Two and half years ago we entered into a building campaign. The slogan was ‘Together We Build.’ Our goal was accessible facilities and increased ministry space. We had another goal as well. We wanted to build people. We knew that if the project was to succeed, God would have to work in our hearts to challenge the way we prioritized our financial resources and our time.
The financial challenged seemed impossible. But what sometimes appears impossible – maybe even crazy—God is able to accomplish through his people when they listen. We listened. The financial response was that we reached our miracle goal of $500,000 dollars. This enabled us not only to do the basics but to pave the parking lot, put in a new sound system with specific help for those who have hearing difficulties and bring the building up to code. One of the last phases of the project is to improve the sanctuary lighting.
The last year and half of a three year giving plan like ours is usually the most difficult. Yet as each of us continues to listen to God and follow through on our faith pledges, we will accomplish our goal of paying for the project in three years. So far we are half way through the three year period. We have paid down more than half of what we owe, but we cannot grow slack in well doing.
Our willingness to work together, listen together and give together spelled success. I am extremely thankful for these new facilities. But you and I both know the facilities are only a means to an end. God continues to call us to move with him into the future. The slogan “Together We Build” remains relevant. He calls us to work together to fulfill our mission of developing whole people in a broken world.
At the same retreat that the board made the decision to pursue the accessible building project, they also asked what success would look like for the Kingston Standard Church. As God’s people, what does it mean for us to please Him? Emerging from the attempts to answer that question came five key concepts that were shaped into commitments for us to pursue as a congregation. We will take a closer look at each of these five commitments in the coming weeks.
Our first commitment is captured in the title, “All of Me All the Time” The actual statement reads, “The people of the Kingston Standard Church will be engaged in continuous worship (See Dt. 6: 4-9, Romans 12: 1-2).” ‘All of Me All the Time’ is another way communicating the essence of continuous worship. The ‘all of me all the time’ concept is conveyed in Romans 12:1: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”
The person who offers God his/her body as a living sacrifice is saying, “Father in heaven, I want you to have all of me all of the time – no exceptions. I give you myself. I place in your hands my hopes, my dreams, my ambitions, my fears, my family, my career, my future. You can have all of me all of the time.
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul conveys the idea of a living sacrifice in terms of a relationship with Christ. He writes: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal. 2:20)”
What would your life look like if you made decisions as if you were not your own but belonged entirely to God? Would your priorities change? Would your use of personal resources change? Would your dreams or ambitions change? Would what you do when no one is watching change?
You may be asking, “Why? Why would I offer my life to God in such a complete way?” The Apostle Paul answers the question in Romans 12: 1. It is the basis of his appeal. Why? “In view of the mercy you have received from God.” In light of your new relationship with God – your adoption into his family as a son or daughter made possible through Christ’s death on the cross— it is perfectly reasonable to offer all of yourself to God. As was noted last week we do so out of thanksgiving and gratitude. Our sole desire would be to bring a smile to God’s face.
The “why” is further explained by the last phrase in Romans 12: 1. The NIV translates the last phrase, “This is your spiritual act of worship.” The KJV translates the same Greek words “which is your reasonable service.” Both phrases pick up on the meaning of these two Greek words. In view of God’s mercy it is a reasonable response to offer all of who you are to God in service—or as the title suggests, “All of me all the time”. The NIV picks up on the religious connotation underlying the two Greek words. The idea of offering our bodies as a living sacrifice answers the why question by saying “it is your spiritual act of worship.”
It is this understanding of worship that underlies our commitment when we say “The people of the Kingston Standard Church will be engaged in continuous worship.” What we are talking about (and what this verse is talking about) is worship that is characterized by a life totally committed to God. Worship is living our life for God in thankfulness and praise for his forgiveness and sacrificial love.
If the meaning of the verses is captured in “all of me all the time” and the why is because a full commitment to God is the only reasonable response, then we naturally ask the question “How?”
How do you and I give all of who we are to God all of the time? Let me begin by saying that I struggled in my preparation for this morning. Then suddenly the reason for the struggle dawned on me (I am slow sometimes). I don’t have it all together. I can’t say that God has all of me all the time. Nor can I give you three foolproof steps for victorious living. What I can do is point to some biblical passages which can help us move closer to Christ. The first place to begin may be a realistic inventory. Is there a gap between our performance and what we are urged to do by the Apostle Paul? We will not begin to close the gap until we acknowledge there is a gap and begin to take action. Recognizing there is a problem involves both honest and personal awareness. It usually represents the first step forward. But once we recognize the problem, what do we do?
The answer involves both the divine and the human. The goal of coming to the place in our life where we can say that everything we do is for the honour and praise of God and is done out of thankfulness for his love will not happen by trying hard.
On our own, no matter how hard we try, we will fail. Choosing a God centered approach rather than a self centered approach to life will face us over and over again. Our only hope of a life lived in full praise of God is through God’s divine enablement. For this reason God sent his Spirit to live within us.
Maybe you have heard of “power walking” which is recommended as a type of exercise to improve health. The Christian life is about power walking – only it is a different type! It is walking in the power of the Spirit. God’s Spirit, who is God himself, must live within us if we are to live a life which will bring joy to our heavenly Father.
The apostle Paul put it this way in Romans 8: 6, 7. “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.”
God’s Spirit comes as a gift to those who receive Christ into their lives. God’s Spirit enables us to make choices that are in line with our love for God. This is where you see the divine and the human working together. God’s Spirit lives within us but we through his Spirit are called to submit to His Spirit so that we can live a life that is pleasing to him.
In Romans 8:12-14, Paul writes, “Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
What is our obligation? Remember this is the “obligation” of love, the “obligation” of thankfulness; it is the delight of praise as one who is a child of God. The obligation is to say “No” to the desires within and the temptations that lead us to destruction and away from God. The obligation is to put to death the misdeeds of the body. To do so is an indication that you are allowing the Spirit to lead you and you are a child of God.
Part of the answer to the “How?” question, then, is to recognize that to present our bodies as a living sacrifice requires the Spirit of God living within us. We require empowerment from God to do what we cannot do on our own. However God’s Spirit does not remove our responsibility to make God honouring choices. Our responsibility is to submit to his Spirit and to say “Yes” to the Spirit and “No” to what we know is wrong.
The outline of our responsibility continues in Romans 12: 2. Paul calls us to break free and no longer conform to the world. Instead we are to be transformed, changed into the likeness of Christ. How does transformation or metamorphous take place? It takes place by the renewing of our mind. And who is responsible? God has given you and me a significant role to play in the renewing of our minds.
It would be nice if God just came and zapped us and, presto, we had a new mind. But for most of us God does not chose to work that way. Mind renewal comes in part through the Scriptures. Remember the purpose of Scripture as found in 2 Timothy 3: 16-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Scripture tests our thinking, challenges our thinking, and corrects our thinking so we will no longer be conformed to the world but transformed by renewing of our mind.
Over and over again I have seen the effect of Scripture in the lives of people who have made a commitment to follow Jesus. Growth happens when they begin to read the word and allow what they read to change how they think and respond to life. Those who claim to be too busy to somehow digest the word of God or, at some point, begin to ignore the Scriptures fail to grow. Their thinking is not renewed. The pattern of this world continues to shape their perspective.
The importance of getting God’s thoughts into our mind and heart is seen in the Deuteronomy passage. Renewal comes from making God’s word a priority in our lives and the life of our family. Many emphasise the importance of family devotions and I would agree. BUT learn from the Deuteronomy pattern. The Deuteronomy passage is about teachable moments, times of reflection, everyday discussions around issues at the table, in the car—even (or maybe especially) in front of the TV. The word of God becomes part of everyday conversations as we seek to understand life through God’s eyes.
In these few moments, I have just begun to explore the “how” issue. I have not talked about prayer. I have not talked about the disciplines such as solitude, fasting, simplicity, confession, guidance to list just a few (see Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline).
My prayer is that you will grasp the idea of “All of me all the time.” As you reflect on the challenge of continuous worship, you will be willing to do a personal inventory. Ask yourself: Who is shaping my life? Is it God or the culture around me? And related to those questions is the role of the bible in your life. Are you taking time to read, to study, to meditate and to allow God’s Spirit to direct and empower your decisions?
God calls us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice as an act of spiritual worship. We do so because God is worthy of our trust. We do so out of thankfulness and gratitude. Each of us are at difference places in our spiritual journey. Some, with God’s help, may need to make radical changes in life. Others may need to get back on track. You have drifted away from what you know is good and right and God’s will for your life. Maybe you need to become more focused, more intentional about your life. No matter where you may place yourself we can all say with Paul: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Throughout the history of the Christian church there have been people who have said to God, “You can have all of me all of the time.” God is looking for such people. He wants to work through his church – you and me— to change the world. Are you willing to give your life to God as an act of worship and praise in thankfulness for his love?
John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, said: ”Give me one hundred men who love God and hate sin, and we will turn the world upside down for Christ!” Wesley almost did it in his generation.