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DON'T
ACCESSORIZE; SPECIALIZE
Romans 12:1-8
Introduction:
THEY GET YOU WITH THE ACCESSORIES! Sometimes It Seems That Nothing We Buy Comes Complete.
Go buy a new car. Take a look at what's considered the base
price, and then look at the accessories; stereo, power
windows, power locks, power steering, even air conditioning is
listed as an accessory. On the other hand, go buy a new
computer. You have to buy a mouse pad; you will need an
ergonomic keyboard, so you do not get carpal tunnel syndrome.
Then there's all those other little goodies; dust covers,
tinted screen, video cards, zip disks. Of course, what good is
a great computer without a great printer, and with the
printer, you need a good scanner. Then you need a digital
camera, and all the appropriate software. When everything is
said and done that computer with a sale price of $699, has run
you two thousand dollars. Men you know what I am talking
about. Ever go shopping for a new dress with your wife, with
the new dress comes a new belt and of course new shoes because
the belt and the shoes have to match. With new shoes has to
come a new purse. Am I right ladies?
But The Thing Is, Accessorizing Is Really About Conforming. We
have to keep up with the latest trends. When the car salesman
says, nothing feels like Real Corinthian leather. We forget
that there is a $2200 difference. When the computer salesman
says to us, ”You can't do anything without at least 128 Megs
of Ram.” Forget that the computer already comes with 64 Megs
of Ram! Accessorize! You deserve the best!
Accessorizing keeps the consumer escalator moving upward. It
is what makes the retail world go round. If we wanted to
change it we would have to change the very mindset of the
consumer, and that is virtually impossible. It is easier to
just conform. Live with it! After all, conformity is the way
of the world, but It's Not the way of God!
God says, "Don't Conform; Transform! God says, "Don't
Accessorize: Specialize!
Body:
THE TEXT THAT WAS READ TODAY WAS WRITTEN CLOSE
TO TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO.
It was written to a church in Rome. Words that the church in
that day needed to hear, and the message was, don't conform;
transform. Don't accessorize; specialize. Listen again to
verse two of the text. Read verse 2. However, as much as that
church needed those words, all those years ago they're also
words the church of today needs to hear. They're words we need
to hear. Think for a moment on this question. In the past
fifty years, has the church had more of an impact on our
society? Or has our society had more of an impact on the
church? In the past 50 years has the church transformed? As
much as, it has conformed? You know the answer don't you?
Moreover, I'm not suggesting that the church should never try
anything new. I'm not trying to say that we should be stuck in
the worship styles and music of our grandparents, but there
are some things that should never change. Jesus never changes.
The gospel of Christ does not change. When we find ourselves
trying to transform our gospel message instead of allowing
that message to transform us We're guilty of the same kind of
conformity that plagued that church in Rome.
You see, there's a difference between the conformed and the
transformed. The conformed are always worried about what other
people are doing. The transformed are concerned about what God
is doing. The conformed seek a promotion and that's all that
matters. The transformed seek a ministry because it's what God
thinks that matter. The conformed seek more stuff. The
transformed seek the right stuff. The conformed seek only the
pleasure and comfort of their bodies. What Paul called being
ruled by the flesh. The transformed seek the renewing of
the mind and the life of the Spirit. The conformed invest only
in the temporary. The transformed invest in the eternal.
Friends, this church has a pretty good ministry. We have
joyful worship. Our music ministry is uplifting. We have a
thriving Day Care. We pay our bills. But for this church to
truly take off and fly for Christ, for this church to BE
Amazing, all the people who make up this church will have to
discern what ministry it is that God is giving you. You will
have to make that ministry your Passion, and you'll not let
anything douse the flames of that passion. For this church to
BE Amazing and accomplish miracles For God's kingdom. We have
to listen to the word of God that says.
DON'T ACCESSORIZE; SPECIALIZE!
This too, is the word for Christ's church. The thing of it is,
You are the church! Moreover, for God to work miracles in this
church collectively, you have to let God work in you as a part
of this church. Individually, we have to learn to specialize in ministry. In the areas in
which God has gifted us. Truth is, this text is not talking
about spending money. It's not talking about retail
consumerism.
But it is talking about specializing. This text talks about
spiritual gifts. Read verses 4-8. Now there's a place where
the church has conformed to society. The text says, "We who
are many form one body."
It says, "each member belongs to all the others." Community!
That's what God intended with the birth of the church. While
society says, "Your faith is a private thing, you don't need a
church.” It's not about community. It's about the individual.
Friends, I don't care how holy you are. How often you read the
bible. How much you pray. How strong is your faith? There is
only so much that you can do to build the kingdom of God by
yourself.
God has given us different gifts so that as one body we can
build God's kingdom together. Every person here has a
ministry. Some of you have already discovered your ministry.
You specialize in an area of ministry using the talents and
the gifts that God has given you, but some of you haven't. And
there are some who may never discover their Ministry because
instead of being transformed. They live lives of conformity.
Others are unsuccessful and unfulfilled in your Ministry,
because of the temptation to accessorize. God has given you a
gift! But you want a different gift. Sometimes, good friends,
the most difficult thing to do, is to limit ourselves to the
ministry within the gift or gifts that God has given us to try
to accessorize our ministry with something else.
IF THERE WAS ONE TRUTH THAT I WANT YOU TO LEAVE HERE WITH
TODAY IT'S THIS TRUTH. We are one body. When one suffers we all suffer. When one is
honored, we are all honored. When we come together as one
church. We become something far greater than the sum of our
parts. We become a family and a fellowship. We're not just
another version of the rat race. Where if I win you lose, or
the other way around. That kind of mindset belongs in the
world not in the church. That's part of what Paul means when
he says. "Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world.”
But to resist conforming we have to be transformed. This kind
of transformation requires a different way of thinking and
looking at things. It requires a spiritual vision nurtured by
prayer study, and faith.
These are gifts that God wants all of us to enjoy. God's
design for the church is that we come together and worship
with vision, prayer, and faith. So that we can then bring our
worship to bear in our lives
Conclusion:
HERE'S WHAT I'M INVITING YOU TO DO, WITH GOD'S
HELP. Take your every day, ordinary life. Take your sleeping, your
eating, your going to work, your walking around, every day
ordinary life, and place it before God as an offering. Good
friends, it's time to ask a very important question, and it's
time to seek the answer. What does God really want for you? I
mean, haven't you ever wondered?
Perhaps you've heard the church talk about sacrifice and
surrender, but have you ever really understood what
surrendering to God really means? Do you know what Paul, the
author of the text, means when he writes about "Presenting
ourselves as living sacrifices for God"? Now in human terms
surrender means, To give up! Right? Or to give in! Maybe
you've surrendered to your friends. We've all given into the
influence and persuasion of friends from time to time.
Sometimes it's been a good thing. Sometimes it's been
disastrous. You see you have no better friend than Christ, and
when you surrender to God's influence you don't lose but you
win.
WHEN WE GIVE UP CONTROL OF OUR LIVES TO GOD, GOD GIVES BACK TO
US SOME INCREDIBLE GIFTS. Everyone here has been given special
and unique gifts. God
wants you to use them and to let God develop them. You have
hopes and dreams. God wants to know about them. God wants to
work in your heart to bring your hopes and dreams to focus. To
help you maximize your spiritual gifts to their greatest
potential and if this is truly what you want. To Be All That
God created you to be! Listen to these words
Don't conform; transform! Do not accessorize; specialize!
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DISCIPLESHIP
SAMPLERS
Romans 10:8-15
Introduction:
I 'M ABOUT TO MAKE A CONFESSION THAT JUST MIGHT HURT MY
MEMBERSHIP IN THE MEN'S CLUB. I like to shop. Guys it's true! But what's even more
shocking, I even like to Grocery Shop. Finding the best
tomatoes. Looking for the best price on meat. Checking the
dates on the Milk. And I'm really a sucker for anything new,
if is says new and improved. I buy it! My favorite place
to grocery shop is Sam's Club. Sam's is a
great place to shop. Do you know why Sam's is such a great
place to shop? It's not because of the bulk rate prices. It's
not because of the great choices. It's because Sam's is the
one place you can take your whole family and eat for free.
Think about it. What's the first thing you see when you get to
the grocery section? The Sample Lady! That Little elderly women who serves up
free food samples on what seems to be every aisle of the
store; Jalapeno Cheese poppers, barbecue Chicken wings, little
slivers of pizza, little pieces of pound cake. And the further
you journey into the grocery section, the better it gets.
Little Islands of "Try-It-Before-You-Buy-It" Delicacies.
Serving up good food in little plastic containers. That looks
like they came from the top of a bottle of cough syrup.
IT'S FOOD EVANGELISM! Offer the people a taste of your product. Send women into
grocery stores serving free samples of your food. If they like
it, they buy it! And many of these sample ladies are doing
such a great job, that they're being hired away by the very
stores in which they do their Food Evangelism! These Sample Ladies Are Doing Precisely What Paul Invites
Us To Do In Today's Text. Paul says confess with your mouth
that Jesus is Lord. This is the word of faith that we are
proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the son of the living God. That Jesus is Lord. This confession is knowledge. This
knowledge is of utmost importance and this knowledge means
that we have something to offer and our mission is to offer
it!
Body:
WE ARE TO BE DISCIPLESHIP SAMPLERS. We are to offer the Good News. With our mouth, if necessary
That Jesus Christ is Lord the only way to salvation. The only
assurance of peace and hope. We are to offer tiny bits of
God's grace through acts of love and compassion. This is our
calling as the church. This is what it means to be builders of
God's Kingdom. And if we're going to be Discipleship samplers
we have to
know our product. We had better be ready to answer some
questions. Those sample ladies are not only prepared to offer
you the product, but they are prepared to tell you what's in
it. And why you should buy their brand over an another brand.
And they always make sure that you know where to buy it, if
you like it! Paul goes so far as to suggest that our salvation
comes
only by confession out loud. An oral articulation and
confession of the faith the one who confesses with the mouth
will be saved. Now I don't know that I completely agree with
Paul here because I've met persons who couldn't talk, who
loved God with their whole being. But I think that Paul and I
would agree on this, you couldn’t confess something unless you
believe it. You can't believe it without hearing it. And you
can't hear it unless somebody proclaims it to you. And someone
can't proclaim something without being sent to proclaim it.
That's the point stressed in verses 14 and 15 of this chapter.
Read verses 14-15.
PAUL'S POINT IS THAT CHRISTIANS SHOULD CONSIDER THEMSELVES
SENT. That they should therefore proclaim so that others might
hear.... So that they might believe.... So that they might...
Call on the name of the Lord! This is what it means to be a
discipleship sampler. Someone who stands at little islands of
hope, and dispenses bits of God's grace. It truly is as simple
as that. Evangelism is as simple as that. It's not about
tackling people with the Gospel. It's not
about carrying you're Bible to work every day. It's not about
making a show of praying in public. It's not about putting on
airs about all of the sinful things in life that you don't
participate in. It's not about anything you do. It's about the
grace of God. And the love of God, that lives inside of you.
And that shines through you. It's about the hope for living
that people see in you. It's about the life of love and grace
that invites people. To want what you have. The sample ladies
don't tackle you and force Cheese-its
down your throat. They simply make their product available.
And they make themselves available. So that when you're ready.
You know where to go. You know whom to see. In this day and
age, this is effective evangelism. This is being an effective
discipleship sampler.
BUT THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF SAMPLERS AREN'T THERE. The
first stands behind the counter and dispenses free
samples. This person believes in what they give away. They are
committed to the product. For whatever reason... They have
made the selling of this product a part of their life. The
second type of sampler stands on this side of the
counter and consumes. Going from cart to cart sampling hot and
tasty foods without ever really intending to buy anything.
Sometimes trying to sneak around for seconds and thirds. You
can go in any Sam's and pick these people out you can watch
them move from line to line, from cart to cart. Sometimes
lingering to read the ingredients of a food item, but never
really buying anything they're sampling. Many Christians
only sample Discipleship. Think about it.
They take just enough to taste and see if they like it.
Hearing, but not really believing. Sometimes even confessing with their mouth, but doing so
with an eye on the exit. Lest God or the church ask them to do
something a little uncomfortable. Friends, the call of the
gospel is for us to be Discipleship Samplers, but not those
standing on this side of the counter. Just sampling the
Christian witness, but someone who serves up discipleship, for
the benefit of others and for the glory of our God. God calls
all to become active participants in the Building of God's
kingdom. The text does not read, How beautiful are the seats of
those who sit in their pews and listen to good news. But how
beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! The news
that Jesus is Lord. The last thing Jesus said to his disciples
was... go out! If we're to be good discipleship samplers then
we have to take our product with us when we leave this place,
and we have to make it a point to give out free sample.
Conclusion:
HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING SAMPLES OF
GOD'S GRACE AND LOVE. Those who know the good news. Who sometimes confess with
their mouths, but who always display with their lives. That
Jesus Christ is Lord! But Remember That The Sample Ladies
Offer Samples. They don't try to drop the whole load at once. The merchandise is on the shelf. Their job is simply to
draw attention to the merchandise. Witnessing for Christ
sometimes fails because we attempt
too much too soon. Sometimes people find the gospel too rich
for their taste. They might not want, nor be ready... for the
whole package today. Be patient with those who keep coming to
your sample table, and seem to be only sampling. Be patient
and trust in God. Our task is not to force the gospel on
anyone. Just to make Christ available to those whom He calls.
LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING. What side of the counter are
you standing on? Are you a
discipleship sampler? Standing at an island of hope.
Dispensing bits of God's grace. Or are you standing on the
other side of the counter, going from cart to cart, Church to
church, just sampling and never buying? Not really getting
involved? Just tasting little bits of the kingdom of God.
Never actually becoming an active participant in the building
of God's kingdom. Friends, the business of building God's Kingdom is
eternal.
If we really and truly believe in the gospel of Christ. In the
hope of life eternal. And the promise of God's loving and holy
presence. Than we know that there is nothing we can accomplish
on this earth, that will mean more. Than to introduce someone
to Jesus. The Word Is Near You! It's in your mouth, and in
your heart. It is the word of faith that we are proclaiming.
Why not share that word? Why not give just a sample of that
word to somebody who's never really heard it? Or maybe not
ever believed it? Maybe they'll just look at you and walk on
by. Or they might just sample and decide never to buy. But
maybe… just maybe… One day…Someone who samples from your
discipleship table, will call on the name of the Lord. And be
saved! And Lord of Glory. The creator of all that is will look
at you and say... How beautiful are the feet of those who
bring good news.
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