WHO CARES?

(Matt 5:16; Eph 2:10) The Bible gives us a great challenge in Prov 11:11, By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted. Were going to take a vacation from Luke this morning to look at the challenge of exalting a city. Most of you know the ministerial association sponsors a Worship in the Park Sunday evening service during Eaton Days. Usually, its an outreach aimed at presenting the gospel, but this year we decided to share a vision the Lord has been laying on our hearts for our Christian community across all the churches. Pastor Craig Kirkpatrick of the Evangelical Free Church and myself along with Mayor Scott Moser presented on behalf of the whole group. Since our church was sparsely represented that night, I want to do a kind of repeat to bring you up to speed on that vision Ive entitled Who Cares? Our elders have endorsed this means of putting faith to work, and we hope you will as well. Imagine: The first thing I want us to do is put on our visionary caps: 1. Imagine the Community of Eaton being genuinely thankful for the Community of Churches in its midst? (I dont mean just church people being thankful for the churches; I mean, those who have no involvement in the Church anywhere, being thankful?) 2. Imagine our Community Leaders valuing our friendship and participation in our Community; even asking for it? 3. Imagine a large numbers of people from our churches actively engaged in, even passionate about, serving our Community in joint projects or task forces? 4. Imagine our Community actually changing for the better as a result of the impact of the Churches involvement in its midst? (Proverbs 11:11) 5. Imagine our Community and its Leaders praising God because of our participation in and contribution to its welfare; offered in Jesus Name? 6. Couldnt this happen in Eaton? Is there any reason it shouldnt?

Intro: A preacher was admiring a farm which had taken on a new look since the new farmer arrived. "Boy, it sure is something to see what the Lord can do with a place, isnt it?" "Yes," agreed the farmer, "but you should have seen
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what it looked like when the Lord had it by himself." Does God have Eaton by Himself, or do we accept we are responsible for how God looks at this time in this place. Eph 1 reminds us we are His hands and feet here and now. Given that this is our moment, how are we doing? Matt 5:16: To answer that, we have only to ask the world around us. Jesus says in Matt 5:16, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Who judges our performance? They those around us, our community. And the end game for Jesus is that they declare God to be glorious because of what they see in us! So, how is that going? Is Eaton giving glory to God because of the believers in town? Im betting we could do better. Do you think? Most people outside of Christ dont believe that there is real truth anymore. They see Christians as a harmless group of religious freaks self-righteous, isolationist but irrelevant. Know what breaks the no truth barrier and makes faith relevant? Love exhibited in tangible ways. That communicates. Prof Loren Fischer who taught at Western Seminary in Portland mentored me in my early years. He once had a prof himself at Portland State who hated Christians missed no opportunity to blast them. So, one day, Loren asked him why he was so antagonistic toward Christians. The man thought for a moment and then he said, Well, I guess the thing I resent most about Christians is not that they are Christian, but that they are not Christian enough. I wonder if our community would say the same? Imagine again! Imagine that you are standing before God and He asks you why He should allow you in. Youre locked and loaded for this one. You say, Because I have put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ as my Savior. You even give a date Dec 23, 1997. And God says, Great. So, where are your works? Thats unnerving, but fortunately a verse comes to mind and you reply, Well, Father, its just like you said in Titus 3:5 youve saved me, not by works of righteousness that I did, but by your mercy. And God says, Thats good. I see you know your Bible, so you also know James 2:20: faith without works is dead. You must realize that while it is faith and faith alone that saves, true faith results in good works. Surely you know that Martin Luther, whose reformation was based on salvation by faith alone also said, We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone. So, I, God, am asking what it says in James 2:18, show me your faith by your works. How will we do if no when that scenario unfolds?
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Eph 2:8-10: We have the bad habit of quoting Eph 2:8-9 in isolation: For by grace are you saved through faith, and [even] that not from yourselves; it is a gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast. We quote it and say, See Dec 23, 1997. Thats when it happened, and nothing can take that away. And thats true. If its real, nothing can take it away. But if its real, something else came with it! See we stop at verse 9, but Paul didnt stop there; the Holy Spirit didnt stop there. They went on to verse 10: For we are Gods handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. What comes along with salvation? Good works. Why were we made new creations in Christ? For good works. What is the fruit of saving faith? Good works. Its a package deal! Most of us think since were saved by faith alone, works dont matter. But they do, dear friends. They do not as a means of salvation, but as an evidence of salvation. They are as much a gift of God as is salvation. You cant have saving faith without good works any more than fire without smoke, lighting without thunder or pizza without pepperoni. They go together. So, yes, God is going to ask about your works not as the means of salvation but as a demonstration that we are genuine. See, Dec 23, 1997 doesnt mean anything without evidence showing up on Dec 28 and Dec 29 and every day thereafter. You arent born physically without there being ongoing evidence of existence; the same is true of spiritual re-birth. There are signs of life called good works selfless actions done for the glory of God. And amazingly, God has already made them. They are just waiting for us -- Gods contribution to spiritually cultivating Eaton, CO in 2012. But they await our making use of them. It is our moment and our place. Shortly we will give account of how well we did in stimulating our community to glorifying our Father in heaven. Conc: The great Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy illustrated with a wonderful story. Martin Avdeitch was a humble shoemaker, dozing over his open Bible one night when he heard a voice: Martin! Look into the street tomorrow, for I am coming to visit you. Martin spent the next day in nervous expectation that he would see Jesus. But no one showed up that day except a succession of penniless and pitiful souls: an aged veteran, a shivering mother with a newborn, an old peddler woman and a frightened boy who had filched one of her apples. With a kind heart, Martin cared for each person; but as evening fell no Jesus. That night Martin began reading in Matt 25:35: For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was
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a stranger and you took me in. Martin thought, Lord, when did we do these things? Then he got to v. 40, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. Martin Avdeitch had seen Jesus. He is there every day in the guise of needy neighbors and friends. Legacy: Beloved, we have a legacy. The reason that Christianity grew was because people lived it. I could multiply testimony to this affect, but listen to this comment from the Roman Emperor Julian around AD 350. He wanted to breathe new life into ancient pagan religion, but was frustrated by Christians living their faith. He wrote, [Christianity] has been specially advanced through the loving service rendered to strangers, and through their care for the burial of the dead. It is a scandal there is not a single Jew who is a beggar, and that the godless Galileans care not only for their own poor but for ours as well; while those who belong to us look in vain for the help that we should render them. The fact is that Christians are the ones who have been there throughout history, building hospitals, laboring to help the underprivileged caring, so that others would glorify their Father. Today: And its no different now. A few weeks ago, the Greeley paper highlighted a project by Journey Church where they were painting a school lunchroom. Just a week ago the Tribune reported how each Friday about a dozen people from Weld Countys drug court gather at Tower 21 clubhouse to banter and laugh together with their probation officer while planning their next sober activity. Tower 21 is owned and operated by Waypoints Faith Community Church and evolved out of a Building Healthy Marriages project. The City of Little Rock, Arkansas has been inundated with caring initiatives of local churches itemized in todays highlight book, The Church of Irresistible Influence, by Robert Lewis of Mens Fraternity. And David Platt highlights many initiatives in Radical that show how even the smallest efforts can have great impact under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. APPLICATION so where are we and where do we go? 1. Things we already share: 1) Thanksgiving service 2) Good Friday Mens breakfast 3) Community Days service. But these are primarily ministering to our own. 2. Things some churches have combined on 1) Christmas program last year community this year! 2) Awana 3) Sports Camp 4) VBS 5) Mens Fraternity 6) Trying to organize a community choir for
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Christmas. Excellent opportunity to invite community members to participate. --- These are beginning to be outreach opportunities 3. Service oriented 1) Schools call ministerial following death of a student or teacher 2) Chaplaincy for fire department. But we can do so much more. Introduce Mayor Scott Mosher who will talk about one such recent opportunity and possible others.

4. Future 1) Additional projects short term 2) Some means for better serving the underprivileged or needy in our community. 3) Others?

Goal tonight At Eaton Days we did not propose specifics, but challenged ourselves to begin a conversation the will lead to us as a combined group having a greater impact on our community in the name of Jesus Christ. But our elders want to take an additional step of faith. We want to establish a an Action Team a strike team that could mobilize when a church or community need arises. Wed like to be able to notify people whether it is a painting, clean-up, counseling, offering professional assistance whatever. Whoever could help at the time would do so. Whoever could not would support by prayer. We have no idea where or even if this can succeed, but we want to be available. We want to be available if the community calls but even more exciting would be if the Lord proactively leads us to see needs and meet them. Support groups, like one in Greeley for families of suicide victims, addictions, loss of loved ones, adoptive children, foster children, help for underprivileged kids in school. Etc. etc. Lynn Fagerberg has volunteered to head this up. Hes looking for names, phone numbers and email addresses of anyone who would be willing to be contacted for potential projects. This is not a commitment to participate. That would depend on your availability and the expertise needed at the time. But if we have a heart for the community, we should all be on the list. We want guys to take the lead. In fact Lynn told me hes looking for a mobile number from
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every guy in this church! We want our men to take the lead but ladies, we need you too. Where will this go? Wherever God wants it to go, but lets be willing and see what He does. Mission pioneer C. T. Studd said, Only one life twill soon be past, only whats done for Christ will last. If thats true, we must ask, is there any evidence in heaven of our existence? Is anyone glorifying God because we have shared the some of the good works God has prepared for us. Join me in signing this little Action Team Card, and lets see what God does. Explain card. Lets pray.