Ask Not

This is my first sermon. You guys get to be guinea pigs today. I have given quite a few sermonettes now down in Roseburg, and I've had some sermonettes go 30-35 minutes, but I have not yet had something that's 45 minutes in length yet. So we're going to kind of see how this goes. Now, as we go, you're going to be thinking, I don't want to know what this newbie's doing.

A little over 50 years ago, on January 20, 1961, there was an unforgettable day in U.S. history. Anybody familiar with that date? January 20, 1961? It wasn't that quite. But on that day, with the placing of his left hand on the Bible, John Fitzgerald Kennedy raised his right hand and took the oath of the presidency of the United States of America. Following that moment, he gave his inaugural address. I'd like to read that inaugural address to you today, because there are some lessons in here that we can pull out of it that I think have some serious meaning for us as Christians today.

John Kennedy's inaugural address on January 20, 1961, started with the following words, Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, President Truman, Reverend Clergy, and fellow citizens. We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom, symbolizing an end as well as a beginning, trying renewal as well as change. For I have sworn before you, an Almighty God, the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.

The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God. We dare not forget today that we are heirs of that first revolution, and let the word go forth from this time and place to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.

Born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hardened, bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today, at home and around the world. Let every nation know whether or which is as well or ill that we will pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty. This much we pledge, and more. To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures.

Divided, there is little we can do. For we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder. To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view, but we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom, and to remember that in the past those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.

To those people in the Hudson villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required, not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right.

If a free society cannot help the many who were poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge to convert our good words into good deeds in a new alliance for progress to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers.

Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas, and let every other power know that this hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house. To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support, to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for incentive, to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak, to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.

Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request, that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction. We dare not tempt them with weakness, for only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.

But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course, both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays in the hand of mankind's final war. So let us begin anew, remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof.

Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate. Let both sides explore what problems unite us, instead of belaboring those problems which divide us. Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms, and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations. Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Let us together explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, encourage the arts and commerce.

Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah to undo the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed go free. And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law where the strong are just, the weak secure, and peace is preserved.

All of this will not be finished in the first one hundred days, nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin. In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty, the graves of young Americans who answered the call to service around the globe.

Now the trumpet summons us again, not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need, not as a call to battle, though embattled we are, but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle year in and year out, rejoicing in hope, patient tribulation, a struggle against the common enemies of man, tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself. Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, north and south, east and west, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind?

Will you join in that historic effort? In a long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility. I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion for which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it.

And the glow from that fire can truly light the world. And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. During Kennedy's inaugural speech, he addressed trials facing the United States.

Threats of war, increased threat of nuclear attack, particularly rising conflicts between democracy and communism. Despite all of these issues, President Kennedy shared his desire to usher in a new era of peace and civility in the world with America at the forefront of that peace. Was he idealistic? Yeah, yeah, he was. But the conclusion of his speech contained an admonition to the common man, something that every person in the United States could do to usher in this era of peace that he so desired.

His admonition was summed up in the conclusion of his address with one short phrase that has since been immortalized by fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. Kennedy recognized that if the United States was going to lead the world as peacemakers, that it would take effort from each and every citizen to make it happen. He recognized that true change occurred at the level of the individual, and that the actions of the individual could influence the effectiveness of the whole through their hard work and their example.

Sadly, two short years later, his presidency would be cut short by an assassin's bullet. But his message remained, possibly even more punctuated, due to his early death.

His message, though 50 years old, has relevance to us in the Church of God today. For those of you who enjoy sermon titles, I've entitled this message, Ask Not. Since the 1960s, since Kennedy's time, church attendance in the United States has been on the decline. In fact, according to the Barna Research Group, between 1992 and 2003, church attendance in America dropped more than 1% each year. It's dropped more than 1% each year except for two months, in September of 2011, when church attendance skyrocketed. Or, not September 2011, sorry, 2001. But September of 2001, with the 9-11 attacks, church attendance skyrocketed for two months, and then it dropped right back off to its normal levels.

The January 18, 2011 article in the Orlando Sentinel discussed six megatrends found in today's modern churches. Here's a portion of that article. This is a Barna Group, a California-based research organization conducted 5,000 interviews in 2010 and came up with six trends in modern-day Christianity in the U.S. Their conclusion? The Christian Church is in desperate need of a more positive and accessible image. Here is their find. 1. The Christian Church is becoming less theologically illiterate, meaning that the people attending modern-day Christian Church understand their Bible less and less every year, don't understand the fundamental beliefs and reasons why they attend the Church.

The second trend they found is that Christians are becoming more ingrown and less outreach-oriented. It means they're taking care of themselves instead of taking care of others. Growing number of people are less interested in spiritual principles and more desires of learning pragmatic solutions for life. Rather than using the Bible as a source for those solutions for life, they want to have a quick fix. They want to have a concept or an idea that they can use that not necessarily comes from the Bible. Interestingly enough, when they asked teenagers what the priorities in life were, they said education, career development, friendships, and travel. Faith is significant, but it takes a backseat to life accomplishments and is not necessarily perceived to affect their ability to achieve their dreams.

Among Christians, interest in participating in community action is escalating. They do want to be involved in their communities. They want to be able to do things that are going to help people around them, but less than there was before. Number five, the postmodern insistence on tolerance is winning the Christian church. The little sub-point here says, the biblical illiteracy and lack of spiritual confidence has caused Americans to avoid making discerning choices for fear of being labeled judgmental.

We've seen a lot of things recently in the news, especially with the gay marriage debate in California, amongst other things. Many of the main big churches today don't dare step out and say that that lifestyle is wrong, because that labels you as a hate group.

Number six, the influence of Christianity on culture and the individual lives to them is largely invisible. They can't see the influence of Christianity on their daily life or in the life of their community. In addition, the trend has been that more people today are moving away from traditional religious groups, such as Catholicism and Protestantism, and instead are moving into non-denominational neighborhood churches, Eastern religions, and the fastest-growing segment of religion worldwide, Islam.

Also, many have just given up on religion altogether. Some of the reasons that people list for attending churches. They are less likely to attend the organized church, focusing more on working out their own spirituality at home. But for those that do attend regularly or semi-regularly, the personality of the pastor is listed as reason number one. The message being preached is listed as reasons that people attend one church over another. In other words, people today attending modern Christian churches attend for what the church can provide to them. Sometimes we jokingly call that the spiritual high. They go for that spiritual feeling each Sunday, and then they go home.

Why are we here? The question has been asked of us at probably every feast of tabernacles that we've attended. But more specifically, why here? Why today? Why the United Church of God? For most, it's a pretty easy question to answer. We recognize this church supports fundamental doctrine. We believe that it's doing the work that Christ commissioned us to do. It provides us a location that we can meet on the Sabbath and fellowship also, as we are commanded. With that said, this organization, to which we all belong, has in recent months been in conflict.

We as members have been thrust into the middle of a trial that really, honestly, we probably should have had the wisdom to stay out of. I'd say that fully on myself digging into that as much as anyone else did. We should have had the wisdom to stay out of it. And much like the political and the global climate of the 1960s, we need to recognize that in this situation and its aftermath, it's the actions of the individual influenced by the Spirit of God that is going to usher in an error of peace and civility.

We may not have started the problem, but the solution begins with us in our personal walk.

Just as Kennedy suggested, the actions of the individual can affect the effectiveness of the whole. So, brethren, I ask you what... that's not, rather, what your church can do for you, but ask what you can do for your church. So, what can we do for our church? What are some things that we can do to help strengthen the body, help to provide peace? What I'd like to do is leave you with three points today that will help us to promote peace among our members, to support our organization, as well as other members of the Church of God. The three things that we need to focus on doing is shine, serve, and support. So, we need to shine, we need to serve, and we need to support.

One of the most important things that we can do for our church is to provide a good example within our church, as well as outside of our church, to those whom we interact with. Whether those individuals are members of our own organization, other organizations, or don't attend church at all. We must be the example that we are admonished to be. President Kennedy recognized the example the American people would set, and they would shine as a light to the world, and that kind of is our commission, as well.

Let's turn over to John 12, 35. John 12, verse 35.

It's a good time to have forgotten my Bible in my briefcase.

Chalk that up to a newbie mistake. Good thing I have one on my hip in this little electronic thing.

While my wife is being so kind and bringing it up to me. Thank you, dear. Yes, please.

So, John 12, verse 35. We can see what we're to be doing.

Jesus said to them, A little while longer the light is with you.

Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you.

He who walks in darkness does not know where he's going.

While you still have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become sons of light. Those things Jesus spoke. Thank you, son.

These things Jesus spoke and he departed and then was hidden from them.

So Christ told the disciples, look, you are to follow me. I am that beacon of light in the darkness. I am leading the way. Without the light, without that beacon, you're lost.

He then goes on to give us a pretty tall order.

We are going to become sons of light. That's a tall order.

Let's turn over to Matthew 5 real quick. We'll take a look at a set of scriptures that have been used. We'll probably have these memorized. We're going to go over to them anyway. Matthew 5, we'll start in verse 14.

There's another aspect to this principle that we want to try to recognize. Matthew 5, verse 14. Matthew 5, verse 14 says, You are the light of the world. A city that is set on the hill cannot be hidden, nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

So there's a couple big points we want to take out of here.

First, by giving a good example and by being a light, others see that. Others see the example. They glorify not us, but our Father.

And the aspect I want to bring out of this is, we are to shine. We're to be a beacon of light in the world of darkness, but Christ tells us that He's the light, and we are to light the world.

So in a way, it's almost like we're a mirror. We're almost as light as we're a mirror reflecting that light and reflecting that image. Americans today have a pretty bad rap overseas.

If you've seen any of the protests that occur in the Muslim world, you know, there's flag burning and all kinds of other things that go on. We have a bad rap here at home, too. We're not always the best we can be, but Christians are the same way. They have a bad rap overseas. They also have a bad rap here at home.

I came across a really incredible quote recently from Mohandas Gandhi that says, I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are nothing like your Christ.

Sad but true. I mean, it's sad but true. The majority of Christians today are nothing like Christ, though they claim to follow His example. They can be hypocritical, judgmental, self-righteous, quick to anger, slow to forgive, and the list of my own personal shortcomings goes on.

What about us? How are we doing? Are we living up to that example that was set for us?

Christ is the light. We're to reflect that light to the world.

Let's take a look at 2 Corinthians. Flip over to 2 Corinthians 3, verse 18, and we'll expound on this just a little bit more. 2 Corinthians 3, verse 18.

2 Corinthians 3, verse 18 says, But we all, with unveiled face, beholding, as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

A mirror works on the principle of reflection. It consists of a reflective surface encased in glass.

That mirror only works the way that it's supposed to work when it's clean.

If you take a mirror and you scratch it up and you smudge it up, it doesn't reflect the light or the image near as well as it did before. Are we scratched up? Are we smudged? Perhaps we're scratched up by an unbridled tongue. Perhaps in this last trial, maybe we said some things we shouldn't have said. Maybe we're smudged up by a multitude of sins. If we have too many scratches and smudges, we're not able to reflect that light to the world. The process of shining requires that we get right with God. In addition, the process of shining requires that we shine in a way that's inviting to others. How many of you have been on the receiving end of the Jehovah Witness Mormon attempts at conversion? Come around on the bicycle? Always two of them, especially for Mormon. They always have two come in. We call this door-to-door Christianity. It's going one house to one house to one house. Is this the way that God intended for us to shine? Is this the way that he would want us to shine to the world? Should we take our light and force it into the eyes of the person we're trying to convert? There's a big difference between a warm, inviting campfire-type light and a mag light in your eyes. There's a big difference. Let's take a look over at Romans 8, verse 28. You're probably thinking, wait a second, what? How does this fit into this? Bear with me.

I promise you, I'm going somewhere with it. Romans 8, verse 28. Oftentimes, we read this Scripture and we just stop at the first Scripture and don't go on to the next two. We're going to go 28 through 30. So Romans 8, verse 28 says, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and to those who are called according to his purpose. That's usually where we stop. What I want to look at is 29 and 30 today. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn of many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestined, those he also called, whom he called, those he also justified, and whom he justified, these he also glorified. Now, I don't particularly like this translation because it uses the word predestined and that has all kinds of baggage that goes along with it. But what it really means here is it was planned. He planned. He planned to bring sons to glory. He planned to call individuals to come to his family. He has put out the call. That call has been answered. The word kleios is the translation here to the word call from the Greek. What it means is invited. Simply, God has given us an invitation. He has said, please, come be a part of my family. We've answered that call. It's a beginning. It's not an end. It's a beginning. That has been the invitation. We've accepted that invitation and now the hard work begins. You're here because you've answered that call. John 6, 44, tells us that people can only come to Christ through God the Father who draws them. Actually, it translates to the word draws. It's actually more graphic. It actually means drags. It's kind of an interesting word there.

Only through God the Father who drags them. It grabs them by the nostrils and drags them right to them. It's kind of an interesting scripture there. But that tells us that there are individuals out there that our God has not yet begun to call. If we're going door to door and we're shining that light right in their eyes, we're only succeeding in turning them away from the idea to organize religion altogether. Our light is to be an example. It's to be an inviting glow and a warmth that provides a refuge for those people who are lost in the darkness. Those whom God calls will be searching in the darkness for that light. We've put it on the proper pedestal. Provided we have it out where it can be seen. We're not hiding it. We're not keeping that hope to ourselves.

People will find it. They'll notice there's something different about you.

Probably the highest compliment we could ever receive is... you know, you're a little different.

That's probably the highest compliment we could ever receive from someone. You're a little bit different. There's just something around you. Or if you work with some relatively rough people... I do a lot of fishing, so I fish with a lot of relatively rough people. It's interesting to hear the quote-unquote longshoreman language, and then when you walk up, it stops. They know.

They know you don't partake in that kind of thing. So they stop. It's an incredible example if we can live it. We don't want to blend in. If we're blending in, we're doing something wrong. We should be standing out. We need to shine as that warm, glowing light in the sea of darkness. How many of you ever had the opportunity to be out in the woods by yourself at night?

I've camped with people before. I've done that before. It is an interesting experience when it's just you. In reality, there's probably no one else around you for 50-60 miles.

Elle Cunningham, out in the coast range, out near Hebo, a couple of years ago, I had an opportunity to spend a few nights alone in a tent at the top of this ridge. That was the first time I'd ever been alone by myself in the woods at night. That was the first time I'd ever not had someone else with me. It's interesting. There's a lot of strange noises, and your mind starts running. You're like, what was that? I heard a branch snap, or I heard a rustle. Automatically, you go to the worst thing. You're like, of course, it's a cougar. It's a cougar. It's going to eat me.

You haven't gotten your fire started yet. It's cold. It's raining. You've got all these strange noises. It can be very unnerving. Darkness can be oppressive. That's where the majority of the people in this world are coming from spiritually. They're lost. There's darkness. They don't know where to go. They don't know what to do. They're alone. They're scared. When it gets dark and cold out there in the wilderness, it seems you cannot get a fire going fast enough. Because as soon as that fire is up and that glow starts extending and that nice warmth from the fire, it's comforting. It's relaxing. You go to the church campout. Where's everybody congregated? Every single night.

Right around that campfire. Sitting there, just hanging out, relaxing. That glow and that warmth is inviting. That's the kind of light we need to be. Warm and inviting. Further, we need to let our light shine. We need to display it, put it up on the highest pedestal we can find, and be that little speck of light in that sea of darkness. People will see it. They'll flop to it and they'll gather. We can help our church by being a good example. The other thing we need to look at doing is serve. Not only shine, but serve. Christ set a very strong example for us in many spots throughout the Bible regarding his leadership style. Regarding the method by which he led, Christ served others motivated by a godly love for them. Now, keep this in mind. He's the future king of the world. He's the son of God. It's said that he has the earth at his footstool, yet he came humbly as a shepherd, serving his people to the point of death. Let's turn over to Matthew 20, verse 28. We'll take a look at this principle in Scripture. Matthew 20, verse 28.

Matthew 20, verse 28.

It says, just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. Just in front of that, we see a little bit of context. Whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave. Let him be your servant.

It's a principle that's been set up. One that we've talked about. I know they talked about it recently. It was one of the topics at the conference back in Cincinnati this last couple of weeks. The word servant here, though, translates from the Greek word diakonos, which means to be an attendant, to be a servant. It's actually sometimes translated as well as the word deacon in our common vernacular. It tends to be referred to as a person who serves within a church. Sometimes it's translated minister as well. Christ came to serve. He led by his example. He practiced what he preached. He clothed himself in humility, and he gave his life in service. This method of leadership is called servant leadership, leading by example of service to those whom we lead. True servant leadership is the model by which Jesus set when he was on earth. The flock must have a shepherd, and the shepherd leads the flock through his care for the flock.

Modern business has recognized the effectiveness of this model. In fact, some of your top companies out there employ the servant leadership model, starting with their CEOs, starting with their managers, their supervisors, and others in positions of power to realize the potential of service and leading. Let me just read you real quick. Robert Greenleaf was the guy who came up with this idea back in the 1970s, and he borrowed it. I mean, it wasn't his idea to begin with, but he borrowed it both from the Bible and from writings of another guy back in 4 BC. But here's what Robert Greenleaf had to say on servant leadership. He said, the servant leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. To serve first, then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions. The leader first and the servant first are two extreme types. Between them, there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature. The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant first to make sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served. The best test and difficult to administer is, do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?

He goes on to further describe the concept. This is my thesis, caring for others. The more able and the less able serving each other is the rock upon which a good society is built. Whereas, until recently, caring was largely person to person. Now most of it is mediated through institutions, often large, complex, powerful, impersonal, not always competent, sometimes corrupt.

If a better society is to be built, one that is more just and more loving, one that provides greater creative opportunity for its people, then the most open course is to raise both the capacity to serve and the very performance as servant of existing major institutions by new regenerative forces operating within them. He's right. Could you imagine how different this world would be if everyone served first with the needs of others in mind as opposed to putting their own in front?

Imagine where we'd be. That was the model that Christ brought. That was the idea that he brought. We take care of other people. Sounds a bit like our mission. We preach the gospel. We prepare a people. Christ had two very big jobs when he was on earth. He was to bring the word of the kingdom of God and to die for our sins. What good did it do if he died and the gospel died with him? He had to train other people. He needed people to carry on. He chose the disciples. In order for the gospel message of the message of the kingdom of God to continue, he needed help. He needed men who understood the importance of shepherding the flock as he had done so that he could rely on them to pass that on once he had passed away. The disciples sure didn't start out there, though. That's for sure. Let's turn over to Matthew 18. Let's turn over to Matthew 18.

We'll see that at the beginning, the disciples weren't much unlike us.

Matthew 18, in fact, the title in my Bible, if you've got a new King James, simply says, Who is the greatest? We'll read through verse 4. Number 1, at that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Then Jesus called a little child to him, set them in the midst of them, and said, Assuredly I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Now, you have to kind of let your mind imagine the scene for a second. You've got 12 guys and you've got Christ. And the guys back there are arguing about the pecking order. Who's in charge?

Look, I want to be at your right hand. No, no, no. I want to be at your right hand.

Christ said, come here, brings this little kid over here and says, This kid right here is the greatest. Out of the 12 of you, this kid right here is the greatest. Because this kid has humble. This kid is teachable. This kid isn't looking for positions of power. This kid isn't looking and jockeying for position. Christ told them only those that can humble themselves remain teachable and receive the kingdom or receive the kingdom as his child will actually enter it.

Talk about a bucket of cold water in the face. You know, I'm sure that tamed the disciples down quite a bit. And I'm sure that some they wouldn't have asked the question if they hadn't expected to hear the answer. I'm sure some of them were expecting, Oh, why Peter, it's you. You're surely the greatest. You know, I can't imagine they weren't expecting to hear an answer. It's human nature to want to exalt ourselves over other people. It's human nature to want to lord it over others. It takes God's nature to do the opposite. It takes God's nature to serve. Christ continued to set the example as his time went on with his disciples and one of his final lessons to them can be found in John 13. So let's take a look over there real quick. John 13 verse 3.

So John 13 verse 3, we'll go ahead and read through verse 5. I see the example of that final Passover. So John 13 verse 3 said, After that he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded.

And we'll go on into 6 and 7 too. Then he came to Simon Peter and Peter said to him, Lord, you are washing my feet? Just incredulous!

Why are you washing my feet? Jesus answered and said to him, What I'm doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.

He set an example. He humbled himself to the disciples. And he kept trying. You know, we got the disciples starting out with this idea of which of us is the greatest. And over time, and as they spend time with Christ, they learn more and more and more. And this is one of the final chances to set that example.

You know, at this point, there was really no question in the minds of most of the disciples.

Here was the Christ, the Son of God the Father, and he humbled himself and served. In addition, they saw him on numerous occasions healed to sick, associate with lepers, criminals, and sinners, much to the chagrin of the Pharisees, who would have absolutely nothing to do with these groups of people because they felt they were better than.

It seems, though, based on Paul's words in 1 Corinthians, that even after all these examples, Paul got it. Let's go to 1 Corinthians real quick. You can see the change.

1 Corinthians, we'll take a look at chapter 1, verse 24.

So, for Corinthians 1, verse 24.

Hang on a second. Did I get the wrong one?

I did. I meant 2 Corinthians. I'm sorry. 2 Corinthians 1.

I'm going to feel really silly if it's not here.

There it is! 2 Corinthians 1, verse 24. Not that we have dominion over your faith. Not that we are lords over your faith.

But we are fellow workers for your joy, and for by faith you stand.

So Paul here is telling him, look, we're not lords over your salvation. We're not in charge here.

God's in charge, and we're in this together.

I am a fellow worker just like you. That's what Paul had told them at this point.

He's very sincere in this letter. Very, very sincere in this letter. He got it! He realized, finally, it wasn't about him.

It wasn't about him. It was about what he could do for other people.

They weren't any of the apostles. We're no more exalted than the other workers. They were all in it together.

The word servant in Greek, we mentioned this earlier, Diaconis, is also translated within the Bible as minister.

More specifically, Deacon, the job of the ministry is to serve the brethren. The job of the ministry is to serve the brethren. And sadly, in this world in particular, and unfortunately, sometimes even within our own church, that message gets lost.

Get that little bit of power, and it's just so hard to let go.

We need to recognize, though, too, it's not just the minister's job to serve. It's not exclusive.

When we examine the Scripture, Jesus' example was solid on more than one occasion. We are to serve others, period. So the entire body of the church is meant to serve. But what does that mean for our church today? How can we serve?

Well, every Sabbath, the chairs need to be set up and taken down. You guys, I love this setup over here. This is great. You guys have your own little thing. The chairs stay set up. In Salem, man, we've got these giant carts that get wheeled underneath this stage and everything else. But it's a lot of work to set services up in most places. You've got chairs to set up. The sound system needs to be set up. And man, cybercast has to be run. Services need to be videotaped or recorded. Songs need to be led. The piano needs to be played. The sermonette and sermon need to be given.

Each Sabbath, there are members of the congregation who need encouragement.

That's a job, too. That's service, encouraging other people, praying for others, and sometimes just lending a sympathetic ear, just being someone who can listen, being someone who understands and can listen. You know, outside of the church, we have widows who need help, sick people who need to be visited, elderly who need help with household chores.

And then outside of our church family, there's so much to be done in this world with the work—to do the work that we're commissioned to do.

There are so many ways to serve, pray, and find a way to do it.

Brethren, we are commissioned to do a work, not to have a work done to us.

Doing a work involves action on our part.

Our tithes and offerings are simply not enough. We really need to serve as much as we are able and as often as we're able. So we can help our church by supporting others or by serving others.

Lastly, we need to support our organization however we can.

You know, as members, we support through tithes, we support through offerings.

Additionally, the most important method of support we can supply to each other is edifying fellowship and prayer.

Work fellowship comes from the Greek word quenonia, which essentially translates to in common or to participate. So in the active fellowship, we're to have common goals.

Our common goal is the work. We all have the same job to do. That's our common goal.

Then the trick to the fellowship is we have to actively participate in achieving those goals.

You know, we're all different parts of the same spiritual body. And just like in the physical body, a foot and a hand have absolutely nothing in common except for the body itself. Often, we as members have nothing in common with each other other than our calling. Fellowship gives us the opportunity to work together as a body, sharing the gifts that we're given.

Some are given the ability to speak. Others the ability to write.

Others to sing. Others to encourage. Others to pray.

The list goes on. Each one of us have gifts that we're given that benefit the entire body, but it only benefits the body when it's all working together.

Only benefits the body when all the parts are working in harmony.

Let's flip over to 1 Corinthians 12. I'm certain this time it's 1 Corinthians 12.

And we'll start in verse 13 and read through verse 20.

So 1 Corinthians 12 verse 13.

1 Corinthians 12 verse 13, we'll read through verse 20, says, For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.

Being many are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or Cree, and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member, but many.

If the foot should say, Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each and every one of them, in the body, just as He pleased.

And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.

If we're not using our gifts together in fellowship, we're not working as efficiently as we could possibly work. This goes for local congregations.

This goes for our church organization. It goes for the churches of God as a whole.

Are we so excited to see our brethren that we show up early and leave late?

You know, the guy's flicking the lights. Get out!

You're still up there. You're still talking. I'm not leaving. He pushes it out the door.

Or do we show up right before the song service and leave right after the closing prayer?

If we're the latter, someone that day may have missed a crucial component of fellowship they needed that day that you could have provided.

An encouraging word or a prayer said that evening for a trial they're going through.

When I was 10 years old, I woke up one morning before school in a tremendous amount of abdominal pain. I had a fever, was sweating profusely. I managed to climb down out of my upper bunk and drag myself to the couch where I flocked down, just moaning in pain, my mom being ever-intuitive. Is something wrong? Of course, yes, there is something wrong. She knew something was up, rushed me to the doctor. The doctor went through a series of tests, most of which included jabbing me in the stomach and asking me whether it hurt.

Yes, yes, it did, which apparently indicated to him that I had appendicitis. So rushed to the hospital, examined, rushed immediately into surgery. Apparently, I was pretty far along in the process. A couple hours away from rupture is what they'd said once they got me out of the ER. But you know it's amazing what can happen with such a little tiny piece that really doesn't do much of anything. You know, most scientists actually were... most scientists think of it as a vestigial structure. It really doesn't have much of a purpose now.

But had something gone south with that little piece and I'd not caught it, I could have died. A little two to three inch piece protrusion off of our lower intestine that doesn't do a whole lot, when all of a sudden doesn't work properly, could take out the entire body.

Our church organizations, our spiritual body, it's very similar. When a part of our physical body quits working in harmony, the whole body suffers. Spiritually, when there are parts that are not working together, the whole body suffers. And I think we've seen, unfortunately, some of the effects of that in the last little bit. God and the fellowship is an important part of our spiritual life, as is our prayer and Bible study. You know, as members we need to be open and welcoming and go out of our way to get to know and fellowship with other people. It's one of the most wonderful parts of volunteering to go out to Roseburg and come over. But you get to meet so many new people. You get so isolated within your own congregation so much. You get to know, I'll admit it, and I hate to say it, there are people in Salem I don't even know.

But we're working on that. We're trying. We're trying to get to know people. There are a few that come in right before and then leave, and you're kind of going, wait, come on. Oh, and they've already left. So we're trying to get to know others, but we need to. We've absolutely got to get to know other people within our own organization. And as much as possible, we need to kind of keep our fellowship and to be able to socialize with other members of the churches of God as well. You know, we do need to try to kind of keep that bridge open. We need to make sure that we're able to bridge the gap. Now, there are congregation-specific and region-specific activities that can provide opportunities for that. You know, activities such as the Growth Club in Salem. I'm not sure if you guys are familiar with that, but it's open to any and all. And they come in, and there's a specific topic, and everybody kind of studies out on that topic. And sometimes stuff comes up that people in one organization say, wait, what? People in another organization go, huh? But at the end, you come away with a pretty good understanding, even though you may not believe the same way that they do on certain things. You come away with a pretty good understanding of why they do, which is important. But we need to try to bridge some of those gaps if we can. We need to do everything we can. You know, right now, many of our members are shocked, hurt, and really kind of unsure of where to go from here. Some have decided what they're going to do. Others are still in the process. And I have a brother-in-law who is really one of the only ones left in his church area. Whole church area left. He's the only one left. You know, what do you do?

So, I mean, there are people right now that are really, really hurting, and we need to be praying to God for help in healing all of those wounds, you know, praying to help us learn the lessons of this most recent trial. What is it we needed to learn? You know, prayers and encouragement are going to be necessary for many people on both sides, you know, as we're coming out of this.

And additionally, like us, our ministry has suffered. You know, I listened to Mr. Mickelson's sermon last week on his coming back from the conference, and he said it was just so unreal to walk into that room and see those see people that just weren't there anymore. Now, it's got to be hard on these guys. Some of these guys went to school with these guys clear back to AC. You know, they've known each other for 30, 40 years. So, our ministry has suffered greatly as well. We need to make sure that the stress that they've felt, you know, we're praying that that's taken care of. It's starting to take the toll on health. You know, Mr. Walker, and we'll get an update on his situation here afterwards, but the the their health is suffering many of them. So, we need to be praying and encouraging and helping to support in whatever way we can. You know, we have spiritual gifts. We need to use them. We need to be willing to step up and use them.

We also have to trust in God. We also have to focus and make sure that we're putting our trust where it really counts. That we're focused on making absolutely certain that, you know, we trust in God. We pray for our ministry and our church leadership during this time. You know, a word of encouragement can go a long way. Earnest prayer even further. We can help our church by supporting our members and our ministry in fellowship and in prayer. You know, John Fitzgerald Kennedy believed that the actions of the individual could influence the effectiveness of the whole. He believed in an America that would be a beacon of light to the world due to the actions of its citizenry. He was interested in the lasting peace, a resolution between communist and capitalist, and a freedom for those people oppressed around the world. He also recognized that if any of that was going to happen, the change had to begin with the individual. Christ requires a change in the individual as well.

He asks that we do one simple thing, not so simple, but we become like Him. He asks that we become like Him in every way, shape, and form that we can possibly do. Very, very, very tall order. But He asks us to be like mirrors, reflecting that image in light of Him to the world. He asks that we serve each other without complaint, without exaltation, and that we support each other through edifying fellowship and prayer. And He tells us that if His people can do that, then He'll know that they're His for the love that they have for each other. You know, our world is entering troublesome times. Wars, rumors of wars, economies are collapsing, unrest in the Middle East, a rise of power in Europe, a decline of power in the U.S. The prophecies in Daniel and Matthew are beginning to be fulfilled before our very eyes. Just last night there was a news article. It was a German company bidding to take over the New York Stock Exchange. Germany also was getting a hold of Egypt and telling them to hold their treaties. So not only are they messing in financial, they're also getting involved in the political scene as well. Not only our world, though, is going through troublesome times, so too is the Church of God. We've recently passed through a time of tension and division, and what comes out of this trial will be our true test of our metallist Christians. Can we forgive?

Can we move past? Can we work together? Can we support each other? Can we pray for each other?

Can we heal the breach? Can we be peacemakers rather than warmongers?

You know, all of that is going to depend upon each and every one of us individually.

Brethren, ask not what your Church can do for you. Ask what you can do for your Church.