Creekside Church Sermon of May 22, 2005 "The Committed " 1 Corinthians 3:1-15, 21-23	Rev. David Bibbee
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The offerings, however, were not equal. The olive and orange tree, the cow and chicken were involved in my breakfast. The pig was committed to it. The bearer of "the other white meat" gave 100%! Knowing that a pig somewhere in Iowa had given it's all, I savored the bacon with respect.

Jesus did not come to create a "community of the involved." His mission was to create a "community of the committed" that would continue his ministry after he was gone. The question before us today is, "Are we involved, or are we committed?" The difference between the two is the difference between dabbling and dedication. It is the difference between getting a toe wet and diving in. It is the difference between saying, "I'll think about it and get back to you," and, "I'm in. Sign me up!" It's the difference between the rich young ruler who walked away when he realized the cost of following Jesus, and the poor widow who put her tiny offering of all she had into the Temple treasury.

Today is "Commitment Sunday." This is it, folks… the vision is about to become reality. We have come a long way, and here we are-- just one step from starting construction on our new home... just one step from building a tool that will help us bring people to Jesus. The next step, however, is a BIG ONE.

During April and May we have carefully and prayerfully considered our support of the "Building for Christ" Campaign. We have stressed that we cannot give in equal amounts, but all are asked make sacrifices to support our campaign above and beyond our regular tithes and offerings. Today is not about dabbling, but dedication. It's time to dive in. It's time to say, "Sign me up!"

This is our call to commitment, but not just to a financial goal. We pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire us to support not just a project, but also a more committed way of life.

In a essay titled, "Commitment: Thanks for Asking, But I'm Busy," Jay Hanke says, "The local church lives or dies according to the willingness of its members to be committed." Looking back on our heritage as Brethren, this fact is echoed in the saying, "A Brethren's word is his bond." What we SAY we will do, we WILL do.

With this desire in mind, we are here to dedicate ourselves to the campaign goal, rededicate ourselves to Jesus, and continue on the path set before us.

Our text from 1 Corinthians is one that can help us keep our bearings. The Apostle Paul learned that the church he established in Corinth had become a house divided. Four factions were fragmenting the church. Each one believed it represented the, "true body of Christ." The heart of the conflict was misplaced loyalties. One faction was committed to Paul; another to Cephas, or Peter, another to a man named Apollos. Another group was so certain of its it correctness that it was named, "The Christ Party."

In his absence, those who claimed greater intelligence and wisdom criticized Paul for his simplistic message. He responded by saying that Christianity 101 was a prerequisite for upper level courses. "I had to feed you milk, first, because you weren't ready for solid food… What is Apollos? What is Paul? We're servants through whom God has spoken… I planted, Apollos watered, but God made growth possible. Take away God and our efforts wouldn't be worth a plug nickel! We're not competitors! We're fellow workers and you are God's field, God's building."

In John 15 is Jesus' "high priestly prayer." In it he prayed, "Father, make them one, even as you and I are one." The Corinthians were demolishing Jesus' prayer, so Paul asked them a rhetorical question-"Is Christ divided? Was PAUL crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of PAUL?" The bottom line of his message was this-- "People, get your commitments in order!"

Prioritizing commitments assumes we have commitments to prioritize. But commitment seems hard to come by these days, particularly among my generation. I'm a baby boomer and our motto is, "BE OPEN TO EVERYTHING. COMMIT TO NOTHING." Keep your options open-- something better may come along. Don't get tied down. The goal of life is to be independent and unencumbered.

Boomers want near-term payoffs minus long-term commitments. They want what can't be had-wholeness without commitments and freedom without attachments. And here is the irony of faith-- people who are truly free are bound to others and to God. How does the hymn go? "Make me a captive, Lord, and THEN I SHALL BE FREE…"

A successful "Building for Christ" campaign is predicated upon financial commitment. But with it, we pledge commitment to each other. One of the marks of discipleship is faithful, faith-filled friendships. As it is in all relationships, the bonds are sometimes tested. In my files I keep a poem that underscores this fact:

He may be six kinds of liar, he may be ten kinds of fool,
He may be a wicked highflier beyond any reason or rule;
There may be a shadow above him of ruin and woes to impend,
And I may not respect, but I love him, because…
Well, because he's my friend.

I know he has faults by the billion, but his faults are a portion of him;
I know that his record's vermilion, and he's far from a sweet Seraphim;
But he's always been square with yours truly, ready to give or to lend,
And if he is wild and unruly, I like him… because he's my friend.

I criticize him but I do it in just a frank, comradely key,
And back-biting gossips will rue it, it ever they knock him to me!
I never make diagrams of him, no maps of his soul has I penned;
I don't analyze… I just love him, because…
Well, because he's my friend. (by Berton Braley)

"You are my friends," Jesus said. We are his friends when, in the midst of our differences and difficulties, we do as he said-- "Love one another as I have loved you." The ability to say, "You can count on me," when the fiber of our friendship is frayed-remaining committed to someone, even though you can think of a hundred reasons NOT to, is evidence of a Higher Allegiance. Relationships aren't based on the performance of the parties, but to a prior commitment to the One who is the bond between us.

I am proud of this congregation. We've been through tough times. We weren't always in agreement, and we won't all agreement on issues that await our decisions in the future. But I'm proud of you because you have been faithful. You understand that the wants of one person does not outweigh the needs of the whole. You've shown mature faith that errs on the side of patience and grace. In the words of the poem I just read: "We never made diagrams of each other, no maps of others have we penned. We don't analyze, we just love them, because… well, because they're our friends… in Christ."

Twenty-five years ago, a book appeared that had an answer to a question many in the church were asking. "Why are conservative churches growing?" It was titled, of all things, Why Conservative Churches are Growing. The author said that neither worship style nor doctrinal position was the key difference. It was ACCOUNTABILITY. In growing churches people ask:

How do we hold each other accountable to our commitments?

To what authority do we appeal when asking people to give their time, talent, and resources to make the church a better witness for Jesus?

How do we convey the truth that the church is only as strong as it's member's level of commitment?

Said another way, how do we help each other live and give by what we believe? How do we bridge the gulf between our lips and our lives?

The story goes that Martin Luther, the father of the Reformation, was lecturing a seminary class on creation from Genesis. During the lecture, a student asked, "Doctor Luther, what was God doing before he created the world? What would he have done with himself for all those years?" Others in the class tried to stifle their snickers. Luther replied, "What was God doing before he created the world? He was gathering sticks to make switches to beat the devil out of stupid people like you who ask such stupid questions."

Prioritizing our commitments means avoiding the trivialities and centering on the essentials. As believers, we pledge our first allegiance to God. The result of this commitment is commitment to each other and to the mission of Jesus.

Lyle Schaller has spent most of his life studying the dynamics of healthy and unhealthy churches. Listen carefully to what he says are the vital characteristics of numerically growing churches in the 21st century:

"Growing churches will be those that are organized around excellence, high expectations, facilitating the pilgrimage of their members from low to high religious commitment, and a vision that challenges people to exceed their own self-imposed limitations."

The changes we are making are intended make us this kind of church. We're not there, but we're headed in the right direction. The building that will house our church will be an important part in helping us achieve it. The facility will be wonderful, but it won't do the work God has entrusted to us, for us.

You have heard the expression, "old school" and "new school." Old school is another way of saying, "The good ol' days." New school is what is happening "now." The "old church" method of building commitment was giving people something to do. Get them involved. Get them on a committee. Assign them to a project. Put them in charge of fellowship coffee. Keep them busy. THEN they'll become committed.

What we learned is that burning people out is NOT a good way to make them more committed. It IS a good way to hasten their departure! We're discovering what the church knew long ago-commitment grows from the inside, out. Before all else, it is a spiritual orientation. All of us were created with a desire for God. God wants us to know his desire for us. Our desire is for God's love, and with it, the confidence of knowing we are in harmony with God's plan for our lives.

This "God desire" is expressed in worship. It is expressed in learning the spiritual disciplines that give our lives order and direction and purpose. The more we experience God, the more committed we become to seeking and serving Him. And in the process we will experience something else, which up until now has not received the attention it must--the commitment to reach out to those who do not belong to a Christian community.

A fellow named Bob Burt wrote something that couldn't be more appropriate at this critical juncture for our congregation. Listen closely:

Our ancestors built buildings. They did not build churches! A church is a people, called by God to be a worshipping community, a learning community, and a serving community. A church building is merely the place where some of that worshiping, learning, and serving takes place.

Where a church is located, how it is designed, what happens in and out of it are decisions made by us, those of us committed to being a worshiping, learning, serving people reaching out to those who are not yet part of the Christian community. We are not builders, we are deciders!

The new building will be an inviting PLACE for this to happen, but we must decide to make it happen. Next month, the construction begins. Week by week we'll see the project taking shape. Erecting the building is Ancon Construction's job. OUR JOB IS TO DECIDE the extent to which we want to be at the center of what God wants to do through us.

As you know by now, Ted Noffsinger is all EXCITED about the campaign. As for me, I'm with Ted. A challenge has been set before us, but I don't believe God is calling us to meet it. You heard me correctly. God isn't calling us to "meet it." God is challenging us to exceed it. I believe we are about to break out of our self-imposed limitations, by exceeding our $300,000 goal.

Your leaders on the church board, the Cornerstone Team, and the Campaign Team have already made their decision. They have pledged $132,000 over the next three years. Now is your opportunity to be deciders. But first, let me re-introduce you to Ruby, a tiny woman who belonged to the Crest Manor Church. You met her during the Walk by Faith campaign. Her witness speaks to me again. Ruby had as rough a life as you could imagine. Most of it was lived with crippling arthritis throughout her body and the constant pain that went with it. She lived in a tiny house from which she seldom ventured. Her only income was a modest Social Security check. The church had a fund drive for a new roof. One family said they couldn't help because they were putting in a new pool that would cost several thousand dollars. The next day while visiting Ruby she handed me a check. "I know it isn't much, but I want to help. Over the next year I'll give $500."

The cow and the chicken were involved. The pig was committed. Like the widow who dropped her two coins in the Temple treasury, Ruby offered the greatest gift.

We are not builders, we are DECIDERS. Believing that God is indeed a work among us, we await his guidance through the decision we will now make.

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