SERMON: INCREASING YOUR EFFICIENCY

INCREASING YOUR EFFICIENCY
17 August 2008

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 1 Corinthians 13

1. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8. Love never fails.


-- yesterday, as I was on my way to the United Methodist Men's gathering at Camp Tygart -- saw one of the most thought-provoking messages on a sign that I have ever seen
-- you know, it seems like everyone has signs these days -- most of our churches have signs -- and one of my favorite things is to ride by and read those signs and all the clever and witty remarks they put out for the public to chew on
-- signs like "Stop, drop, and roll won't help you in hell" -- and the one where they have "church" spelled without the "U" and the "R" and the sign asks the question, "What's missing?" -- You Are
-- seems like a lot of businesses have gotten caught up in this as well -- there's a couple of really good signs in town that I like riding by and reading -- one is at the chiropractor on Northside -- his signs are always funny and clever -- the one this week asked the question, "How deep would the ocean be if it didn't have all those sponges?"
-- well, like I said, yesterday I saw one of the most thought-provoking messages on a sign that I have ever seen -- it was at a muffler shop on Ashley Street and it read, "Restricted exhaust kills fuel mileage"
-- did you get it? -- "restricted exhaust kills fuel mileage" -- when I rode by there and saw that sign, it was like a thunder-bolt from God -- let me explain it to you
-- think about your car -- right now, in the days of extremely high gas prices, everyone is looking for a way to make their cars more efficient -- to help them run better -- to run smoother -- and to get more bang for their buck -- in other words, to get better gas mileage -- if you can squeeze two more miles per gallon out of your car, you've probably saved several dollars on a tank of gas
-- when you bought your car, the dealer probably told you that this car would get X miles per gallon -- but, more than likely, you're not getting that out of your car -- over time, little things start to break down and keep your car from being as efficient as it used to be
-- for instance, worn tires or improperly inflated tires can decrease your fuel efficiency -- dirty air filters can decrease your fuel efficiency -- and, as this sign points out, a restricted exhaust can kill your fuel mileage

-- well, anyway, I was driving along Ashley yesterday and I saw that message and I started to think about efficiency -- not about fuel efficiency -- but about efficiency in our lives and in our homes and in our churches
-- we all want to be efficient at what we do -- as a general rule, we all want to excel -- we all want to be successful -- whether we're talking about jobs or hobbies or whatever -- we all want to do the best we can at everything we attempt
-- why do you think we've got so many magazines and websites related to hunting? -- right now, we are just a month or so away from deer season, and if you go to Walmart or any of the sporting goods stores in town, you'll see the magazine aisles filled with men reading hunting magazines -- why?
-- because they're trying to find that one thing that will make them more efficient -- that one new gadget -- that one new concept about deer behavior or deer biology that will make a difference in their hunting season -- it doesn't matter what they did last year -- the question is, "what can I do to make myself more efficient this year?"
-- we do that in our jobs -- we go to seminars and workshops -- we take training -- we read about the latest developments in our fields -- whatever it takes to be just a little more efficient -- just a little more successful -- just a little better than we are right now

-- but what about our homes? -- what about with our marriages? -- what about with our relationships with others? -- what about in our Christian lives and in our churches?
-- how much time are we spending trying to improve our efficiency in these areas? -- how much time are we spending to be just a little more successful -- a little bit better -- in these areas in our lives?

-- as I rode by and saw that sign, I was listening to a workshop on CD by Dan Seaborn about marriages and about safe-guarding your marriage from divorce -- in this message, he was going over 11 things that we have to be careful with in our lives if we want strong marriages -- he said that if you've got a problem with 2-3 of these areas, you're pretty normal -- but if you're seeing problems with more than 3 of these areas, then your marriage may be in trouble -- and he was encouraging the men and women in the audience to make sure these things weren't creeping in and affecting their marital relationships
-- in other words, he was saying that if we aren't careful, things can affect our effectiveness -- just like a restricted muffler can affect fuel efficiency in our cars -- we can let things creep in and affect our successfulness in our marriages and our other relationships

-- just last week, we met to get ready for Charge Conference and we spent quite a bit of time discussing our goals and vision for next year -- what could we do to reach out to people in our church and in our community next year? -- what could we do to be more "efficient" as a church?
-- and, truth be told, we have not been that efficient in this church -- we're progressing -- we're growing a little bit -- but efficiency is not about the number of people who sit in the pews on Sunday -- efficiency is more about the number of people who are sent
-- for a Christian, efficiency is about obedience -- it's about mission -- it's about transformation -- it's about sharing your life in Christ with another person -- and that really happens outside the walls of this church building
-- and when I saw that sign, "Restricted exhaust kills fuel mileage" -- I had to ask the questions, "Is there something in our lives and in our church that is restricting us and killing our efficiency? -- Is there something in our lives and in our church that is keeping us from being obedient to the call of Christ?"

-- you know, the church at Corinth wanted nothing more than to be an efficient and successful church -- I think as Americans we are an awful lot like them -- we want to be efficient -- we want to be successful -- and when it comes to church, we define that by size and by money and by the number of programs that are going on
-- if you were to make a list of the most successful churches in America today, who would be on your list? -- every year, this magazine that I read makes a list of these churches -- and every year, the churches touted on the list as the most successful are simply the largest churches and most powerful churches in the land -- churches like Saddleback in California where Rick Warren is pastor -- Willowcreek where Bill Hybels is pastor -- Lakewood where Joel Osteen is pastor -- churches where the average Sunday morning attendance is over 20,000 people
-- if you were to ask people in our town, "What are the most successful churches in Lowndes County?" -- they'd probably tell you Perimeter Road Baptist Church -- Morningside and Northside Baptist -- Park Avenue UMC -- First UMC -- First Baptist -- big churches -- lots of people -- lots of money -- lots of programs -- but, is that the measure of effectiveness? -- is that the true measure of success for a church?
-- if you read through 1 and 2 Corinthians, you get that kind of feeling from the church at Corinth -- they kind of seem to be a church that really wants to grow -- to be big and have a lot of programs and a lot of power and a lot of recognition in the overall Christian community
-- the people in that church clamored for power and prestige -- for instance, they wanted the more obvious spiritual gifts, such as talking in tongues, so that people would see them and appreciate them for what they were doing -- for them, it was more about looking successful in the eyes of the world rather than being successful in the eyes of God
-- so Paul spent two letters and an awful lot of time trying to refocus the people in the church in Corinth on what was truly important -- on what actually defined efficiency in Christ's eyes
-- he told them, "You're doing well -- but there's something that's restricting your mileage -- there's something that is restricting your efficiency -- there's something that you really need to change if you're going to be successful for Christ" -- and then he shared with them the words in this chapter that we call "The Love Chapter"

-- if you would, look back with me now at verse 1 and let's look at this passage again

1. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

-- on the surface, the folks at Corinth looked pretty good -- we would have looked at them and put them on the list of the most successful churches in the first century AD
-- they were in a powerful and influential city -- their membership was growing -- their members were the upper crust of society -- they had money -- they had power -- and they had a lot of programs -- they were doing things -- they were being busy
-- Paul here says that everyone could see the spiritual gifts at play in that church -- they could speak in the tongues of men and of angels -- they were busy proclaiming God's word every Sunday -- but, he said, "that's not enough"
-- they had the gifts of prophecy -- they could discern the deep mysteries of the Bible -- they knew an awful lot about God -- they were growing in their knowledge -- but Paul said, "that's not enough"
-- they were faithful -- they believed in God -- they believed in Jesus -- their faith was so great they could move mountains -- but Paul said, "that's not enough"
-- they were reaching out to their community -- they were taking care of the poor -- they were sharing all they had -- they were even offering their bodies to the flames as they were being persecuted by the Romans and by the Jews -- but Paul said, "that's not enough"
-- they looked good -- they looked busy -- they looked like a church that anyone would want to join -- but Paul said, "Something's missing -- something's restricting your efficiency" -- that something was love
-- it had to do with motives -- the church at Corinth was doing all the right things, but for the wrong reasons -- they were more interested in how they looked to others than in how they looked to Christ
-- and so Paul pointed it out -- "Your muffler's restricted -- your love is not getting out -- and it's keeping you from living the full, abundant, and successful life that Christ has called you to live"
-- if you want to be truly effective, you have to base your actions on love and not just on a checklist that the world tells you makes you successful

-- when Jesus left His disciples on earth, He didn't tell them, "People will know you by the number of people who come to church on Sundays -- people will know you because you have programs for the kids or outreaches to the community -- people will know you because you have a lot of money" -- No, Jesus didn't say that -- Jesus said, "People will know you by your love"
-- love should be the driving force behind all that we do as a church and as a people -- love should be the reason we reach out to the communities -- love should be the reason that we share our faith with other people -- love should be the reason we help people financially and materially when they are in need
-- our motives betray our hearts -- and Paul says here that it's what's in your heart that is the deciding factor in whether you are effective and successful
-- verse 4

4. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

-- do you see how Paul is getting to the root of the problem in Corinth? -- they were boastful -- they were full of pride -- they envied the other churches around them that were larger and more powerful and had more money and people and programs
-- and so they sought that for themselves -- they wanted to be large and to be powerful and to have people and programs, too -- not as a means to serve Christ -- not as a means to serve the people around them -- but for their own pride and glory
-- but Paul says, "Love is not like that -- love is patient -- love is kind -- it doesn't envy -- it doesn't boast -- it is not proud -- it is not self-seeking"
-- if the motive behind your action is love, then your focus is on the other person and on Christ and not on yourself

-- verse 6

6. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8. Love never fails.

-- protects -- trusts -- hopes -- and perseveres -- a definition of effectiveness -- of successfulness -- in a church and in a home and in a family
-- if, at the end of your life, you can look back on your relationship with your family and say, "My love protected them -- it gave them something to trust -- it gave them hope -- and it lasted to the end" -- then you can say that you finished well
-- if, at the end of our time in this church, we can look back on our relationships with the community and with the people Christ brought into our midst and say, "Our love protected them -- it gave them something to trust -- it gave them hope -- and it lasted to eternity" -- then we will be able to say that we finished well

-- programs and people and money will all eventually fail -- you can build on this, but you can't build an efficient church on this -- churches can only be built on love -- churches can only be driven by love -- if they are to be efficient and successful in the eyes of God

-- as I close this morning, I want to share with you a modern paraphrase of this passage by Dave Sanford that may help get to the point I was making:

"If I talk a lot about God and the Bible and the Church, but I fail to ask about your needs and then help you, I'm simply making a lot of empty religious noise.

If I graduate from theological seminary and know all the answers to questions you'll never even think of asking, and if I have all the degrees to prove it and if I say I believe in God with all my heart, and soul and strength, and claim to have incredible answers to my prayers to show it, but I fail to take the time to find out where you're at and what makes you laugh and why you cry, I'm nothing.

If I sell an extra car and some of my books to raise money for some poor starving kids somewhere, and if I give my life for God's service and burn out after pouring everything I have into the work, but do it all without ever once thinking about the people, the real hurting people-the moms and dads and sons and daughters and orphans and widows and the lonely and hurting-if I pour my life into the Kingdom but forget to make it relevant to those here on earth, my energy is wasted, and so is my life.

Here is what love is like--genuine love. God's kind of love. It's patient. It can wait. It helps others, even if they never find out who did it. Love doesn't look for greener pastures or dream of how things could be better if we just got rid of all our current commitments. Love doesn't boast. It doesn't try to build itself up to be something it isn't. Love doesn't act in a loose, immoral way. It doesn't seek to take, but it willingly gives. Love doesn't lose its cool. It doesn't turn on and off. Love doesn't think about how bad the other person is, and certainly doesn't think of how it could get back at someone. Love is grieved deeply (as God is) over the evil in this world, but it rejoices over truth.

Love comes and sits with you when you're feeling down and finds out what is wrong. It empathizes with you and believes in you. Love knows you'll come through just as God planned, and love sticks right beside you all the way. Love doesn't give up, or quit, or diminish or go home. Love keeps on keeping on, even when everything goes wrong and the feelings leave and the other person doesn't seem as special anymore. Love succeeds 100 percent of the time. That, my friend, is what real love is!"

-- as we begin to look ahead to the next year -- as we strive to find that elusive balance between existence and effectiveness -- we must remember why we are here -- we must remember why Christ called our forefathers to join together in this place called Naylor -- we must remember what Jesus wanted us to do and to be for Him -- and we must leave here and do it
-- not for prestige or power -- not for recognition or to grow our church -- but simply because of love -- love for Christ and love for those Christ loved and died for
-- may love lead you today as you leave this place
-- let us pray