Today ends our series called ‘All I Want for Christmas’.
I want you to think about the gifts that Jesus came to give us. Hope, Peace, Joy, Grace, Salvation, and the Holy Spirit. I want you to think through this question, ‘Why did Jesus come to give me these gifts?’ There are two answers. The first answer is that Jesus wants you to experience each gift. These gifts can be a reality in our lives and they can transform how we live if we are focused on Jesus and pursue Him.
There is a second answer and that is what we are talking about today. Let’s start with what Jesus said.
John 14:11-14 Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me. If you can’t believe that, believe what you see – these works. The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do.
15-17 If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend [Holy Spirit] so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you! MSG
Jesus told His disciples; I am giving the same work to do that I’ve been doing. Jesus followed that with, and God is empowering you with the Holy Spirit to get it done. Why did Jesus give us all these gifts? First, for us to enjoy them. Secondly, to accomplish what Jesus started by giving to others what God has given us. A simple way of saying this is, that Christians aren’t supposed to be containers of these gifts but conduits. We aren’t supposed to hoard all these good things for ourselves, we are supposed to give them away.
Do you know what happens when we are containers? Nothing. We become consumers who stay comfortable and become stagnant. Our happiness is based on how others serve us. And we think very little about giving these gifts to others. To put it plainly, we aren’t doing the work that Jesus gave us to do. And if you think about it, we don’t need the Holy Spirit to empower us to do nothing.
James wrote about this way of living.
James 21:9-20 Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands? MSG
There is a connection between what you believe and how you live. That means your faith should disrupt your life. James here says, that if you believe there is a God and it doesn’t change your life, demons do that too. If we have real faith, we will join Jesus in what He is doing, and it will disrupt how we live. It will show up in the choices we make.
Do you know what happens when we are conduits? Everything. In the very act of giving generously, God flows through us to others and it builds His kingdom. And if you think about it, it demands that God give us the Holy Spirit to empower us as we do the work Jesus gave us to do.
2 Corinthians 9:10 For God, who gives seed to the farmer to plant, and later on good crops to harvest and eat, will give you more and more seed to plant and will make it grow so that you can give away more and more fruit from your harvest. 11 Yes, God will give you much so that you can give away much, and when we take your gifts to those who need them they will break out into thanksgiving and praise to God for your help. 12 So two good things happen as a result of your gifts – those in need are helped, and they overflow with thanks to God. 13 Those you help will be glad not only because of your generous gifts to themselves and to others, but they will praise God for this proof that your deeds are as good as your doctrine. TLB
Did you see that? When you give, two things happen. People are helped and they give thanks to God. And Paul added, that when you give like that, you are proving that you aren’t complacently sitting back doing nothing. What you believe is showing up in how you live.
In the New Life Version verse 13 says it like this,
You are proving by this act of love what you are. They will give thanks to God for your gift to them and to others. This proves you obey the Good News of Christ.
In the very act of giving, you are proving that what you believe and the way you live are the same. God gives us every good gift so we can give it away. That’s why we are most like God when we give, and give generously. And that’s why, when we serve and help others, we leave inspired. The opposite is true too. When we continue to focus on ourselves and don’t serve and help others, we can feel like we are in a rut. We can feel stuck like we are looking for purpose and meaning. Giving is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus in your home and the community. We are conduits, not containers.
In the gospels, we see how Jesus lived when He walked with us. He was a real person who introduced us to God’s kingdom. What did Jesus do? How does Jesus live out life? Let’s read how scripture explains it.
Romans 15:1-3 Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?” That’s exactly what Jesus did. He didn’t make it easy for himself by avoiding people’s troubles, but waded right in and helped out. MSG
Jesus didn’t make it easy for Himself. He didn’t complacently sit back and do the least. He was fully engaged. He lived on purpose. At the end of His time on earth, Jesus ascended into heaven, and we read in Acts, that the Holy Spirit anointed the disciples to continue what Jesus was doing. The first Church begins and grows all over the world. Please hear me today. Jesus is still alive and moving today and continues to build His church through the Holy Spirit. How? Jesus placed the Holy Spirit inside you to empower you to give what you have been given.
I want to read it for you.
1 Corinthians 12:27 You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. NIV
1 Peter 4:10-11 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. NLT
Why would Jesus come to give us gifts? Because they are for us to enjoy and transform our lives. And they are for us to give away to others. That makes us conduits, not containers. It’s how we build God’s kingdom. It’s when we experience the Holy Spirit.
Quick time out here. Let’s define the gifts that we are talking about. In this series, we are talking about the gifts of hope, peace, joy, grace, salvation, and the Holy Spirit. Paul in 2 Corinthians 9 was talking about money. Peter in 1 Peter 4 was talking about a spiritual gift like teaching, serving, or healing. When we talk about gifts today, we are talking about all of the gifts. We take everything God has given us and we use them to give them away. We aren’t called to be containers, but conduits of all the gifts of God.
Let’s slow down and process what I am saying. When I say Jesus is alive and well and building His church, what do you think about that? Does that make sense to you, do you believe that? If Jesus is building His church, do you wonder why churches might be struggling or just getting by? Be honest and ask yourself, does it seem like local churches are getting stronger or weaker? Do you feel like local churches growing in passion or going through the motions? Let’s talk about churches that seem to be growing. Are they growing because Christians are leaving other churches to join them? Or are they growing because people are for the first time, giving their lives to God? Does it seem like today people go from one church to another church because they are consuming the most recent, the most exciting? Does it seem like people are making choices to be deeply involved with their spiritual family? Does it seem like ‘church being a priority’ is a thing of the past?
Here is what many people in America don’t understand. People don’t understand that Jesus is alive and well and building His kingdom today. People don’t understand that the body of Jesus on earth: is the local church. People don’t understand that every good gift that Jesus has given them is for them to enjoy and give away. People don’t understand the connection between their choices and priorities and how they directly impact Jesus growing His church. Jesus built His church in such a way that it’s 100% dependent on people loving each other in their spiritual family. Sadly, as many pull away from church, many believe the church is a place where Jesus needs to do more or the leaders need to do more. And that’s not scriptural. Church is 100% dependent on people’s choices.
Scripture tells us that God’s people are equipped to build His church. It’s how we grow up as Christians.
Ephesians 4:12-14 Why is it that he gives us these special abilities to do certain things best? It is that God’s people will be equipped to do better work for him, building up the Church, the body of Christ, to a position of strength and maturity; 13 until finally we all believe alike about our salvation and about our Savior, God’s Son, and all become full-grown in the Lord – yes, to the point of being filled full with Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. TLB
The question we like to challenge people with is this. If everyone made the decision you made about church, what would your church look like?
I want you to think of someone you love or someone you know who doesn’t yet know about God’s love, grace, and forgiveness. Now keep their name in your mind. Wouldn’t it be great to be a part of a local church, a spiritual family, that was focused on accepting your friend? Imagine if a worship team got together and practiced so everyone could passionately worship. Imagine if a team of people cared enough to do children’s ministry well and safely. Imagine if a family or a couple of people came early to make coffee that morning. Imagine if the vibe of the church was that it is okay to not be okay. You see, to me that’s fun. I’d show up early, pray, and get ready to help you introduce Jesus to your friend. That’s a no-brainer. And that’s what MRC is doing. That’s our unique identity. And that is what we are inviting you into. It’s what we are asking you to commit to. You realize that it takes all of us to do that – right?
I was recently asked by someone if starting a new church is hard. Here was my answer after planting MRC and MRG. I said church planting is the easiest thing you could ever do. All that is required is that a group of people who love God consistently, show up for around two hours, not focus on themselves, and be gracious to each visitor. That’s it. I know there are more details to it, but you get what I am saying – right? Please hear me, church planting, I told them, is the easiest thing you could ever do.
I continued with my answer and said, and I must say, church planting is the hardest thing you could ever do. Their heads were spinning a little because I just said the opposite. I said it’s the hardest thing you will ever do because I don’t know if you can get a North American Christian to stop thinking about themselves, their comfort, and their insatiable desire to be in a church that appears successful to just love people.
Here is my direct challenge for you as we enter a new year. Be a conduit, not a container, give what Jesus has given you. Live in a way that demands the Holy Spirit. That impacts two areas of your life. First, it always starts at home. Second, please understand that your personal relationship with Jesus, your passion, your spiritual condition, and your heart, directly impacts your spiritual family. I want you to make the choice that says, starting this new year, I want to do the work that Jesus has given me to do and I want to do it well.
Imagine a church full of people committing together to love on every person who shows up. Imagine if they took their focus off of themselves for two hours to focus on people who might be far from God. Here is my commitment to you. I’ll do my part. I’ll do everything I know to help you, will you do your part and help me?