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Foundations for a Strong Ministry | FFC | 12.30.2007 1

Foundations for a Strong Ministry

This sermon was prepared and preached by Pastor Mike Rose at First Federated Church in Des

Moines, Iowa, on Sunday, December 30, 2007.

Copyright 2007, First Federated Church

Tomorrow is New Years Eve, and one of the things people do at this time of year is make NewYears resolutions

The following story is from Readers Digest:

Last year when I called my parents to wish them a happy New Year, my dad answered thephone. "Well, Dad, whats your New Years resolution?" I asked him. "To make your mother as

happy as I can all year," he answered proudly. Then mom got on, and I said, "Whats your

resolution, Mom?" "To see that your dad keeps his New Years resolution."

That story is a little corny, but theres truth here that we need to consider as we prepare to crossthe threshold of a New Year.

FACT: Its easy to discover and select a pathway we need to walk in, but as time goes by, its

also easy to be distracted, explore new paths, and without intending to, depart from the original

path we chose.

The man in the story had resolved to make his wife happy the entire year long, but the wife knew

if he was going to keep his resolution, he would need repeated reminders to stay on trackCan anyone relate?

Application to First Federated Church: To stay on track, we need reminders of what our corefoundations are and what our core commitments are to one another.

So, on this last Sunday of 07 and next week, the first Sunday of 08, I will be playing the role ofthe wife, reminding us of our core foundations and core commitments so we can stay on

track with the direction God is leading us.

Todays message is titled,Foundations for a Strong Ministry, and it revisits my first five weeks

of ministry at Federated and the foundation of our new beginning together.

On Sunday October 15, 2006, this church and this pastor experienced a New Beginning.

If you were here, youll recall the four banners hanging at the back of the platform. They now

hang in our foyer. Four banners that identified the four pillars or foundations of our new

beginning together.

Let me quickly identify them, and then well spend a few minutes considering their significance

in our present and future ministry.

Truth - Grace - Transparency - Ministry


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Foundation No. 1 Truth.John 17:17 New King James Version (NKJV) In what hasbecome known as Jesus High Priestly Prayer, Jesus made this request of The Father: Sanctify

them by Your truth, Your word is truth.

The word them is a reference to those who become (past, present, future) followers ofChrist.

The word sanctify is a reference to the process by which a follower of Christ istransformed over time to more accurately and consistently reflect the image of Christ.

And clearly, the word truth is a reference to the Word of God, which Jesus identifies asTRUTH!

Important Truth: It is the will of Jesus, our Savior and Lord, that we be transformed. Not just

saved from our sins, but transformed from the sinful, rebellious, unrighteous people we used to

be, to a people who accurately and consistently reflect the image of Christ to our world.

This transformation occurs as Gods Word of Truth is discovered and applied in our lives. Take

note of Psalm 119:

9How can a young person stay pure? By obeying Your word and following its rules.

10dont

let me wander from Your commands.11I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not

sin against You.12Blessed are You, O LORD; teach me Your principles.

13I have recited aloud

all the laws You have given us.14I have rejoiced in Your decrees as much as in riches.

15I will

study Your commandments and reflect on Your ways.16I will delight in Your principles and not

forget Your word.17Be good to Your servant, that I may live and obey Your word.

18Open my

eyes to see the wonderful truths in Your law.

Do you see how important Gods Word is? It is the knowledge and application of Gods truth

that keeps us pure and protects us from sinning against God.

Now if Satan had his way, he would distract us with religious traditions, customs of our

culture and the popular opinions of man. But we cannot and will not build this ministry on

the opinions of man, the customs of our culture, nor the traditions of numerous religious

denominations.

We must build our lives and this ministry on the sure foundation of the Word of God, which has

been revealed and preserved so we can know the mind of God and the path we should walk in

to His glory and our benefit.

Truth Gods Word is Pillar No. 1 that we are seeking to build our lives and this church upon.

Foundation No. 2 Grace:Hebrews 4:16, NKJV says:Let us therefore come boldly to the

throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

As we think about The Truth which is the Word of God, a truth that is declared again and

again is the grace of God.

FACT: God is full ofGRACE toward the humble and repentant heart, but full ofWRATH

toward the proud and sinful heart.


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Proverbs 28:13, NKJV He who covers his sin will not prosper, but whoever confesses and

forsakes them will have mercy.

Proverbs 3:34 declares it, and both James and Peter include it in the scriptural books that bear

their names: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble . James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5.

The Word of God teaches us that God is abundant in mercy and filled with grace to those who

acknowledge their sin. As His Church, we are to be no less.

Galatians 6:1-3,New Living Translation (NLT) 1Dear brothers and sisters, if another

Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person

back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.2Share

each others troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ.3If you think you are

too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody.

GRACE extending to others what God has so generously extended to us is Pillar No. 2 that we

are seeking to build our lives and this church upon.

Foundation No. 3 Transparency:Matthew 5:37, NKJV But let your Yes be Yes, and

your No, No. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Transparency is all about being real, genuine, authentic. Being transparent is NOT being phony.

Picture of a Phony John 12:1-6 gives us a classic picture of a phony Jesus was in the townof Bethany, at the home of Lazarus, the man He raised from the dead, and his sisters, Mary and

Martha. Mary, who was overcome with a sense of wonder and awe in Jesus presence that she

decided to take a very costly perfume (worth a years salary) and use it to anoint (wash) the feet

of Jesus.

Judas, one of Jesus disciples, was indignant! Notice verses 5-6: 5Why was this fragrant oil not

sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?6This he said, not that he cared for the

poor, but because he was a thief , and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

Theres a new word that the younger generations are using in place of phony. Its the word

poser. A poser is someone who tries to display on the outside something different thanwhats on the inside.

Theres another word that communicates these same thoughts. Its the word hypocrite.

Matthew 5:37 Jesus says, Let your yes, be yes and your no, no. In other words, say whatyou mean, mean what you say. If you represent yourself one way in a meeting, dont represent

yourself differently over the phone with your allies after the meeting.

Illustration: (In the meeting)Oh, yes,Deacon Bill, I agree that we should do this project

instead of that project, it only makes sense.(After the meeting)Can you believe what Bill

suggested in that meeting? Who does he think he is, suggesting that we do this project instead of

that one?


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Transparency is a commitment I make to be honest and forthright with you, whether it makes

me look good in your eyes, or not.

Its a commitment we all need to make so we dont become pawns in the hand of Satan to bring

division, discord and destruction to our unity in Christ.

More harm has been done to the Church and the cause of Christ because of a lack of healthy

transparency, than any of the other numerous enemies of Christian unity.

TRANSPARENCY A commitment to say what I mean and mean what I say, to be honest,

forthrightand genuine.A commitment to NOT be a poser, is Pillar No. 3 that we are seeking to

build our lives and this church upon.

Foundation No. 4 Ministry: 1 Corinthians 12:7 NLT says,A spiritual gift is given to each

of us (Christians) as a means of helping the entire church.

Life experience has taught us that we are born with certain abilities, tendencies, talents that areresident within us. On April 18, 1960, I was born with certain abilities, tendencies, talents, that,as I grew, developed and made me the person that I am. These are things that God chose to

invest in me as a human being. In that same way of thinking, there are certain things that God did

not invest in me. The things I lack also have much to do with the person I am today.

The Bible teaches us that when we are born again, we receive from the Holy Spirit certainspiritual gifts spiritual abilities, tendencies, talents these are things God chooses to invest

in me as His child. And just like the abilities I was born with, the spiritual gifts given when I was

born again, are for a specific purpose. The most basic of all purposes: to be used!

In fact, Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us very clearly that we are saved, born again, not for thepurpose of escaping Hell and gaining Heaven. Rather, we are saved to serve God, and most

often, that means meeting the needs of those who are made in Gods image.

8God saved you by His special favor (Grace) when you believed (Faith). And you cant take

credit for this; it is a gift from God.9Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done,

so none of us can boast about it.10

For we are Gods masterpiece. He has created us anew in

Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

Just what are the things He planned for us long ago? The one another passages of the New

Testament give us a great place to start. Here are just a few:

1. Serve one another (Gal 5:13)

2. Encourage one another (1 Thess 5:11)

3. Teach one another (Rom 15:14)4. Be devoted to one another (Rom 12:10)

5. Honor one another (Rom 16:16)

6. Bear one anothers burdens (Gal 6:2)


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The Christian life is one of service, of ministry. Its not primarily about the destination. Itsabout the journey, and along the way, we are called and equipped to be the hands, feet, lips of

Jesus.

I rejoice when I walk down the halls on Wednesday night and see so many servants helping to

love and teach children in AWANA. Many of senior saints, people in the late 70s and into their80s, give of themselves to this ministry. Amen!

The men and women who prepare meals for families in their time of need, when theyve lost a

loved one. AMEN!

The men and women, young people, who went out last summer and ministered in the parks, and

housing complexes. AMEN!

The Homebuilders ABF that is reaching out to inmates who volunteer every month for some

project around the church. AMEN!

The people who give of themselves to take care of the lawn, manage the bushes and trees, help

plan and execute special events. The list goes on and on. AMEN!

The four or five volunteers who work at the church almost every day. People who are up in years

and probably should be at home being served by others, but theyre here, making a difference,

doing what they can. AMEN!

Federated is blessed with many faithful people who do ministry, but there are many others who

need to find their places and use their gifts in the service of the Lord and their fellowman.

My vision is that we develop a culture at Federated that we wont have to go looking for servantsto do the work of the ministry, but there will be so many who are eager to serve that we will have

to go looking for ministry for them to do.

MINISTRY A commitment to use my God-given, natural abilites, and my Holy-Spirit-given

ifts to serve the Lord, serve His church, reach out in loving service to my community. This is

Pillar No. 4 that we are seeking to build our lives and this church upon.

Conclusion

On Sunday, October 15, 2006, these four pillars were the foundation of our new beginning.

Today, they are the pillars of our continued, evolving ministry together.

As we prepare to say good-bye to 2007 and greet 2008, I call upon First Federated Church towhole-heartedly, enthusiastically and aggressively embrace these points as the pillars of the life

you are building with Christ and the Life you are building with your church family.

Truth Grace Transparency Ministry.

These are the Foundations For A Strong Ministry.


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The First Federated Church copyright, above, is for the sermon itself, not for any items quoted in

the sermon, unless otherwise stated. All quoted items are done so in good faith, and the source is

attributed when it is known.

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