Sermon at Grace Episcopal on by Lynette

Message given at Grace Church, Molokai 1/10/10

Making God Famous

I'm going to launch a new study on Thursday based on this book by a friend, Don Cousins (Unexplainable: Pursuing a Life Only God Can Make Possible). I've gone to several pastors' conferences that Don's led. I remember one in particular where he started out by asking if we are successful in our ministries. Most people, even pastors, look at numbers when they think of success. Some use other markers: how many books have you written? How many letters do you have after your name? How many people are coming to worship? How much money is coming in and going out? These are indicators of success in the world around us. Sadly, some in the church use the same yardstick to measure spiritual success as they do business success. Now he's not teaching against accountability - we need measurements and reports to be transparent with those who give and to one another.

But Don had different questions:
1. Are we faithful? (in other words, are we using all the gifts God has given us?)
2. Are we fruitful?
3. Are we fulfilled?
4. Are we making God famous?

Our ambition should not be to make a name for ourselves. We serve the King of Kings and not ourselves. We should aim to make Jesus famous! John 7:18 in the Living Bible says it this way "Those who present their own ideas are looking for praise for themselves, but those who seek to honor the one who sent them are good and genuine."

Today we are looking at a portion of one of the letters Paul wrote to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 12:1-11). Paul, of course, was a Pharisee bent on destroying the church until Jesus Himself appeared to him. A few years later, Paul spent over year and a half in Corinth with the people he's writing to. Acts 18 tells how he founded a church there. When Paul left Corinth, a skilled and charismatic teacher named Apollos came and though his leadership the church grew.

The people in Corinth were blessed. They were surrounded by an immoral society and a culture that was anti-Christian, but God had brought first class teachers through their city to strengthen them and build them up in their faith. Paul wrote to them that they had been enriched in Jesus with every kind of spiritual gift. But as we heard as Pua read this morning, they even had some trouble with making God famous through their spiritual gifts.

Almost all of Paul's letters have a theological slant to them, teaching fundamentals about Jesus Christ, but not this letter to the Corinthians. Apparently they knew of the deep grace and mercy of God and eternal life through Jesus. Their knowledge was unmatched because they'd had such wonderful teaching. Even though the city around them was corrupt, they had it made.

As the church grew there were problems. It wasn't that the Corinthians lacked knowledge. Even though they had the Spirit of Christ in them, they were living by the standards of the world around them. The way they lived didn't reflect the fact that their lives were redeemed: purchased by the sacrifice of Christ. They had grace wired; but they lacked discipline and the ability to judge and act on what was righteous living.

Many people hear the word judge and immediately say, "Jesus said, 'Judge not lest ye be judged'." That is the correct scripture. But it is not the correct application. The Greek word for judge, "krino," means to distinguish, to decide, to condemn or to punish. There is a huge difference between distinguishing, deciding, and condemning. In Luke 6:37, Jesus said, "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." In this case Jesus is speaking about condemning and criticizing. When Paul's letter uses the same word, "krino," it's usually in the context of distinguishing what was right and wrong in every day issues.

Pastor Edwin Louis Cole was the founder of The Christian Men's Network. One night he found himself going to a banquet in his honor in Waikiki. To get there he had to ride in a glass elevator that went straight up, for 20 floors without stopping. Everyone could see who was in it. Just as he pushed the button to the top, 2 drop dead gorgeous women jumped in. They were adorned in such a way that they were unmistakably prostitutes. So here is Pastor Cole, on display for the world to see riding up 20 stories with 2 hookers. One of them looked at him and asked, "Want a good time?'
Here is a great way to understand "krino:" distinguishing and deciding right from wrong vs. condemning. These were big temptations. One possibility is to feel morally and spiritually superior to the women. The other is to ask, "How much?" One would be wrong: condemning. The other would equally be wrong: to not distinguish between right and wrong and set your mind against the wrong.
How did the pastor of The Christian Men's Network respond?
Ed Cole got off the elevator arm in arm with these 2 ladies and walked into his banquet sure that he was the only one in the room who knew the price of 2 Waikiki hookers. The crowd stared. They gawked. And then he shared his famous line, "The consequences of giving in to temptation are always much worse that the consequences of resisting temptation." And then they ate dinner.

He used the Word of God to keep from condemning and he used the Bible to help guide him in righteous living.

When we are united, looking to the Word of God as our source and Jesus as our leader, people will take notice and be amazed. That's how to make God famous!

If we were to take a political and economic poll here today, we would find that we have very diverse views. We come from different cultures, families, financial histories, political beliefs, jobs, education, and languages. Our Bible studies and small groups are great, our meals are ono and our fellowship is the bomb, but what keeps us together as a church is that we all look to Jesus Christ as our Lord and as our Savior. He is the One who answers our prayers. And as long as I point to Jesus, you look to me as your sister and as your Kahu.

But the Corinthian church was fighting. They had big problems with division and worldliness. Paul urged them to be united. He didn't mean they had to think alike. Unity doesn't mean uniformity. They didn't have to dress alike. It didn't mean that everyone had to kneel when they prayed or stand when they sing or raise hands when they praise. It still doesn't mean that Christians have to vote Republican or Democrat or even Independent. Paul is pleading with them to make God famous by being united in Christ.

The Christians in Corinth were finding other things that were more important than making God famous. These weren't people who didn't know the power of the Lord. These were folks who had tasted the sweetness of Jesus, but they'd become divided and had developed these little cliques. They were bickering about whose style was the best. They were thinking that they were above others in the same church. Paul goes ballistic. Was Jesus chopped up into little pieces for each of you? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? Boy, did Paul let them have it.

Now baptism is about dying to your sinful self and becoming alive to Christ. It's about laying down your selfishness every day and taking up your cross and following Jesus. But who baptized them was now being worn like a Hawaiian bracelet! Bragging about who baptized you is like bragging about who dug your grave!

So they had some pride issues.

No teacher, no preacher, no church or denomination has 100% of the truth of God. Teachers can only point to scripture and to the Lord. We will never be perfect and in fact some pastors can even be way off target. They can be wolves in sheep's clothing. Jesus said, "not every one who calls Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom but only the one who does the will of my Father." That's what makes God famous, when we follow Him and do His will.

We follow Christian leaders because they teach us how to follow and develop a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. We're celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this weekend. People followed him because he made God famous, not only in the church but at all times and in all places. He lived what he said he believed and he urged others to do the same. But you know if all the people who claim to have walked with him into Memphis were really there, the bridge would have collapsed!

It takes a church to raise a Christian and make God famous. God is made famous when we, of different colors and languages and heritages are out in the world doing good works together to bring glory to God. Jesus told us to let our lights shine before people so that they could see our good works and give glory to our Father in heaven! That's why it's important to recognize the validity of Scripture - and why it's important to belong to a fellowship where you receive sound teaching and can glean from the experience of more mature believers.

Christians weren't created to be Lone Rangers, but members of a body, relying on others, and serving together, using the many gifts God has given.

When we act as if any other thing is more important than making Jesus famous, Paul implies we empty the cross of its power.
Last Sunday I taught about Abraham and opened with an "imagine this" game: "You are 30 years old. You have just finished training at the top of your class and are starting a new career. You are the favorite of all your bosses. Your customers adore you. Your co-workers think you are talented, funny, and good-looking. You have just recently married the greatest person in the world. Your spouse is living out the job of their dreams. Life is good. God has just rolled out the red carpet for you to have a successful life and glide up the career ladder. You think…I've got it made. Relax and imagine that. Soak it in. It feels great…almost fairy tale great."

I was actually talking about myself, not Abraham. God called me to leave everything I knew and loved when I was 30 years old, even my family on Oahu, to come to Molokai. At the time we were so poor I couldn't imagine when I would be able to get back to Honolulu again. My mother cried like I had died. But God said, "Leave" and I left. God said, "Go" and I went. Scotty had to leave his dream job as a city & county of Honolulu garbage man - he was the only haole in the yard - they loved him and he loved them. He left that job, with no work when we got here. But God promised that we would be blessed. And talk about blessings! God has been so very faithful through many, many years.

Now for a moment of transparency.

Over the years, I have watched as the Episcopal Church has drifted away from being faithful and from making God famous.

While we here at Grace Church have struggled to keep the Word of God as our true North, our denomination has not. And without God's Word as the road map to keep them centered, the Episcopal Church in America has seen more and more people unfulfilled, and unfruitful.
I have struggled with this drift for years.

Many people think I am retiring because of my health. But that's not true. God actually used my asthma to get my attention and make me listen to Him long and hard. Somebody told me that I was moving so fast that the Lord had to put the brakes on me and sit me down so I could hear Him more clearly. I was so sick; I felt I was trying to breathe through a coffee stirrer straw. There wasn't much else to do for a while but breathe and listen. So I breathed and I listened. And I believe I heard God tell me once again to "Leave." But He didn't tell me to "Go." So I am leaving the Episcopal Church. I am retiring from the Episcopal Church. I am not leaving you. And I am waiting for God to direct my steps from here to show me which way He would have me go.

Back to the lesson.

We can actually drain the power of the cross when we are selfish and when we don't believe God. When we don't take Him at His word it eats away at the power God has given us from the inside out. That's truthful, but spooky. Turn to the person next to you and say, "I don't want to empty the cross of its power."

Turn back to your prayer lists and let's read our opening sentences again together. "God is faithful; by Him we were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:9) This should give us a calm assurance today that overcomes all anxiety, all doubt about our own imperfections, all the ills and shortcomings of the present condition of the church that so often have us shaking our heads. It's not about us. It's not about the church. It is all about God. And each and every one of us needs to listen to Him as He calls us into fellowship, into friendship, with His Son through the power of the Holy Spirit. He can be trusted to lead you and guide you into next steps too as we all seek to make God famous in our daily lives.

Another moment of transparency. I don't know about you, but unless I am conscious of making God famous, I drift into making Lynette famous! I am just like those Corinthians. It is so easy for me to go off target unless I focus my aim and set my mind on serving the Lord and giving Him all the glory. Now I may be totally wrong, but I think every one of us here shares that same weakness. The Bible calls it our sinful nature or the flesh. And our sinful nature tugs us away from making God famous. Sometimes the tug is subtle; sometimes the temptations and tugs are huge.

Time for application: Are we faithful, fruitful, fulfilled and concerned about making God famous? Examine your family life, your work life, and ask yourselves these questions

" When we speak do we speak of what God has done or what we have done?

" Do we seek to build His kingdom or our own?

" Is finance our primary reward or is it seeking His Glory?

" How often do you give love or resources to those who can never give back?

Here is the bonus, extra credit, heavy-hitter, make-you-think one: Could you die for Him without receiving the praise of men?

After all, Jesus died for you, alone and scorned, without receiving the praises of people.

As a teacher I learned to grade on the curve. Even so, I think we all probably just flunked that test. But listen. God is still faithful even when we fail. He who cannot change, and cannot fail, is faithful. We are shown through His Word again and again that the Lord is faithful to His own character, He is faithful to His promises; He is faithful to His judgments and His plan for you and for me. By His magnificent faithfulness and grace we were called into a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ.

Let's read together His promises to us in this morning's lesson from the prophet Isaiah (62:1-5,10-12): "Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch. The nations will see your righteousness. World leaders will be blinded by your glory. And you will be given a new name by the LORD's own mouth. The LORD will hold you in his hand for all to see- a splendid crown in the hand of God. Never again will you be called "The Forsaken City" or "The Desolate Land." Your new name will be "The City of God's Delight" and "The Bride of God," for the LORD delights in you and will claim you as his bride… Go out through the gates! Prepare the highway for my people to return! Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders; raise a flag for all the nations to see. The LORD has sent this message to every land: "Tell the people of Israel, 'Look, your Savior is coming. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.'" They will be called "The Holy People" and "The People Redeemed by the LORD." And Jerusalem will be known as "The Desirable Place" and "The City No Longer Forsaken."

Go and make God famous! Bring Him glory. Be fruitful and fulfilled by using the Word of God as your foundation. Make God famous. There are places that will always be dark until we shine His light there. Shine the Light of Jesus everywhere you go, even in a glass elevator with temptation surrounding you. And when we make God famous by shining the light of Christ, we will find that light reflecting on us and we will truly be the Holy People of God as He shows us where and how to walk. AMEN

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