Experiencing "all by itself” growth
Sermon Outline
Introduction
Illustration
In a few weeks time, I'm due to become an uncle for the 13th time. My future nephew has been enjoying a suspended state in amniotic fluid for almost 9 months.
My sister has been paranoid about growing her baby.
She has failed to realise that she actually does not make the baby grow, but God does in the all by itself design of human growth / cell reproduction.
She creates the environment. She provides the nutrients. She provides the fried chicken, the milk shakes. She provides the oxygen, vitamins and minerals. But God does the growing.
All By Itself
Mark 4:26-28
A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain- first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.
No matter how much we would like to think we are the agents for growth, God makes the plant grow. God is the one who has created these all by itself processes and capacities within the church, within the environment, within the community and within life.
As a result, the "all by itself” principle subsists, whether we choose to acknowledge, deny or endure its presence. It is a very powerful principle. For the extent to which we harness the all by itself concept in our everyday walk with Jesus, our desire to speak life into other Christ followers, our ministry, our work place, our family, our friends, the greater experience of life in all its fullness will be enjoyed, as we will be accessing the principle of growth from the life giver himself – God.
Square Wheeled Wagon
(pic on ppt)
(distribute mini wagon wheels)
You may recall seeing this picture in this weeks readings. This picture summarises conveniently the message of all by itself. You have all that is required to bring about growth in your own life. We, as a community of faith, have all we need to bring about growth in our corporate life. We have all we need to reach the Forest Lake community and beyond for Christ. All we need to do is recognise and harness what God has graciously given us.
These days are not so much focussed on intellectual information, but rather on considering how each of these principles can manifest itself in our lives.
Why Principles?
Illustration
Speaking at a conference – the pens start moving quickly when we get to what to do next. Rustling of paper. Other comments shared are nice, make us laugh, but if you tell me what you did, then I'll be taking a keen interest and writing it all down.
The challenge that faces me, and therefore you, is knowing that most people don't like principles (with the notable exception of the Christian Scientists, who use the word "principle” to describe God). Not because the principles are in and of themselves bad, irreverent, unbiblical or heretical. But because it means we have to engage the grey matter between our ears to understand how they apply to our lives. How they apply to my life might be different from the application to your life. Nevertheless, if we are willing to learn from each other and grow more in God's image, we can extract the principles behind our actions are apply them to our life.
The other reason we don't like principles, despite their pervasive presence throughout God's word, there's no verse I can quote you which contains the phrase "energy transformation”, "symbiosis” or "fruitfulness” (though we may go close for this last one).
Proof texting is not always helpful. The Bible says, "eat drink and be merry”. Does that mean we should? Proof texts, without consideration of the surrounding context, and the mega theme of the Bible, can place us in a very unhelpful situation.
Does that mean principles of life are not necessarily Biblically constrained? Let's look first at what makes a principle a principle.
What Makes a Principle
A principle Definition:
• Universally valid
• Verifiable by research
• Focussed on the essentials of church
• Necessarily requires contextualisation (applicable to corporate, group and individual expressions)
"Following a specific church model should never be seen as something that is in competition with following NCD's principle oriented approach. No model church can do without the principles that are described in this book.” (page 83, CYW NCD)
Our desire then is for our energies and efforts to recognise and engage with the very principles of life God has orchestrated. "We can, in fact, experience growth by constantly increasing the human energy that we invest into the church.” (page 84) However, such a strategy is not sustainable.
Principle application is happening to varying degrees around your life and my life and the life of this church and others. Those "model churches” are, inevitably applying those principles extremely well in their context, as God is clearly honouring them by increasing their fruitfulness.
Psalm 127
Unless the Lord builds the house, the labourer builds in vain.
Unless we are harnessing the very growth principles God has infused in our lives, our labours are in vain.
Illustration
Reap what we sow – We cannot expect to sow and to harvest in the same day. Person in our church who is passionate about this principle of life. For that which we experience now in our life is a necessary function of what we have sown in our lives in days, weeks and months earlier.
Financial example, relational example, ministry example…
Principles aren't opposed to Programs
Not against programs – against generating programs that are not inspired by God's spirit resonating with the spirit of people in this room. People have a desire to love serve and celebrate the community in which they serve.
However, the programs should readily and deliberately embrace the all by itself principles, thereby building long term, kingdom success into the program being developed.
Two sets of principles
Eight Quality Characteristics – what shall we do?
Illustration
Camping experience, missing one pole
Another camping experience, a couple of poles were different sizes to the others we had. This was before the days of telescopic poles.
God is not a rip off agent. He has supplied all we need
All the QC exist, to varying degrees, in every church.
Focus on next week's readings and message.
Growth Forces – how shall we do it?
Illustration
My wife recently had shoulder surgery. As a result, I've been assuming increased responsibility for the daily functioning of our home. I now do all the washing. Some days I wish the washing wasn't there. That I could close my eyes and it would mysteriously become clean, ironed and away in the appropriate drawers. However, the washing is continually there whether you or I like it or not.
Shrek
Shrek is asking if anyone knows the whereabouts of Lord Farquard. Donkey is saying pick me, pick me, but Shrek is looking for someone else. Despite his best efforts he recognises Donkey's boundless energy and agrees to go with him.
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Theoden” I'll not risk open way with my people”
Aragon: "open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not”
Open war is upon us, whether you choose or not. The deceiver is seeking to steal, kill and destroy life whether we would risk it or not.
The God's principles of life are there, whether you choose to use them or not
The apply even if you ignore them, pretend they don't exist. They apply whether you are Christian or not. Those who succeed in the secular world are those who recognise and apply these principles.
Illustration
I'm no musician (I hang around musos, I'm a drum kit player). However I do know that if all the instruments play exactly the same notes the quality of the song is nothing compared to what could be if various instruments were playing different notes in harmony.
Concept of harmony – everyone plays a tune that is necessarily different from the instrument beside them.
Strive for harmony among alll the principles of church development. That is, we need to pursue their presence such that their harmonious existence because this creates an increasingly healthier environment for people to encounter the living Christ.
As you may recall reading, understanding every single one is not as important as developing a growing sense for the underlying dynamic of all six growth forces.
(Below are the six growth forces which will be worked through relatively quickly, giving a few different examples of their application in life. Please use these examples or other examples you choose to use. The purpose of intentionally addressing them is ensuring that as many as possible hear what has been read by people during the week.)
Interdependence
Illustration
Noticed that there are the world championships for dominos. Not playing dominos, but setting them up and letting them fall. Something that started over one kilometre away can have an effect at our feet.
Or perhaps you've heard of the "butterfly effect” theory (a message I gave a little while ago) where proponents of this theory believe that the flapping of the wings of a butterfly in one part of the world can cause havoc on the other side of the planet.
My brother works for a government department where, as part of a project submission, they, understandably had to articulate the anticipated outcomes of completing the project. Strangely enough, as part of the submission, they had to document the unanticipated outcomes as well. As long as there was a prophet in the house, I guess that wouldn't be too difficult.
My Father recently a had multiple bypass surgery operation. One of the results of that operation is that he is now on medication for the foreseeable future. However, he's on 14 forms of medication a day. I think 5 or 6 are designed to respond to the primary health needs of my dad. The balance are used to counteract the effect of the primary medication.
Everything we say and do has an impact.
Multiplication
Illustration
(Christians Schwarz's example conveys this principle very well. Perhaps harness this illustration.)
What is the fruit of a tree? Is it the apple for the orchard next door?
Part of the multiplicative design God is that, paradoxically, death is part of life. One seed must die, so that many more are produced; fruit of a tree?
Energy transformation
Illustration
Wrestling with my boys, identifying energy, form of self defence – judo. They end up on the floor until they work together to mount a simultaneous attack on me. One grabbing my leg, the other, my arms and my third son comes swinging wildly hitting various limbs and other body parts.
Sustainability
Understanding the seed concept; training / apprenticing – when there's a problem, they are most receptive to the teaching; teaching how to apply principles, rather than spoon feed answers.
Symbiosis
Marriage is a great illustration of symbiosis. God's design for marriage is that husband and wife complement and complete each other. dissimilar, mutually beneficial Fundamental form – marriage not either, but both
Fruitfulness
If we aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time. A farmer doesn't plant seeds without first knowing what sort of fruit he is after. Similarly, we need to put practices in place in our lives that seek to produce fruit.
Illustration
Even Jesus said enough is enough. He shares the parable of the fig tree – where the man who owned the fig tree complained to the farm manager that it wasn't producing fruit. The farm manager said give it one more year, if nothing, then cut it down.
Life, our life, is required to produce fruit. The Bible says we'll be known for our fruit. So the absence of fruit can mean the absence of life.
Conclusion
All by itself sounds almost like autopilot. That we don't need to do much. The reality is that we have a role to play. Apart from our competence, giftedness and passion that we harness is undertaking our role, a key part of our role is identifying what's in our cart.
1 Corinthians 3:6
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.
Acknowledging the existence of a cart is the first step.
Realising that we may not have all the right wheels in the right location making it very difficult to move the cart forward.
Accepting that we can relocate the wheels in our own life and in the lives of others.
Identify with all by itself.
All the work no!
All the challenge no!
All by itself…. Yes!
Illustration
9/11 tragedies, one of the passengers who bought down the plane Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania was recorded as saying, "are you ready to roll?”
Are you ready to roll?