Be a community with Agenda
Pr Janice Chin
5 March 2017
Text: Colossians 2:6-7; Ephesians 4:12-16
Story of a man who helped a little boy (who was too short) ring the doorbell and told to run! He didn't know what the agenda of the (naughty) little boy was! When we say someone has an agenda, it carries negative connotations, implying he has "niat jahat". I wonder what his or her agenda is? It's not always bad to have an agenda. By definition, agenda simply means underlying intentions or motives of a particular person or group.
Let's be a community with agenda this morning. A church without an agenda or clear one would just be "Church-ianity" and playing church with a lot of activities, but without direction or conviction, and lacking a strong sense of conviction or purpose. A church with an intentional or purposeful agenda is altogether a different story. What does it really mean for us to gather at church on Sundays? What's our agenda every Sunday? What should be our agenda and priority as a church? A good and true agenda is found in Colossians 2:6-7. The agenda is to grow. Growth is a priority.
(1.) Grow Yourself
2 Corinthians 3:18
18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Dying to self is so essential to growth. It's not just an event; it's a process, a process for life. We are to die for life. That's what we are called to do as followers of Jesus. There can be so little transformation and change in the midst of much busyness and activities. Could it be that we're living for ourselves? If we're living for God, we would be dying to ourselves and surely there's transformation. John 12:24; 2 Cor. 3:18. God would desire this for us and so should we.
Pr. told the story of a family member planting something in the garden and not taking care of it and then finding it dead later. Her father, being the realist, said matter-of-factly, "Of course it died! You just planted it and left it to God, whether it grows or dies." Grow Or Die = G.O.D. (Acronym).
Don't plant and leave to GOD - Grow Or Die !
Growth takes diligence and Progress must be maintained - Progress or Regress!
Personal breakthrough takes diligence. If we desire to experience more of God, if we desire to be transformed into the likeness of Christ, it takes diligence. It takes continual choosing and conscious effort to correct one's body posture, say from a slouching posture to an upright posture. If we desire to continually grow in Christ, it takes effort and diligence. God's call is for us to grow as a people of God. Progress needs to be achieved and maintained.
Pablo Casals, one of the greatest cellists, maintained a disciplined regimen of 5 to 6 hours of practice a day, even on the day he died. When asked why, he answered, "Because I think I'm making progress." Progress needs to be worked at. If we are not progressing, we could regress. If we track the disciples' journey with Jesus in the Gospels, they had to surrender and leave behind things. It involved surrender, death to self and resolve to grow and not fall away when things got tough.
(2.) Grow Others
2 Timothy 2:2
2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.
We are called to grow one another, nurture one another.
Learn to share life-giving thoughts, ideas, books we read.
Our call and our agenda is to grow ourselves and grow one another. This is because discipleship in community is the fullness and not just individualistic. Think about the difference between 20% of us investing in the next generation of disciples versus all of us investing. We are all disciples and disciplemakers, no matter what your job is and your stage of life or your level of spirituality. We are all called to nurture our faith and the faith of others. It's necessary because it's mutually edifying. It's always reciprocal. It's two way. Life impacts life. One way to grow ourselves and others is to learn to read or to share life-giving stuff. Reading is a good way. God's call is for us to all grow together. Grow to be like His Son. Grow to the full stature of Christ. Grow in Christlikeness. We're very much challenged to grow. It's not just a duty but a privilege to grow others.
In the bestselling book, "The Tipping Point", John Wesley's values and beliefs were captured by the author Malcolm Gladwell in this way: "If you wanted to bring about a fundamental change in people's belief and behaviour, a change that would persist and serve as an example to others, you needed to create a community around them, where those new beliefs could be practised and expressed and nurtured." We learn to hear and do. We learn to listen and obey. We spur one another on to obey God's Word. Can you imagine being pregnant and not wanting to give birth? If we want to see God's work multiply in our midst, it starts with us.
In the bestselling book, "The Tipping Point", John Wesley's values and beliefs were captured by the author Malcolm Gladwell in this way: "If you wanted to bring about a fundamental change in people's belief and behaviour, a change that would persist and serve as an example to others, you needed to create a community around them, where those new beliefs could be practised and expressed and nurtured." We learn to hear and do. We learn to listen and obey. We spur one another on to obey God's Word. Can you imagine being pregnant and not wanting to give birth? If we want to see God's work multiply in our midst, it starts with us.
2 Timothy 2:2
Believing in disciple-making does not make disciples. Connect groups (in and of themselves) do not make disciples. Disciples make disciples. Hunger is, therefore, key. How are we together cultivating a hunger for God? Together. Can you picture it in your mind? Two means (hunger-habits). The habits of people who are spiritually hungry. Is our agenda driven by our own convenience, preference and personality or driven by God who supersedes all those? Love compels us to do remarkable things and to live distinctly different for God. I want to challenge us to have a holy discontent. To grow, we must counter our culture of individualistic privacy, convenience and comfort.
Two hunger-habits are :-
Contemplation - There is contemplation in our worship. Listen to God. Meditate in the Word of God. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Active obedience takes place. Contemplate and hear His Word. Philippians 4:8 - "What is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things".
The way to overcome imperfect intentions is not by avoidance of intentions; focusing on more worthwhile intentions is how you replace unworthy ones. As a church, is our agenda driven by God or us? Let's be committed to the agenda of God. May God lead us from breakthrough to breakthrough, from glory to glory.
If we want to grow as a church, stop looking at the flaws of worship and participate and immerse in worship. When we come, in regardless, are we worshipping despite the setup or what burden our hearts? We will encounter break through when we come to really worship Him.
In worship, there is contemplation, we listen to God.
When we over-think, we can drown in our own thoughts.
May God speak and we listen to His voice.
May the Lord anoint us with His power and fill us with His love, joy and peace to serve one another with good and true agenda.
Questions
1. As church members and/or leaders, how have we been neglecting continuous growth in ourselves and/or others? Why should growth be a crucial concern for every believer in the Body, and in the world?
2. Share how you have actively obeyed God lately. What have you learnt about God?
3. What is one hunger-habit you want to cultivate with fellow disciples of KKE? Talk to your CG or leader, and do it!
1. As church members and/or leaders, how have we been neglecting continuous growth in ourselves and/or others? Why should growth be a crucial concern for every believer in the Body, and in the world?
2. Share how you have actively obeyed God lately. What have you learnt about God?
3. What is one hunger-habit you want to cultivate with fellow disciples of KKE? Talk to your CG or leader, and do it!
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