me And I was I became like one of you. Let's say you could become one like one of me and he's really showing us what authentic ministry is And and this this is an important message for all of us some of you are tuned out. You know, well good thing I'm not a minister But ministry is is something that we all live in if you have a single friend in the world if you have ever taking wedding vows You're the Paul tells us that man are to love their wives as Christ love the church that you to present her Radiance and without blamish. That's ministry if You he tells us that why is our to love their husbands and Submit them as the church does to Christ. That's that's ministry if You're raising children and you've taken these baptism vows to raise them in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord That's that's ministry all of us who Live a single moment of the day without You know thinking of other people and so thinking of ourselves. That's ministry and And if you actually want to to do true ministry in the gospel Paul tells us here that authentic Christian ministry is living with others transparently until Christ is formed in them It's it's living with others with the goal that Christ be formed in them It's living with others transparently and honestly Until Christ is formed in them. Please stand as we read from Galatians chapter four beginning with verse 12 and Ending with verse 20 here the word of the Lord Brothers, I entreat you become as I am But I also became as you are and you didn't be no wrong You know is because of a bodily ailment and I preach the gospel to you at first and though my condition was a trial to you You did not scorn or despise me but received me as an angel of God as Christ Jesus What did I become of your blessedness For I testified to you that if possible you would have gouged out your own eyes and given them to me If I then become your enemy by telling you the truth They make much of you for no good purpose. They want to shut you out that you may make much of them It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose not only when I'm present with you My little children For whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone For I am perplexed about you Let's part of the reading of God's Word all men are like grass and all of our glories like the flowers of the field The grass withers the flowers fall but not God's word God's word stands forever. You may be seated

Authentic ministries living with people transparently with them Until Christ is formed in until they are formed in Christ until They are born and independent Until they are in the very image of our common brother Jesus The first thing that Paul reminds us is to do ministry yet to become yet to get down with people I became like one of you I became like one of you now. That was a change for him. He was He was an apostle They received him as an angel and He had to come down to them. He was a Jew and they were Gentiles who gave up his his eating rules And he gave up rules about who he would and would not fellowship with and he he went into their houses and and he received their Their ministry. He was He says it was because of a bodily ailment that he stopped there and He says you didn't despise or scorn me so it probably was something visible and kind of nasty It's hard to believe you would have any ailments. He was just shipwrecked twice and stoned once and left for dead a few times But he was probably had a really bad eyesight. It was some kind of eye thing We think that because he said it would they would have gouged their own eyes out and given them to him because they're just story and acts where He says he responds to us the speaker and everyone looks at him and goes, would you speak you can't speak to the chief priest that way? And he said oh, I didn't or lost what I was talking to which only makes sense if he can't see real well and And There's some other things there. So we think we think we know he was struck one when he saw Jesus So we think he had an eye thing. We can't wait no for sure, but that seems to be pointing there and he was He had to stop it became painful something happened They made him stop and spend the time in Galatia and so he received help. He was weak in front of them He let them he wasn't like you know modern day President or King who wants to hide their weakness and only come out in strength the It's hard to receive ministry You know to let someone really minister to you you're coming down here and they're up here and you're saying I need you and that's a hard thing to say He got down on their level That's that's where true ministry is done. It's it's sharing weakness. It's Revealing well, it's not like we're making up things. It's revealing the truth about you one of our elders Several several years ago took a friend to AA it was the first AA meeting and It was up wasn't a big meeting where you kind of hide in the crowd, you know It's a smaller one and they were going around the circle introducing themselves and if you Never been in one of those meetings the way they introduce themselves is You know they say their name. Hi. I'm Ricky never sent say last names. Hi. I'm Ricky and I'm an alcoholic and As they were going around the room Everyone kind of wondered what his buddy kind of wonder. Well, I wonder what this guy's gonna say because he's I've never seen him drink And so it got to him and he raises he says hi. I'm Ricky and I'm a center saved by grace Only He said several people in that group came up to him and there were so thankful that he would come to this meeting and he Were so thankful that he would get down on their level. That's that's where ministries don't It's by identifying with people. It's not ministries not looking at people saying I used to be like you But now like me Isn't that better? Don't you want to be like would you rather be like me didn't like you? Let me tell you how Ministries is looking people eye to eye and saying I am like you Let me show you all the ways I'm like you. I have the struggles that you have I have the the failures that you have I have the disappointments that you have That's that's healthy ministry. It's it's It's being down on their level unhealthy ministry is being up looking down speaking down Not being honest giving people rules and and and Five ways to become more like me and that ultimately ends up binding people enslaving people To to become And slays to your rules and your laws and that's what policy and don't do it Don't listen to them. I know it sounds good. There's a friend of mine here in town who Said he sat at her to the same pastor for 20 years and never once heard a single thing that the pastor struggled with And he went to him and said you know why you tell us a lot about our sin and about the sins of the world But you never say anything about your sin why is that and he said well sin Greaves the Holy Spirit and why would I want to grieve the Holy Spirit while I'm preaching? That's a good answer up there. I like that Yeah, I don't matter if I don't everyone agree the Holy Spirit something never gonna talk about my sin ever That's good. That's good stuff. It feels good. It's it's easier That's true true ministry is down on people's level It's not looking down on them. It's looking straight at them loving them But it's looking down it's being down with them for a purpose and that purpose is we become like them so they can become like us That's what the Apostle some Paul said. I want you to be like me I'm free from the wall. I'm free from sin. I am in joy. I live in joy despite my ailments He says what happened to your blessedness? That's that's a Christian you were but it just means why aren't you happy anymore? You were happy when we were together You we were you lived in joy when we were together What where did it go? Well, why is it why is it like that? Why is that gone? I became like you so as you become like me and again, it's kind of necessary to figure this out I want to tease this out right so let's look at unhealthy ministry and we'll get healthy ministry unhealthy ministry is It's looking from down from the top It's mutual flattery says they made much of use that you've made much of them That's my aunt. That's a good compromise. I love that I Mean preach good sermons make us feel good and We'll tell you how good a preacher you are And we'll just keep that that's great. That's good stuff. I like that. I was at I was doing RYM one time, which is a youth camp And I was preaching and and this youth minute. It was funny. It was funny to me The big secret that was going on was Bianca and I were in a huge fight all week By the way with with 18 years of Perspective I now know that she was right and I was wrong took a while for me to get there, but um Anyway I was preaching and this youth minister came up toward the end of the week and it was just gushing about how much I blessed him and blessed as The kids in his youth ministry. Thank you so much Thank you, and and I just kind of had had enough and I said You have any idea how easy this is for me Will you please come back to my room and make my wife like me? That's the hard stuff down here stuff unhealthy ministry. I'll tell you great stories. I'll tell you five things you can do so that you'll stop Feeling bad about yourself. I'll make much of you. You make much of me We're gonna be happy Nobody's gonna change No sense actually gonna get dealt with But we're gonna be happy That's that's false Ministry that's making much of each other. That's that's using rules that if you have a senior really want to deal with let's make some rules And what we can do is we will use the flesh to control the flesh that makes sense Let me explain how that works. I

Really do have to lose 30 pounds for my heart. I mean, I'm not making this stuff up My doctor looked at me and said it is time now and We're gonna have to go on serious medication if you can't now I know I don't really look like it. I got skinny arms and skinny legs and I carry on my way out here So as long as I point towards you can't really see it but the second I do this you're like oh There you do have done lot of disease. Yes And and I do my belly is locked over my belt. No, I did it. So I Have what I did because I've used pretty much every diet on the internet But I found this thing called healthy wager and What healthy wager is is you make a bed on yourself and so I bet a thousand dollars on myself that I can lose 30 pounds before July 1st and I'm pretty confident. I'm gonna win Now let me tell you what that is and what is not what it is not is it is not Slaying the sin of gluttony and gluttony is a sin habitual overeating is a sin It is right there in the Bible the churches called it gluttony for thousands of years the apostle Paul says You have made a God out of your stomach. It is Right there in the Bible. We don't pay much attention to it, but it's there and I am not doing anything to that sin. I'm just kind of leaving that one alone What I am doing is bedding that my love of money is stronger than my love of peanut butter Right, so every time I go into that pantry. I'm like is it worth a thousand bucks? No, it is not

That's all I'm I'm using one sin to control another sin That's what a lot of our sin management is it really is I don't think we do it on purpose But you know, I mean probably about 85% of accountability groups It's just Using shame I'll bet your fear of telling me that you looked at pornography is greater than your desire to look at it I'll bet your fear of telling me that you have not That you don't tie this greater than your love of money and Fair to do it it's just sin management and And it makes sense it makes sense to us. That's my Paul and in Colossian says They they give you rules do not touch do not taste do not drink and they all have to they have the appearance of wisdom He says in Colossians 223 all these things have the appearance of wisdom With there of no value in controlling the simple flesh It's just trading one over the other Making my love of money stronger my love of food weaker. I Don't think that's get me in the right direction But there's a whole another way to do it Right John talked to us about it last week I'll be honest. I thought that was the most convicting sermon of ever I've never been called for a penance in a way that made me angry or but he's so smooth. I didn't realize that's like Tuesday All right When he says things like it's more important that nothing be hidden than that not anything be changed anything get fixed It's more important that nothing be hidden than that anything get fixed And that sounded so good. I was like yeah And then I went home and I'm like no Wait a minute nothing No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, you got no business going there Well, let's just fix each other nothing hidden I've got I've got to really truly reveal myself to people I Got to trust Christ so much and be so rooted in him and then what he thinks of me that I really have to just rip this This hard scab of hard open and say here. I am hard Come on, John Just give us a sermon on the night commandment give us a little law Just just come and say you know don't bear false witness don't lie to people and And if you do lie to people is because you've made an idol out of yourself image and you care more about You know, you're comfort kind of about the truth or you care more about what people think about you than the truth don't don't tell me I have to Be on him don't tell me I have to reveal myself just give me a good law to keep Do y'all know judo when you see it you realize that the exact sermon John preached

Every time someone asks you how you're doing and you say fine you have one false witness. I mean obviously you don't Reveal your soul to the grocery and a clerk not to bathe and exist anymore But every time somebody who actually cares about you and sits down across the table from you and says how are you doing and you say fine? Most of us are lying And it's hard to tell the truth and we have to really trust what Christ has done for us to tell the truth and it's difficult and it's much easier just to manage our sin Truly reveal ourselves It takes faith and I want you to know because I am trying this trying to stuff out I Actually tried yesterday I was Up here in my office by myself finishing up my sermon doing my thirdary ride. That's what I do So that was actually send management right there I didn't want you to think I wait till Saturday right my sermon and so I lied as I said with my third It's my second rewrite. I did the first one Thursday. It was honestly my second one. Okay, now we're good I was revealing I was you know up here working on this sermon looking for anything that I could do besides working on this sermon and that was getting on Facebook, right? So I just just hit when if I ever post anything between nine and 12 on Saturday That's just because I am dying to not work on my sermon and I'm looking for something else to do so I was on Facebook There's weird ad Couldn't tell what it was for it was well done. It was interesting. It got me to click on it because I didn't want to work on my sermon and I clicked on the ad And started scrolling and I kind of knew what was going but kept scrolling Did I have to click another button just going down and it turned a full bore pornography? And I clicked out of it and I'm so mad I reported it to Facebook and I'm so mad and I could not get that image out of my mind I couldn't So I texted my friends and I said guys I need you to pray for me. I've got this image I can't get it out of my mind and second I did it was gone And they all three responded in five minutes praying for you I said you know what I think I knew you would but I'm free from that It's more important that nothing be hidden than anything be healed. Why? Because this this vulnerable lifestyle in front of each other Leads us to look like Jesus. What's the purpose the purpose ball tells us? is That we would look like our common brother. I am again in the pains of child's birth for you with you until What until Christ is formed in you and Christ out of each other? It's hard. It hurts. He's he's talking about childbirth here before epidurals. V.E. It's painful It's painful with a purpose of bringing the life into the world I'm gonna be honest and vulnerable with each other. It hurts It's hard, but it works. It actually not that working is the issue but it actually puts to death the sins of the flesh And it's strengthens who we are Christ in us and and that may it's we're being formed in Christ's image and And the more we do that the more like him we become and the more like him we become the more joy we experience

The grace of Jesus steps into these moments. I am I

Saw a comedian's bed the other day so my share it with me. I don't know about the rest of it I'm not gonna tell you his name so you look him up and go. I can't believe he was listening to this guy I was gonna do a five-minute segment. I don't know the name of Nick Crowe and I was talking about He was talking about how hard is to talk to our moms, you know This is everybody says they love their mom and everybody when they get a phone call and they see that it's from their mom goes Oh, that's true a lot of us. It's true of me. I mean, it is hard. It's frustrating right my mom is a person on the planet that I love as As much as anybody and I was completely unable to communicate that with her. I Mean, I love you mom But I have nothing in common with you and I don't want to hear who died this week And that's all you got to say and can I just give you some money or cut off a hand or something and give it to you So I don't have to talk to you, but you can figure out that I love you and And as I and that's that's a real thing and it it used to just caused me to go into this spiral of shame and Gilt and if you really love to you'd want to talk to her and you don't talk to her and you want to talk to her And so aren't you a terrible person and I'm getting this this toilet bowl of just be myself up for not being what I wanted to be Until I saw that comedy bit and I'm like, oh everybody goes that way and then you start hearing those magical words to Renee Brown says the most powerful words in the English language are me too

Share and that that that spiral of guilt and shame is gone. It's replaced with love and empathy And I become a little bit more like Jesus Little bit more like Jesus now Some of you I do want to know that want you to know this Some of you this is impossible for because Christ isn't any

And you really can't reflect Upon the pain and the sacrifice of Christ because it's just not that real to you yet And if that's the case and you're interested you'd like to know more You find yourself just unable to trust yourself with each other because you're just not sure that your sin has been dealt with yet Let's talk We don't you don't have to wait to the end of the service during during communion. I'll be up here You're welcome to come just sit on the front row and I'll sit down with you and we'll talk until the everybody else is gone if you want

But for the rest of you. It's a question. Are you Is God that real to you? Are you willing to to undergo this this form of washing of sharing yourself and letting someone else

Apply the gospel to you and listen to you in Christ not just Tell you about Christ but listen to you in Christ and in doing that

cleaning you Last night Bianca and I we did our weekly Liturgy which is watching rickael paul row On Saturday nights. We always watch a cozy cozy mystery which means people get killed. Yes, but we're not really worried about them It's cozy when a nice place got fireplace and and mountains in the background and Everything's gonna be fine in the end Among the multiple murder she was solving he was looking for some lost paintings And he walked over to a painting and he poured mineral oil all over the rag and he started wiping and and it was a just hideous landscape I can say it was hideous what's fine to me and and and I started saying once you keep rubbing you're gonna rub all the paint off and then He revealed that the lost painting the masterpiece was behind it And that's that's what that's what living openly in front of each other feels like we're washing each other We're cleansing each other how long until that masterpiece is revealed Christ in you Until that's revealed and it gets Clear and clear and lighter and lighter and it does not it might start with painting It ends with joy what happened to all your blessedness don't you remember how good it was To live free Free from fear free from shame free from guilt. Don't you remember how good it was to live free That is the life that is found in Christ and nowhere else Please pray with me Father in heaven we we do confess. It's hard. I mean, that's not that's not a rhetorical device. It is hard But it's so good It's just so good to have other people there with you struggling and praying for you and and washing you cleansing you

It's a father week We asked that you would fill us with your spirit And enable us to love each other as Christ and able us to listen to each other as Christ

To reveal those things that are hidden that they might be Planned like the way We pray in Jesus