What is Our Mission?

In fact, as I thought about the sermon for today, one of the things that we've been emphasizing is what is our perspective as a people? Yes, we have the corporate church, and as a corporation, we have definite goals. We have a mission. We have a vision. And, of course, overall, we are on a mission, aren't we? You think about the mission that God has given to us as a collective body? If you had to say, what is our mission? Well, we have to preach the Word. We have to preach the Gospel. It doesn't matter who, when, where. It's got to be done. Christ said He wants to come and find us, so doing His will. And, of course, that means there's a personal perspective on that, and there's a collective perspective as well. As a group, as a body, as the body of Christ, we're to preach that Word, and we're to make disciples, and we're to take care of those disciples, those that would come to be a part of the body. We have that responsibility. And yet, at the same time, there's where we want to be.

And this is something that maybe as we look back over the decades, there is a little bit different perspective today. Because if we think way back in the past, what was our perspective on who was to do the work? I mean, many of us back in the day thought, well, that's that's headquarters job. That's what headquarters does. That's maybe just what the ministry does. They take care of that, and then oftentimes our perspective was, well, we just pay and pray, and that's all we can do.

And yet, that's not the case when you really look at what the Bible has to say about all of us. What do we need to do? What do we have to do? What is our part to play when it comes to living God's way and preaching God's way, accomplishing His Word and His way in this world? What do we have to do? Is it just somebody else takes care of it? Or is that my job? Is that my job? And so through some of the conferences that we've had recently, we're trying to emphasize what is the biblical perspective when it comes to our vision. In fact, we have a vision statement in the United Church of God that is not about our mission, but more of a perspective of where we want to be, where we need to be. You know, what is God's idea for us as a people? What is my part in this mission? What is my part in this vision? And if you've been over to the home office and go into the conference room, up on the wall there's a plaque that lists the mission and the vision statement. The vision statement is key in what you might find in the conference room. And it has everything to do with me as an individual. What is my part to play? Do I have a part to play? And what is the biblical perspective on that? Because so oftentimes you think of, well, what can I do? Okay, I'm just a single person. You know, I'm just an individual and I can't make much of a difference, can I? You know, what does God have in mind for me? Because I'm only one. Maybe it's just me and my wife and I can't really do much. I can't really get out. I can't preach the gospel. But yet, can we be one? Can we be one that makes a difference? Or does it take our whole group? Does it take the entire church? Does it take, I don't know, a special committee to make a difference? Does it take the entire congregation to make a difference? Well, in reality, it's not like that when you look at what the Bible says. Because when it comes to making a difference, maybe in your neighborhood, is it the ministry that makes the difference in your neighborhood or is it you? Is it the entire congregation that makes a difference on your job? Or where you shop or where you live? Or is it you?

Or is it possible, maybe to think of it in a little bit different way, is it possible for me as one person to really make a difference? Or can I just put that difference all on the ministry or all on the home office and they'll take care of it because that's their job? What does the Bible have to say about it? You know, you might even think, well, okay, I'm just one person and I'm old. Or I'm one person and I'm young. Or I'm one person and I really don't have the strength. I don't have the abilities. And so you might say, well, one person making a difference has to be a little bit of an exaggeration, doesn't it? Can really just one person make a difference? Well, when you begin to look at what the Bible says, wow, there is example after example that points to the very fact that that's all it takes. It just takes that one person to fulfill that vision to accomplish the preaching of the gospel. There's a great example if you want to turn with me over to Numbers chapter 13.

Numbers chapter 13. To give you a little bit of background here, we're all probably very familiar with the story of the Israelites coming out of Egypt. Right? Moses goes to Pharaoh. Finally, what does he do? Finally, he lets the people go. So they come out into the wilderness and what's their job? I mean, the next thing they're supposed to do is they're supposed to march into Canaan and take the promised land. And so, as a result, Moses decides to send the spies into spy out the land, spy out the promised land. Come back and let us know what it's like.

And so he sends Joshua and 11 other spies into the land. What happens? We know the story, right? They come back and say, yes, hey, wow, this is great. Let's go take the land. No, they don't say that, do they? They come back and say, oh, there's no way we can do this. We can't possibly go in there and take the land. And in fact, at the end of Numbers chapter 13, notice what they said.

They said in verse 33, Numbers 13, there we saw the giants, the descendants of Anak. They came from the giants. And we were like grasshoppers in our own sight. And so we were in their sight.

So their perspective was there is no way that we're going to be able to do this. It isn't possible. They're giants. Of course, not all of them were giants. A few of them were. But did you notice how it changed their perspectives? We saw giants, and because we saw them, we saw ourselves as wimpy little bugs. We're just little grasshoppers that can't do anything. There's no way we can do this. Yet, there was one that saw it a little bit differently. If you look back to verse 30, there was Caleb. And Caleb had a different perspective. Even though he saw all the same things, what did he say? Verse 30, Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.

And so this one man had a whole different perspective. Even though he saw the giants, even though he saw the challenges, he saw the enemies. He saw the difficulties. And yet, because he had God's perspective, and a little bit later on in chapter 14 verse 24, it says he had a different perspective. He had a different spirit in him. He relied on God. He trusted in God. And because of that, he saw it different. And that one individual could have made all the difference. And yet, the people said, no, no way. We can't do this. We can't do it. He saw this land that was flowing with milk and honey, a land of plenty. Yes, he saw the enemies. He saw the giants. And yet, because of his perspective, he looked at it differently. He looked through eyes of faith, even though there were difficulties ahead, even though things stood in the way. And he looked at it as, oh yes, with God's help, we can do it. The 10 spies focused on what they couldn't do, what was impossible, what they were unable to do. They focused on what couldn't happen. But the one, yeah, we can maybe include Joshua in here, but Caleb saw through eyes of faith on what was possible. He felt that if they acted on faith, this could easily be done. They could easily take the promised land. Yet, the rest just couldn't do it. Well, can we be a Caleb? Does God want us to look at this world that we face giants sometimes, don't we? I mean, we face, well, maybe not the sons of Anak, not literal giants. But you know, we do face the enemies that are out here. And whether that's sickness, whether that's the challenges of relationships, maybe that's the challenges on our jobs. Maybe it's unemployment.

Maybe it's divorce. Maybe it's families falling apart. The question is, can we look through eyes of faith and see things differently so that we're willing and ready and able to attack those giants so that we can overcome, that we can be representatives of Jesus Christ and take it to the giants that are out there? You know, God wants us to do that. Can we be living, breathing examples of His way of life? Because that's what Caleb saw. And it changed his perspective. And so he could become an instrument of God. He could become a tool to stand for what was good and righteous. And in fact, he didn't only do it here. Many years later, we fast forward 40 years from now, and you'll find Caleb still standing for what was right and what was good. And when they divided up the land, you know, what did an 85-year-old Caleb say? You know, here he was a young, virile man in his prime, ready to take on the giants. By that time when they're dividing up the land, you know what he said? He said, give me those giants. I'll take the land where those giants dwell. I don't care if I'm 85 years old. God is well able through me to take care of it. So it didn't matter if he was 40 or he was 85. He was ready and willing and he was wholeheartedly committed to God to fulfill his part as an individual. He didn't say, well give me the land and you all back me up. Now he didn't say that. He said, give me the land and through God, he can use me as an instrument for his will. And I think we can do the same thing. We don't have to rely on somebody else. We don't have to rely on the group or the committee or the congregation to be a light of God's way. And I think through this story he's kind of telling us, any of us, any of us as individuals dedicated to God can give hope. We can give support. We can give encouragement. We can be the one to do that, to fulfill that vision statement of the church. And if you've seen that little plaque in the conference room, that vision statement says something remarkable. And it's a biblical thing that we are a people. We are a church led by God's Holy Spirit. Caleb was certainly led by God's Spirit. He had a different spirit in him. And being led by the Spirit, it says we are joined and we are knit together. And it's not just because as a group we can do remarkable things. That's true. That's true. We can. As a unified body, we can.

But what that vision statement goes on to say, it's by what every member supplies.

It's by what every member supplies. What joins and knits the church together. Really, what contributes to making us the body of Christ. It's what every one of us supply. It's what each part and that vision statement goes on and says, with all doing their share. See, it's not just the ministry. It's not just the home office. It's not just a program. It's not just a booklet. It's not just a Bible course. It's what each of us have to supply. And that's biblical. Everyone doing our share. And when we all do our share, what each of us supply to the whole, it says the church will grow in love to fulfill God's great purpose for humanity in bringing many children to glory. And most of that's an exact quote from Ephesians 4.16, what every member supplies.

Now that reminds us we can't sell ourselves short because you might say, well, that's not my thing. You know, I can't go out and knock on doors. Well, you don't have to. That's not the intent of that. Not at all. That God can use you with our, yeah, most of us, we're just average people. You know, who am I? I'm nothing. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. But Caleb makes this point. God can take an average human being and with his spirit can affect us that impacts the lives of others. Is there proof to that in the Bible? Yeah, over and over and over. Think about the 12 guys that Jesus worked with. He hung out with for all those years. Wow, those were men of power. Those were men of education. They were men of a... No, they weren't. Were they? They were fishermen, tax collectors. They were normal guys. But you look at the book of Acts and what does it say about them when you add the combination of a will to please God and God's Holy Spirit?

You look at the book of Acts. Acts 17 tells us these are the guys that turned the world upside down.

They turned the world upside down. So when you think of that example, you think of that vision that really God wants us all to have, that we each have a part to supply. We each can impact our around, whatever's around. We can make a big impact. I mean, can we really do that? I mean, is that really a legitimate thing? It is. There's a great example if we stay in the Old Testament. If you want to turn over to 2 Kings, 2 Kings 23. Another familiar story, but think about it in this perspective for just a moment. Here's a change in the leadership in Judah. There's a change in the leadership, and there's been this Aemon who's been in charge, and he gets assassinated. Now there's going to be a new king. You know who takes over? A kid. A boy. A little boy named Josiah. Jesus is eight years old. He is just a kid. And going back for 55 years between his father Aemon and then probably the worst king, the most evil king of all time, Manasseh, by his grandfather. 55 years, the country has been totally suppressed by evil. And yet here comes this eight-year-old who changes things. Just one man. In fact, it didn't even start with him as the one. It started by him dictating the fact that we ought to remodel the temple. Things are falling down. It's getting bad. We need a renovation project. So he decrees this. And what happens? They start cleaning things up. They're going to start repairing it. And Hilkiah, the priest, finds a book of the law. Now imagine how bad things had gotten. It's like, whoa, here's the Bible. What should we do? Can you imagine how bad it had gotten? It's like, well, they hadn't been following God. They hadn't been following His Word. But the priest, as they're remodeling things, finds a book. Now, of course, thinking back 55 years, you might want to say, wow, look at this. We found this. Let's forget that. If I bring that to the king, I'm going to be trouble.

He's going to kill me probably because he didn't want to hear this stuff.

But you know, it didn't happen like that. It didn't happen like that. If you look at, what did I say, chapter 23? Maybe if we go back just a little bit. Go back to chapter 22. Here's where they actually find this scroll. And in verse 8, 2 Kings chapter 22, verse 8 is where the story picks up of where they find this scroll, the book of the law. They find basically the Pentateuch, it seems. It says, Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. So Hilkiah could have said, forget it. I'm not telling anybody about this. But he doesn't. He becomes a committee of one to bring it to the scribe, to bring it to a man who has access to the king. So he tells them about it. Then what does he do? It says, Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan and he read it. So now you've got the scribe reading the book. I mean, you can probably think of the different things he could have done with it. He could say, no, I'm not dealing with this. We can get rid of this thing. But he didn't. Verse 9, Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, saying, Your servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work. Yeah, they're overseeing the house of the Lord. They're remodeling it. Then, verse 10, Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has given me a book. Then he had the audacity to read it before the king. And that was the difference.

This one man, first starting with the priest, giving the book to one other man, the scribe, bringing it to the king, and wow, having the gall to read it before the king, started a whole chain of events that turned the entire kingdom of Judah around. And then, ultimately, led to Josiah making a covenant before God to keep his commandments, to keep his testimonies, to keep his statutes, and ultimately become an amazing man, a godly man. In fact, if you look down, where is it? Yeah, you look down just a few verses. Notice what it says about him in 2 Kings 23-25. It says, Now before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart. That's pretty amazing. With all his heart, with all his soul, with all his might, according to the law of Moses, nor after him did any arise like him. That's over in 2 Kings 23-25.

You think one person can make a difference? No doubt. No doubt. And now, if we turn that around and look at ourselves, okay, I'm just one person. I'm a part of God's Church. Well, why am I here?

Well, I think God's called us for a specific purpose. And it's not just about being a part of the Church. I think it's about something greater than that. You know, we've been called, like Ephesians 4 says, like that vision statement says, to be joined and fit together and for each one of us to supply a part. Each one of us. Every one of us. So, what does that look like in your life? What is that part that you have been called to supply?

Because I think this is what it's saying. You know, think about it a little bit differently. What is it that God's been preparing you for? You know, has God been preparing you like a Hilkiah or like a Shaphan or like a Josiah? Is he preparing us to be like a Caleb? To be able to stand up where we are and affect the lives of others in a way that no one else could do?

I think that's part of what God has in mind for us. And of course, the tendency, though, is to say, well, I'm just an average guy, average girl. I really can't do that. But if you think about it, he's telling us in these stories, don't sell yourself short. You can't sell yourself short. God doesn't want you to sell yourself short. I was reminded of this reading a story a while back. It was about a man named Edward Lorenz. Edward Lorenz stood before the New York Academy of Sciences. This was a long time ago, 1963. And to all these scientists, to all these meteorologists that were gathered there, he delivered a speech. He had this hypothesis. And after he gave, well, as he was giving this presentation, he was basically laughed off the stage for his ideas. Basically, his ideas involved a hypothesis that revolves around a theory that's called chaos. In fact, they've now given this theory a name. And it's called the law of sensitive dependency on initial condition.

So write that down. We'll have a test on it next week. The law of sensitive dependency on initial condition. So he presented this and people thought, you're crazy. You're nuts. And basically what the whole idea was, that the tiniest changes in the atmosphere could ultimately alter a storm and the direction of that storm. In fact, he said the tiniest changes could alter the path of a tornado or accelerate what was going to happen and maybe cause that tornado to go to another location, alter its trajectory in that way.

And yet most of the people said that's crazy. In fact, one of the phrases that another scientist said, he said, you know, if that theory were correct, the flap of a seagull's wing in Brazil could change the course of weather forever. Ha! And they laughed at him. Now, that didn't deter Lorenz because he took that idea of really what is like a domino effect. When something happens here, it could impact this, which could impact that, and then continue on in that way. And he got together with other people that were kind of on the same page. And in later speeches, he kind of took that idea of the seagull's wings and developed it a little further. And he changed it and called it the butterfly effect. Now, maybe you've heard of the the butterfly effect. And basically, he said, you know, a butterfly flapping its wings as it goes to Mexico for its hibernation could impact the outcome of weather in Texas. And he kind of used that idea, saying if that butterfly hadn't flapped its wings, the trajectory of that storm, that whole system, could potentially be very different. Okay, we fast forward from 1963. Here we are, 60... okay, I'm terrible at math, 65 plus years later or so. Most meteorologists accept that theory. The vast majority of scientists say, yeah, it is true. The smallest of things can have a big result. A minor change in the atmosphere, a minor change that happens, whether it be a seagull or a butterfly or whatever it might be, could impact the trajectory of that storm. Now, what does that have to do with what we're talking about today? Well, if we think about can small things have a big impact?

If I change my attitude just a little bit, can that have a big result? You know, what if I normally lose my cool when this happens? And whether it's with my wife, whether it's on my job, what if I don't? What if I hang on to that and I'm able to have a different perspective?

Can I change the direction of that tornado that normally results?

You see, I think we can. Can I make a difference? Can that impact the things around us? You see, Dr. Loren's scientific theory works according to what the Bible says, that this minor change, if I'm faithful in little, what does Christ say? Well, I'm going to be faithful in much. And so the slightest change, what was true for the butterfly, what was true for Josiah, what was true for Caleb, what was true for the disciples, yeah, it's true for us too. If we're willing to adopt the smallest change and make it a part of who we are in a godly way, we'll impact those around us. It'll impact us. It'll impact our relationships. And it will be a meaningful thing and ultimately be significant. Because it all starts with the small things, doesn't it? It starts with the smallest of things. And having the smallest things begin to change, changes, really, I think, everything. Everything. And so yeah, okay, I'm not a Caleb. I'm not a Josiah. I'm not a Hilkiah or a Shaphan. I'm not even an apostle, any of those things. So you still might say, I'm not convinced. Okay, we all know the story of Ebed Melch, right?

Who in the world is that? Okay, let's break it down to our level, right? To me. You know, I'm nobody. I'm nobody. We're all basically a bunch of nobodies. Does it apply to us? Yeah, it sure does. Go to Jeremiah 28. We'll stay in the Old Testament for just a moment. Jeremiah chapter 38.

To the, to give you just a little bit of the background to what's happening here in Jeremiah. In Jeremiah chapter 38, we're getting to the end of the kingdom. They're going to go into captivity. Jeremiah's been warning them all along. He's been prophesying this to happen. And of course, the last kings of Judah just love Jeremiah. No, they did. They hated Jeremiah. Jeremiah, you're always bringing us bad news. I don't want to hear this. I'm sick and tired of hearing all the doom and the gloom. So we've had it. So the officials, the representatives, those advisors to the king come to him and say, we got to do something about this Jeremiah. We are sick and tired of hearing these doom and gloom reports. He says they're from God. So if you look down to, well, I'll even go past verse two. How about verse four? The officials said to the king, this man ought to be put to death because he's discouraging the soldiers who are left in the city and all the people by speaking such words to them. This man isn't seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm. So what are you going to do about it, king? So they want him dead. So the king says, verse five, okay, here he is. He's in your hands. The king's powerless against you. Well, wait a second. You're the king. You're one guy that could make a difference. But what does he do?

No, he's not a Josiah. He's like, no, I'm kind of with you on this. Go ahead, do what you want. He could have put a stop to it, but he doesn't. He doesn't. He says, I'm powerless when often we, we put ourselves in that position. Well, I'm only, you know, filling the blank. I can't. I'm just one.

He had the wrong perspective. So he turns them over to the officials. Verse, verse six. So they took Jeremiah. Now they didn't kill him, but they threw him into the cistern of Melchiah, the king's son, which is, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. There's no water in the cistern, but only mud. And Jeremiah sank in the mud. So they didn't have the guts to just kill him outright. They were going to let him die in a slow way, sink in the mud, and finally drowned in all of it. I suppose then they could say, we didn't kill him. It was the mud, right? It was the cistern's fault. It wasn't our fault. Yet, not the end of the story. Because Jeremiah, if you remember the story, Jeremiah had a lot to do yet. His story wasn't over. There was this man, verse seven, Ebed Melch. Ebed Melch, the Ethiopian, he was a eunuch in the king's house. He heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. So he knows what's going on. He said the king happened to be sitting at the Benjamin Gate. So Ebed Melch knew that he was only one guy and couldn't impact anything. So he just went home. No, he didn't. I mean, here's a guy. He's a heathen for one thing, right? He's a slave to the king. Yet, what does he do? One guy. He left the king's house in verse eight and spoke to the king. Could be sure death. Could be sure death. Yet he does speak to the king. He says in verse nine, My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly. All they did to the prophet Jeremiah by throwing him into the cistern to die there of hunger. There's no bread left in the city. So this one man goes to the king. Verse 10, the king commanded Ebed Melch, the Ethiopian, take three men with you from here. Pull out the prophet Jeremiah up from the cistern before he dies. So he does. So he does. They took him with him, the men of the house, the king. And what did they do? They let down the worn out rags as a rope and he pulled him out.

And so they drew him up. Verse 13, they drew up Jeremiah by the ropes and pulled him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard. So even though he was just one man, even though he was a slave, a servant in the king's household, a guy that was totally insignificant in the grand scheme of things, changed the course of history. Allowed Jeremiah to be pulled up out of here and continue on to prophesy. In a sense, save the throne of someone who would sit on that throne of David for, you know, for time. That wouldn't have happened if Jeremiah wasn't around, or would have had to happen in a different way. But this Eben Melech chose to make a difference. He was willing to put his life on the line and impact life. Make a difference for everybody. In fact, not just Jeremiah, but the lives of those in Judah, the nation, pleading for his life when nobody else will. So you think about that in relationship with us. I mean, yeah, there's going to be times it's going to be tough to do. Eben Melech could have said, wow, this kingdom is falling apart. I gotta get I gotta take care of me and mine. That's what I need to do. But he didn't do that. You see, that that's the opposite. We have this tendency to focus on ourselves. Well, I don't know if I can do it. I've got my own problems. I got my own difficulties. I got my own challenges.

But no, he was willing to step out. And we have to fight that tendency, don't we? That tendency to turn inward and to be isolated. You know, in a sense, we have to be those representatives of God's way of life. Because there isn't a booklet that's going to come to your job and preach the truth. Who's going to? Well, you've got to be that living, breathing, shining example. Not that you're going to be a megaphone and screaming out and talking and preaching to everybody. But by your example, by what you the way you live your life, the way you conduct yourself. I mean, you're going to be the one that can come to the rescue. I mean, even you think about it in a strange way. Here, Eben Melech comes to the rescue. Jeremiah's down in the pit. Well, can we jump in there when we know somebody that's down in the dumps and make a difference? Yeah, I think we can. I think we can. In fact, just returning from Minnesota, I was reminded of things back up there. They are very familiar with mosquitoes. They have t-shirts that have giant mosquitoes on them that says, Minnesota State Bird. Because they're huge. And so, if you ever think you're too small to make a difference, you've never been bitten by a mosquito. Right? Because that makes a difference. And so, it's a difficult change of culture for us. Because this is the way it used to be 40 years ago. Somebody else will take care of it. They'll do it. But we all have a part to play. And it's a biblical thing. It's the example that's been set for us throughout time. Because you might even say, well, okay, maybe for the men, I'm just a woman. You ever feel that way? Does that mean you can't impact anybody? That means you can't be a living, breathing example of God's way of life. Does that mean I don't have a part? I'm not part of what every member supplies? See, that's ridiculous to think that way. God doesn't want us to think that way. There's a great example over in the book of Luke. If we fast forward to the New Testament, Luke chapter 8 verse 1. I think we have a powerful example here in the book of Luke, especially as we have Jesus Christ going about preaching and teaching. Certainly, he was the ultimate instrument that God used to accomplish his will at that time to preach the Word.

Even though Christ was Emmanuel God with us, he wasn't alone in preaching the gospel.

Notice those others that were involved here. Luke chapter 8, right at the very beginning of chapter 8.

It says, soon afterwards he went on through the cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. So he was literally preaching. He was literally teaching. Then the 12 were also sent on opportunities to do that very thing. But there's more to the story. It says, the 12 were with him, verse 2, as well as some women who had been cured or healed of evil spirits and infirmities. And then we have a list. Mary called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out. Verse 3, and Joanna, the wife of Herod Stewart, Chusa, and Susanna, and many others.

Now, of course, if we stop there, you might say, well, yeah, the women were hanging out with them, but they weren't really doing anything, were they? Yeah, they were doing things. Absolutely. Notice what it says next at the end of verse 3. These women that are listed here, it says, who provided for them out of their resources. You see, these were women who were well off. These were women who had the financial means. I mean, how did Jesus go around with 12 guys? How did he support himself? How did he eat? How did he have the money to do these things?

Well, we're given a little insight here by showing us these women provided for them, provided for them. And I'm sure that probably included, yeah, they helped them fix meals and do these kinds of things, but you still got to get it from somewhere. We don't have record of Christ you know miraculously coming up with the food every single time they needed to eat. Not at all. These women provided, and literally out of their resources, their own means is an alternate translation to that from their own substance. So what we find here, the example, and this example continues, we fast-forward to the Apostle Paul. Same thing was happening with the Apostle Paul. There were women of means who were helping in the preaching of the Gospel book by providing for the Apostles, like providing for Jesus right here. And these women made a huge difference in the work of God. And we get a little hint of how the work, we could say, was funded in those early times. And the work today, yeah, it requires money just like the work back then did. And here are women who dedicated their lives in doing just that. And of course that was just one way. That was just one way. There were many ways that the ladies were able to contribute to God's way, to the preaching of the Gospel. Of course we say preaching in not a literal way, but in spreading the Gospel, in a way of making the Gospel known. How will someone, you know, in your neighborhood find out anything about the truth? Well, it probably won't be by watching a program. Probably, I mean, it could be. It could be by, you know, getting a booklet or something like that, or finding a magazine on the ground. It might be possible. But what about seeing you get ready every Saturday and go off carrying your briefcase to church? Or packing things up and going somewhere? Where are you going? You know, could that simple answer begin a butterfly effect? That I actually talked to my neighbor? You know, statistics show most of us don't talk to our neighbors, yet we're supposed to love our neighbor as ourself. Recent statistics say something like over a third of us Americans have never even talked to our neighbor other than, Hi, how are you doing? And that's it. Well, if we began to apply this principle, could that make a difference? I mean, do we want to withhold a blessing from someone? If I'm supposed to love my neighbor as myself, that seems to be part of what we're supposed to be doing. We're supposed to be doing it. That doesn't mean sticking your foot in the door and, you know, forcing your religion on someone. But just to tell someone, yeah, where were you for the last two weeks?

Well, I was at a church convention. No, you weren't. No, you weren't. That's kind of deceitful if we answer like that. I was at the Feast of Tabernacles. Because if we answer, I was at the Feast of Tabernacles. Guess what's going to happen? If I say I was at a church convention, they'll probably say, Oh, okay. I got an idea. Yeah, I hear about other conventions.

I was at the Feast of Tabernacles. They're going to ask another question. No doubt they'll ask. Unless they heard of it before. It might be, Oh, I've heard of that. What is the deal with that, anyway? You're going to trigger a chain of events. You know, if you're just telling them on Saturday, Oh, I'm going to a meeting. No, I'm going to Sabbath services. You see, just that slight change in how we answer and respond can make us an ebidmelech. It can help us to be one that stands up. It can be one that we're doing our part in preaching the gospel. We're that living, shining example. And maybe that's all it will be. And sometimes that's the case. I just live by honesty. I live an ethical life. I don't lie when I'm at work. People notice that I'm different. That's a very good thing. And that's part of, you know, doing what every member supplies. But if we continue to do that, I think 1 Peter 3 15 is going to happen. Somebody's going to say, Well, why didn't you lie and cover that up? Nobody knew about that.

Well, I'm going to have an opportunity to talk about the hope that lies within is what Peter said, be ready to give a defense, be ready to give an answer to the hope that lies within. Don't try to hide it. Don't try to put it off. Don't try to sidestep it. Because this is the part that each one of us have to play. And that's what Ephesians 4 says. That's what Caleb did. That's what Josiah did. That's what Hilkiah and Shaphan and all these others. That's what Joanna did. That's what Mary did. They took it to heart that they personally had been called to make a difference in people's lives.

Maybe one other one just to help cement this idea that this is not... Oh, they put this vision statement up at the home office. And this must be the flavor of the day. This must just be a newfangled idea. And after a couple months, we'll go on to something else. That's not the case. This is not the flavor of the day. This is not anything like that. This is biblical. This is biblical. If you look at Acts 9, there's a great story as the New Testament church gets going.

We have the disciples preaching and teaching the truth. People are being converted. Congregations are springing up all over the place. And even in Joppa, there's a congregation. And here in Acts 9, verse 36, we have the story of a woman, a lady whose name was Tabitha. And she's in Joppa. So Acts 9, verse 36 says, in Joppa, there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha. That's her Aramaic name, beautiful name. Greek, I'm not sure it's so beautiful. Dorcas. Dorcas. Literally, you could say it's the French name Giselle. Giselle is also, it's literally a gazelle is what the name means. So Tabitha, gazelle, giselle. That sounds so much more beautiful than, hey, Dorcas! Modern connotations. Oh boy, things change. But anyway, here's Giselle. Well, what about her? She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. Well, is that something that each one of us can do? Are we called to good works and charity? Of course we are. We're to love our neighbor as ourselves, whether they're in the church, out of the church, wherever. Well, she was devoted to this. Verse 37, at that time she became ill and died. They washed her. They laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples were there. They heard Peter was there. So they said, hey, Peter, get over here. So, verse 39, Peter got up, went to them. He arrived. They took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

Now, of course, usually what we focus on in the story is what happens next. Peter tells him to go outside, and he kind of does an Elijah kind of thing, an Elisha kind of thing. And Tabitha is resurrected. She's resurrected, which is absolutely phenomenal.

Now, that's awesome. And oftentimes we point to the fantastic and the miraculous.

But I think part of the story is the part that doesn't seem so miraculous, and yet probably had a bigger impact in some ways than her physical resurrection. The fact that they were all standing around, kind of during the visitation, you might say, during the wake, during the visitation. And what are they doing? They're showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. You see, she was devoted to good works and charity.

What did Peter say? Dorcas, hey, we got a need here over in the church. Would you go ahead and make them a coat? You know, she needs a new blouse. Would you? Did the minister step in and say, Dorcas, you need to do this. Take care of this, would you? I don't think so. She saw a need, and she filled it. She saw a need, and she acted upon it. I'll bet she didn't go to the apostles and say, well, Peter, do you think I should do this? You think I should do this act of charity? Or maybe I ought to talk to James. Maybe James has a different... I don't think so.

She saw a need, and she filled it. It needed to be done. And she didn't hesitate. She saw her place as the member who could supply the tunic, could supply the new blouse, could make the clothes, and really fill a need within the congregation. And you know, I'll bet she didn't just restrict herself to the congregation. I'll bet in her neighborhood, when she saw a need, and she saw that she could do something about it, she did. I would bet it extended even farther. And certainly this shows, yes, we have to serve each other. We have to serve the brethren. We have to serve our neighbor as well. And yet, maybe the great part of the story is, here's just an ordinary lady. Just an ordinary lady focused her wattage, I guess you could say, right? She's shining a light. Christ said, don't hide your light under a bushel. Let it shine. Let your examples shine. She saw that need. She focused her light on that need. And she made a difference with good quality clothing for those that probably couldn't afford it. And she made a difference in the lives of people. And I think that tells us, it doesn't matter who you are, where you are, how little you may think you are, you can make a difference in the lives of others. And so I think that's a question we have to ask. You know, who's going to be the Tabitha today? You know, who's going to be the Ebed Melik that steps up? Who's going to be the Shafan? Who's going to be the one that makes a difference in your neighborhood, in our congregation?

What can we do? And so I think that's the logical question then. How can I make a difference? How can I make a difference? Let's think about a couple of ways that can help us in maybe some guidelines overall. How can I make a difference? I kind of summarized it into one word. Ask. Ask. And it's not ask the ministry, it's ask God. I think first and foremost, if I'm going to make a difference, I need to pray to God and ask Him, what needs should be fulfilled? What is, is there a need that's out here that I can help fulfill? And if we pray to God and ask Him to make it evident, God, make it evident if there's someone that I could help, that I could serve. You think God's going to honor that prayer? You think God's going to make it evident of situations that might go unnoticed? But boy, if I start becoming a little bit more aware, I get to know people and their lives a little bit better. Maybe if I even talk to my neighbor, I might find and you think God will fulfill that prayer? I think He will. I think He will. And as we become more aware of the needs around us, I think we'll see, yes, I can do that. And you know, I'll bet that God will show us needs we can't fill either. He'll probably show us some things that, uh, no, no way, I can't do that.

But don't let that deter you. Because even though Shaphan couldn't change the kingdom, and even though Hilkiah couldn't change the king, the king could. They went to somebody else that could make that difference. Well, can I get other people together that could fulfill that? That could do that? That could I get a group together that, yeah, as a single person, I can't make that happen? But I know somebody. I know somebody that can do that. I know somebody that could fill that need. And so I think if we ask God to show us the needs to fill, He'll do that. He will make it evident. And of course then, part of the challenge then is when God shows us those needs, sometimes I gotta change my perspective. That I've got to ask God for courage to do it. I've got to ask God for courage.

Yeah, if you're like me, I need a prod. I need a prod sometimes. And one of my favorite sayings is, if it weren't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done. Right? Sometimes we need that little push. We need some courage to step out in faith. And oftentimes it's just, yeah, let's get started. Let's get started. And you know, what's the most difficult step? Yeah, the first one.

The first one is the most difficult. But once you get in the swing of things, it seems to flow that much more. So don't let the obstacles get in the way. You know, pray and ask God to give you the courage to give you that vision to go for it, to go for it and really begin to fill those needs.

Now, of course, as some of these things come up, I think we do have to have the proper perspective as well. And I think in addition to asking for those things, we also have to ask God for wisdom. We have to ask God for wisdom. You know, you might want to serve, you may want to help.

It's kind of like the little Cub Scout was out to help. And so he came to this intersection and he noticed this little old lady standing at the corner. And so he grabbed her by the arm, the light turned green, and he goes straight across the intersection. And he did his good deed for the day.

What a help! The little old lady said, thanks a lot, but I already crossed to the other side. Okay, wrong direction, wrong help. So I think we got to have the wisdom then, so that we're not obnoxious, so that we're not intrusive. You know, sometimes it's the right opportunity to help.

Other times it's not. Other times it's better to step back. And so we need and we want to develop that discernment so we can know when this is a helpful thing. And other times when it's probably better to make ourselves scarce. That's not the time. And so I think it does take wisdom to know the difference and fill that need as they express it. Because sometimes, yeah, they don't want to be helped. They don't want to be helped. So that's an important aspect. And maybe one other thing to think about in the asking section, to think in terms of ask God to help stay committed.

To help stay committed. You know how it is with the last thing somebody needs is for somebody to step out and help. And then they drop the ball. They don't finish the task. They disappear. And then it becomes half done. And that's not a good example.

That's not the the most helpful thing. So yes, we need the help to begin. But it's kind of like like sailing the ship. You don't want to get on the ship. And there you are. You're on task. And then, you know, you jump out before you reach the shore. Now you got to pilot that ship all the way to the destination. You got to take it all the way to the end. And so you definitely don't want to do that. So we need to pray and ask God to help us to have the commitment that we need in order to fulfill that need.

And of course, it all ties back then to what it says back in the book of Ephesians. If you'll turn there with me. Let's notice what Ephesians chapter 4 reminds us. It's interesting how this last chapter, well it's not the last chapter, but how chapter 4 in Ephesians reminds us of the importance of this whole concept. How critical it is for each of us as a demonstration of who we are and who we belong to.

Because we belong to God, because He's called us, because He's opened our minds to His truth, that makes a difference in our lives and what we do and what we say. So at the beginning of chapter 4, Paul says, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. So God has called us to make a difference.

I mean, can you just starting this chapter out a little bit, it makes me think, wait a second, Paul was a prisoner. He can say he's a goner, it's done, it's over, Romans have him in prison, he can't have any impact on anything anymore. Wait a second, he wrote some of his most significant letters in prison. All of the prison epistles, whether it was Colossians or Ephesians, those were all written when he was in prison.

He never gave up. He kept going. In whatever circumstances he was in, he continued to do it. And so he tells us, I don't care if you're a prisoner, in a sense we're all in prison to this evil world we live in, but he says, walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness, gentleness, long suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

And so we have that opportunity to keep the unity, to be bonded together, to fulfill that portion that God's called us to do. And in fact he talks about that very thing a little bit farther down. Look at verse 15.

Verse 15, he says, we should speak the truth in love and grow up in all things into him who is the head to Christ. Then he says, from whom the whole body, the entire church, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effect of working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. What a powerful passage this is. Can I be the one to make a difference? God says, yeah, that's your calling. You are called to make that difference. You can be joined and knit together by what everybody supplies, not just that person or not just that office. No, not that at all.

And the implication then as well, especially when you put this together with what Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the body, the church is a body, well, what happens if one part of the body doesn't do what it's supposed to do? The body doesn't work the way it's supposed to. And Paul is implying that here as well. If we have been called by God to fulfill a role within the church, within the body of Christ, what if we don't do it? The body's not going to work right. The body's not going to work right. So, you know, I said, well, I'm just the elbow. So if I don't work, well, the hand can still work. Yeah, I can. But boy, how limited is it if you can't extend your arm and you can't bring it back? You see, that's the implication. When we as individuals don't supply that part that God called us to, the body can't function the way that God meant it. And I think that is a ringing reminder.

I guess time's up. Wrap it up. I mean, think about that. Think about the reminder that God's giving us. We've been called, and if we don't do what we're supposed to do, the church is not right. The church isn't right. And when we do, look at the powerful significant effect. When we do, what happens? It causes growth of the body. So we want more people here? Do your part. Now, that's the only part of it. The other growth of the body is that the body grows in Christlike character. That we become more Christlike individuals. That we put on the character of Christ. We put on the fruit of the Spirit. That's definitely part of the growth. Maybe the more important part of the growth of the body. Because numbers, yeah, doesn't mean a lot to God. It doesn't mean a lot. But the body grows and it says it edifies itself. It's built up. And so, it is the butterfly effect. You know, it is the Caleb effect. It is the Josiah effect. It is the Tabitha effect. And so, we can't sell ourselves short. We can make a difference. And we can make a difference every single Sabbath that we get together. To be the one to make that implication and that influence on each other's lives. We can make a difference in their life by being the one that God's called us to be. And that's so critical. We can make a difference in the preaching of the Gospel, not by the words that we necessarily say, but by the example that we set. And that's an example that just doesn't impact Sabbath, but impacts every day. It impacts every day. And so, God's called us to that. And so, I think we need to be ready to answer that call and stand and be the one that brings that light into a darkened world. And so, that's all it takes. It takes just one. It can make all the difference.