Every Great Church Has These Three

THREE CHEERS FOR THESE THREE

I’m not sure why car wheels need balancing after their tyres are fitted, but without those little balancing weights strategically placed around the rim of the wheel, a car’s steering would vibrate and the car would veer one way or the other. These little counter-weights serve an invaluable role and deserve some credit. But counter-weights or “make-weights” don’t just occur on car wheels – they can be found in churches! In fact, every pastor whom God has used to lead a church to growth has never been able to do so with without those in their congregation who were counter-weights! 

PERSONALITIES, PORNOGRAPHY & PRIDE

The Corinthian Church was plagued with problems. It had suffered several church splits. There were people openly committing sexual immorality. Their church services had become known for occasions of debauchery and gluttony. And, worst of all, arrogance had set in – especially among those claiming to be the most spiritual. Yet the church was graced with three noble counter-weights: 

I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people.
First Corinthians 16:17-18

Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus were counter (or, as they used to be called, “make”) weights. Despite all the ungraciousness happening in their church, they were gracious and made up for its lack. The Apostle said that such people should be given due recognition. But they rarely are. They the hardy souls who make churches sweet and positive. They always lend a hand where they can. Nothing is too hard. F.W. Borehamsays of them-

It still happens that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus make up that which is lacking in our churches. But how do they do it? Never by negative methods. It is always done by something positive in their behaviour. They do not criticize or find fault or stress the weaknesses of the church to which they have attached themselves. They do not shout from the housetops that the church is cold and inhospitable; that nobody ever speaks to them; that the prayer-meeting is poorly attended and that few of the congregation read their Bibles. No, no; Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus adopt a more excellent way.F.W. Boreham, “MAKEWEIGHTS”, ‘Cliffs of Opal’, 1948, p. 66

Just like the little counter-weights on a car’s wheels, there are always some people in every church who seem to add joy and grace to that congregation. No pastor can succeed without such people! The challenge for such blessing-founts is that they rarely receive what the Apostle exhorted the rest of the church to give them: recognition. But the beauty of such people is that rarely look for it, and actually seem to shun it. 

If a car is rendered almost undriveable without these little balancing weights strategically placed around each wheel’s rim, it could be that many other facets of life are also unworkable without the “little” contributions that so many unrecognised people gladly make. I know that this is true of churches. In fact, I have come to believe that this is one of the greatest indicators of a church’s depth and maturity. While people may look at a church’s facilities, or judge it by the popularity of its preacher, or rate it by the breadth of its programs for youth and children, or even its music, I think most people evaluate a church by its tone and temperature. This is where our modern day Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus play their part. Without such grace-drenched souls in a church its tone is harsh and unforgiving and its temperature is always too cold.

But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. ¶ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty
First Corinthians 12:18-23

As I have watched Geoffrey construct our new auditorium with wood, hammers and nails, I wonder how many of us will look up in our newly completely house of worship at one of those nails in the ceiling and thank God for that nail? Probably none of us. It’s no different in a spiritual house. Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus just keep serving, encouraging, listening and caring, mostly without any attention or recognition at all. They are always making up for that which is lacking.

Dr. Boreham goes on to say about these noble servants of Christ that although Christ’s redemptive work was finished on the Cross, it wasn’t completed. 

‘It is finished!’ the Saviour exclaimed. It was the triumphant cry of the workman who had brought His masterpiece to absolute perfection with that finishing touch.
But think again! If Jesus, the Son of God, had died His bitter death on Calvary’s tree, and left it at that, would that have saved the world? Of course not. The world at large would never have heard of it. The tragic incident would have passed into oblivion within a year or two. Just another political execution in a Roman province! In order that the redeeming sacrifice might be made effective, and the world saved by means of it, it was necessary for the Apostles to suffer and to die in proclaiming it, for the martyrs to lay down their lives in defending it, and for missionaries like Xavier and Livingstone and Petteson and Williams and Chalmers to seal with their blood their testimony to its virtue.F.W. Boreham, “MAKEWEIGHTS”, ‘Cliffs of Opal’, 1948, p. 68

Thus, I would like to propose three cheers. One for our Stephanases. One for our Fortunatuses. And one for our Achaicuses! May God bless each one of them, for they are greatly needed by the Lord in every church as any pastor can tell you.

Pastor Andrew.

Glass Hearts

Imagine if we were all transparent. I don't mean our physical skin and organs, I mean our souls, our hearts - the real us. Imagine if our motives could not be hidden, concealed, or disguised. In a very real sense you don't have to imagine! There are certain proven ways to see someone's heart - to truly know what makes them the person they really are. And when we are prepared for others to see our hearts there is the promise from the Lover of our souls that we will be blessed. When the masks and cloaks that ordinarily cover our hearts are subjected to the heart of God and made pure - pure of discolouration, pure of evil intent, pure of selfishness - geniunely pure, then we become genuinely blessed with the greatest blessing there is: to see God.

¶ "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
Matthew 5:8

Achieving a pure heart, so I am told, is a slow and painful process, for the process demands the test of time, the test of trial, and the test of treasure. Each test increasingly exposes the concealed heart to the penetrating light of God.

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Hebrews 4:13

This transluting light of God's great love burns so brightly into an exposed human heart that it exposes all those things in the child of God that have illegitimately found a home in our hearts. Things like: hurts - which should have been weeded out of our hearts with forgiveness (Heb. 12:15 - See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled), greed - which should have been evicted from our hearts by the practice of generosity (2Cor. 9:11 - You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God), and self-centredness - which should been slain in our hearts (Col. 3:5 ¶ Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry).

¶ Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life. 
Proverbs 4:23

It takes a refined heart to be the kind of ambassador for Christ that God is looking for. Over the years I have seen many men claim that God had called them into pastoral ministry. God treats this claim very seriously. Very, seriously. But sadly, I have to report that when the tests of time, trial and treasure, came, few remained loyal to their professed calling. These tests didn't change their hearts. These tests merely exposed their hearts.

Jesus told the story of two types of shepherds in John 10. One was good and the other was hired. The opposite of 'good' is not usually (if ever) 'hired'. But in this instance Jesus is giving us a glimpse into their hearts. One shepherd was 'good' not because he had to be, but because he really cared for his sheep. The other only appeared to care and only did so because he was paid. The way to distinguish the two shepherds according to Jesus is how they react under the pressure of an attacking wolf (Jn. 10:12). The good shepherd remains with his sheep because he truly cares for them. The hired shepherd flees, thus displaying what was truly in his heart.

He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
John 10:12-13 ¶

Some people are afraid of having a "glass heart", because, as Deborah Harry the lead singer Blondie, wrote and sang, hearts of glass are easily broken. Yes, there is a risk to have your heart encased in window of glass for all to see. You become vulnerable. Your caring can be taken advantage of. But it's still worth the risk. And I'm glad that many of you have taken this risk to being refined and somewhat exposed.

At this point in my life, I am surrounded by many people who have good hearts. They have been tested, some sorely, and have had their hearts beautifully revealed to be caring. When wolves come, these good-hearted people don't run. They take their stand, and care. In just eight weeks from now, I will have been pastoring Legana for 19 years. As I reminisce over this wonderful stint, I think of all the good hearted, faithful, caring people who are serving here. People like Judith. She has been with us for all nineteen years. No-one has attended more services at Legana than Judith (including me). Added to this, for the best part of these 19 years, Judith led our monthly outreach into the local Nursing Home. Added to this, she has organised and maintained our kitchen as well. Why has she done this? Because she has a heart for our church, and she cares. I also think of Stephen and Donna. They have been with us - nearly from the start. Have they been tested? HAVE THEY BEEN TESTED! They certainly have, and their hearts have been proven and revealed to be caring. From leading the Youth, MOPs, and our Media Team, and serving as an elder, they have allowed their hearts to be made of glass - that is, they have lived transparently so that anyone could see they care. And then there's Josh. He joined our church over sixteen years ago at around the age of 6. He is one of the most impressive young men I know. Has his heart been tested? Sure has. More than once. When Josh joined our staff, it was as a teenager for an eight week temporary casual stint. Five years later, Josh is still working for our church (and he is one of the hardest working staff members on our team). I could go on and on and talk about Geoff, Karen, Tony, John, Amanda, and others, who have been tested and had their hearts exposed as caring.

¶ " 'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false."
Revelation 2:2

None of these dear folk serve in our church for acclaim, applause, or appreciation. They do so because they care. Most of the good that has blessed, guarded, and supported our church has been done quietly, confidentially, and without recognition. The other day I looked out in our carpark and someone was tidying up the spent heads of our agapanthus. They weren't asked to do so. They didn't tell anyone they were doing it. And no one thanked them. But they didn't mind. I know they had a heart of glass because I could see right into it. And even though they've only been in our church for a little while, their good-hearted service told me a lot about them.

What would people see if your heart was 'made of glass'? When a person comes humbly to God and seeks reconciliation with Him through Christ, God transforms them by giving them in a new heart. It seems that it takes some people no time at all to display this new heart, while for others the journey is slower and longer. The next time you are tested and tried by time (delays), trial, or temptation, remember, these are the means by which your Heavenly Father uses to complete the transplant. And when the transplant is complete enough He encases your heart in a 'glass' window into which others can see what He has done. But then again, if you really want to know what's in someone's heart, you don't need a window into their heart, you just need time to watch what they do when wolves come.

Andrew.

BLOOD STAINED FOOTPRINTS

Spend time with a follower of the Christ and you'll unmistakeably notice something. Spend time with someone who pretends to follow Christ and you'll never see it. Real Christ followers follow Christ. Like trackers who know the signs to look for when tracking someone, Christ-followers find in the Word of Life the tell-tale indicators to the path that Christ has already trod. These followers follow even when it's tiring, even when it's difficult, even when it's discouraging. After a while you notice that this kind of Christ-following produces the unmistakeable Christ-likeness that only comes from walking in the blood-stained footsteps of the Master.

Although a righteous person may fall seven times, he gets up again,
but the wicked will be brought down by calamity.
Proverbs 24:16 The NET Bible

For the last few years, Kim and I have done a major hike over four to six days. Each of these have hikes have been thoroughly taxing for me. We've had to hike over mountains, through swamps, across rivers and creeks, and around fallen trees and over boulders. Our last attempted over-night hike was abandoned when the snow blizzard meant we were traipsing through a foot of snow into an area of visibility of no more than 50 metres. Hiking can be tough going. There are times when the best I could do is to just keep going.

Ponder the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
Proverbs 4:26

I'm perhaps ashamed to say that on each of our longer hikes I have wanted to quit about halfway through. But halfway is no place to stop! You're halfway back or halfway to go - either way you've got the same distance to go. And that's what I've noticed about real followers of Christ: they just keep going. This is called faithfulness. The kind of faithfulness that followers of Christ develop along the path of Life is a fruitful one. That is, the path is made all the better because they are travelling on it. Faithful followers of Christ don't just journey on the path, they help others journeying on the path as well. They don't travel empty. On the hikes that Kim and I have done, we have to start our adventure with fully-loaded back-packs. (A fully loaded means at least 25 kilograms.) On the journey to follow Christ there are times when you have to share your resources with other travellers like I did on our last Freycinet walk when I gave a butane cylinder to a fellow traveller.

I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
Proverbs 4:11

By checking the map of Scripture we can look ahead to what lies before us on our journey to follow Christ. We see Christ loving and serving people. We see people letting Him down and eventually betraying Him. We see Him in the upper room of the night He was betrayed and He is washing the dung-stained feet of His proud disciples (who happened to be arguing over which of them was the greatest!). We see Him laying His life down after enduring phenomenal hardship. The closer we get to Christ the steeper the journey seems to become. But the ascent to follow Christ closely is only as acute as our resistence to follow Him. When Peter was reluctant to follow, the path of life was steep and cause him to become distant.

¶ Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance.
Luke 22:54

I look at many in our church and say to myself - These are faithful followers. They keep turning up. They keep serving. They keep learning. They keep helping. They stay humble. They often struggle to say 'No' and wonder if they should say it more often than they do, but they follow a Christ who says, "Yes. Come, follow Me."

If you are one of these faithful ones who keep following, you will have already encountered the disappointment that another follower, John Bunyan in his classic book, Pilgrim's Progress, describes. It wasn't the obstacle, the devilish attacks, the horrid conditions, that Pilgrim found most disappointing. It was when he was momentarily strengthened by a fellow traveller who joined him on the Path of Life but soon dropped back, took a break, retreated, or went on side-tracks. Following Christ on this Path is like being a burning coal. The flame of the coal always burns brighter when it is accompanied with other coals!

You will find the road map to the Path of Life in the Word of Life, the Bible.

The Pathmaker and Giver of Life calls His children to be followers not consumers. The New Testament uses the word: disciple to describe a follower of Christ. This word means learner. This is how how you can detect a true follower of Christ. Not only are their feet spattered with Someone else's blood, they are learning to keep going, to keep serving, to keep helping - to keep following their beloved Lord and Saviour.

Ps. Andrew

The Leader's Tool-Belt

A LEADER'S TOOLBELT

Leadership involves helping people to achieve an objective. In this sense, parents are leaders since they are helping their children reach the objective of responsible maturity. Husbands are leaders since they are helping their wives achieve the objective of bliss. Team captains are leaders since they are helping their team achieve their best performance. Every leader, no matter what the context of their leadership, needs a "toolbelt". In their toolbelt they have tools ready for helping people. Let's do a toolbelt check...

Romans 15:5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,

TOOL #1 Prayer

Notice what Paul the apostle seemed to have in his leadership toolbelt based on Romans 15:5? Firstly, he had prayer. He prayed for those he was trying to help. Good leaders are good pray-ers. Parents pray for their children. Husbands pray for their wives. Team leaders pray for their teams.

TOOL #2 Pace

But note what else Paul seemed to have in leadership toolbelt. He was praying for his readers to endure. Leaders help their team go the distance. They do all they can to pace those they are helping. This involves knowing when to ask for more, and when to help them rest well. Endurance is best achieved with a marathon attitude rather than a sprint attitude. But it is a marathon attitude that is punctuated by times of intensity and times of restful celebration. When our family went on our last driving holiday to Queensland, Ruby was only 2 years old. To maximise everyone's ability to enjoy the trip as well the destination we travelled only a few hours a day and took a leisurely pace rather than our usual 12 hours a day of driving. The result was that we stopped and stayed in towns along the Newell Highway that we would never have enjoyed otherwise. Years later we still recollect moments from that holiday and how enjoyable it was.

TOOL #3 Praise

Leaders encourage. When a Dad says to his son or daughter after they've given their best, "Well done. I'm proud of you!"- it carries enormous weight. A leader's encouragement can lift spirits, inspire effort, and impart satisfaction for unappreciated work. But this kind of encouragement is not always as direct as some leaders might think. It often comes in the form of indirect comments that shows that the leader has noticed or that they have been thoughtful. A leader asks questions of those they help. A leader comments not only on the finished work but on the amount of effort invested. A leader listens to a discouraged team member and understands that they are stressed about something other than what they might be complaining about. They then say something that both affirms their team member and invites their team member to be truly honest about what is really troubling them. Many employers have had cranky staff members complain about their work conditions only to later find out that their marriage was under great strain or that their child was recently diagnosed with cancer. There was another point in my pastoral ministry when I was discouraged and feeling low. A senior leader I greatly respected listened to me say how hard it was to grow our church in Legana. After listening to me whinge he offered no advice but he did say one 7-word sentence that filled my inspiration tank for about the next few years.

TOOL #4 Harmony

Leaders help their team to get along. They diffuse disagreements. They correct those team members who cause division. They keep their team united by reminding them of the big picture ("the vision') and the real point to their efforts. Mums and Dads have to use this leadership tool all the time!

TOOL #5 Accordance

And finally, leaders need to have an ability to bring accordance to their team. The kind of accordance that is needed is with Jesus Christ. Often a team member may be out of sorts because they are out of accord with Jesus Christ. A wise leader will encourage his team member to share what they sense the Lord is saying to them or doing in their life. This leader may also invite their team member to pray with them and to seek Christ for His leading and direction.

The leader's tool-belt carries prayer, pace, praise, harmony and accordance. Used wisely, we are are better able to achieve our objective of growing in Christ, knowing Him and making Him known.

Philippians 2:2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Father, please us each to know when to use the right tool to help others. I pray that we can all be better leaders. Help us as a church provide helpful leadership to our communities, schools, workplaces and homes. In Jesus' Name,

Amen