Outsourcing Your Christianity

Transcription

1 I. Introduction. Outsourcing Your Christianity A. Christianity. 1. It's about work. a. Ephesians 2:10, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." b. 2 Timothy 3:17, "that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." c. Ephesians 4:12, "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry." d. Revelation 22:12, "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work." 2. Every individual is responsible for his own work. a. Philippians 2:12, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." b. 1 Peter 1:17, "And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear." 3. But Christians are to help each other. a. 1 Thessalonians 5:14, "Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all." b. Galatians 6:2, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." 4. Take a longer look at Galatians 6. a. Read verses 1-5. b. Contrast verses 2 and Christianity is about bearing our own load, but we do have help. B. Outsourcing. 1. Recent popular business term. 2. Companies have begun to outsource many of their functions. 3. Simple definition. a. Getting someone else to do a job for you. 4. Companies have found it cost effective. a. To focus on their core functions. b. And outsource many of the other functions. 5. Examples. a. Outsourcing payroll. b. Outsourcing the production of component parts. C. Outsourcing Your Christianity. 1. I want us to think about "outsourcing" in regards to our Christianity. 2. Review the definitions. a. Christianity is about individual work. b. Outsourcing is getting someone else to do a job for you. 3. Do you think that there are times and situations when people try to get other people to do their Christian work for them? a. Do they outsource their Christianity? 4. For example. a. Let's start with someone that we would probably all agree on. b. Over the years, have there been some churches who have outsourced their work?

2 c. That is, God has given the church a job to do, and the church turns around and gets someone else to do it. * Missionary Societies. * Orphans homes (although God never gave the church the responsibility) * Colleges (although God didn't give the church the responsibility of secular education). 5. With that said, let's think about some ways in which we might outsource our responsibilities. II. Do we outsource our responsibility to raise our children? a. Ephesians 6:4, "bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." b. Parents have the God-given responsibility to raise their children. * To provide. * To protect. * To teach. * To discipline. * To train. B. Do people outsource this job? a. Do they get other people to do it? b. Rise of two income families. c. What happens to the children? * daycares. (Strangers raising your children) * other family members. d. Word to fathers. 1. can sometimes be guilty of letting the mother alone raise the children. 2. Not involved like ought to be. III. Do we outsource our responsibility to teach our children the Bible? a. Proverbs 4:10-11, "Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many. I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths." b. It is the responsbility of parents to teach wisdom to their children. 1. To teach them the truth. 2. To help them learn the Bible. B. Do we sometimes outsource this job? 1. Do we count on other people to teach our children? a. Bible class teachers. b. Preachers. c. Other family members. 2. How much teaching of the Bible goes on in the home? 3. It's our responsibility as parents, not anybody else's. a. Others may help us in this endeavor, but it still doesn't shift the responsibility away. IV. Do we outsource our responsibility to do good works?

3 1. Reference to Ephesians 2:10, prepared for good works Timothy 5:10, "well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she haas relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work." 3. Galatians 6:10, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith." 4. All of us are responsible to do good. a. To help those in need. B. Outsourcing the responsibility. 1. We might allow others to do these things. a. I don't have the time; I don't have the money. b. Other people have more money to do it. 2. Writing a check. a. Donating to charitable organizations. b. Pretty simple to write a check and be done with it. c. It's quite another thing to invest our time and emotions into a good deed. V. Do we outsource our responsibility to evangelize the community? 1. Who is given this reponsibility? a. To teach those in the community. b. To bring people to Christ. 2. We all are. 3. Hebrews 5:12 was written to Christians in general. a. "by this time you ought to be teachers." 4. 2 Timothy 2:24-25, "A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition " a. Are you a servant of the Lord? B. Do you outsource your responsibility? 1. Do you expect other people to do all the teaching? a. Maybe you don't think you're capable. b. Maybe you think others are more talented. c. Or maybe you think you don't know how or you don't have the time. 2. Or do you expect the preacher to be the one who is supposed to go out into the community and bring the people in? a. That's what we've hired him for. 3. While the preacher does have the responsibility to teach, it does not remove the responsibility to teach from each individual. VI. Do we outsource our responsibility to correct those in error? 1. Galatians 6:1, "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted." a. Are you spiritual? b. Then you have this responsibility.

4 2. Matthew 18:15, "if you brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault." 3. Matthew 5:23-24, "if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." a. Regardless of whether someone has sinned against you or you know someone has something against you, the command is the same: Go to your brother. B. Outsourcing this responsibility. 1. Sometimes we just ignore this command altogether. 2. But perhaps we just expect others to do it. a. We're always waiting on someone else to do it. 3. Maybe we expect one of the older members to do it. 4. Maybe we expect one of the leaders of the church to do it. 5. Maybe we expect the preacher to do it. a. If you are a Christian, it is just as much your job as anybody else's. 6. Whatever it is, it is the temptation to get someone else to do our job. VII. Do we outsource our responsibility to lead the church? 1. Who is responsible for the leadership in the church? a. Elders. 2. Who should serve as elders? a. Those who are qualified. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 b. Those who have the talent. Matthew Men who are capable of leading, and men who meet the qualifications. a. Have the responsibility to lead. B. Outsourcing the responsibility. 1. Do we get someone else to do what we should be doing? 2. Is it easier to let the men as a group make the decisions than it is to work to help men become qualified to serve? a. Would we rather go without leaders out of fear? 3. Are we content to let the preacher be the spiritual leader of the congregation? a. When that's really not his role. 4. Do we just sit back and let the most vocal members take the leadership? VIII. Do we outsource our individual responsibility to work in the church? A. The Responsibility. 1. Turn and read Ephesians 4: a. Focus on verse 12. * prepare saints for the work of ministry. * Who is the minister? b. Focus on verse 16. * every part does it share. 2. What is your role?

5 a. In the worship of the church. b. In the work of the church. B. Outsourcing the Responsibility. 1. One real question. 2. Are you maximizing your talents? a. Or are you allowing others to do work that you are capable of doing? 3. In the worship services, are you participating up to your capability? a. Or are you content to let others do the work? 4. In the work of the church (teaching, encouraging, benevolence). a. Are you doing your share? b. When we schedule work groups and work days, are you happy to let other people volunteer and you not be bothered? 5. If so, you are outsourcing your responsibilities. IX. Conclusion. A. Do you agree that these are individual responsibilities? 1. Raise our children. 2. Teach our children the Bible. 3. Do good works. 4. Evangelize the community. 5. Correct those in error. 6. Lead the church. 7. Work in the church. B. Are you getting someone else to do these jobs for you? 1. There's nothing wrong with a little help. 2. But we had better not be shifting the responsibilities to someone else Peter 1:17, "And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear." a. Who will be rewarded? b. The one who does the work. 4. You won't get rewarded for outsourcing; you'll get rewarded for working.