May 4 th, 2014 10 Weeks of Being Real for God R. U. Real Sermon Series: American Pickers Theme: God is looking for Rusty Gold among his people. Spiritual Focus: Unused or hidden talents and gifts. Biblical Text: Galatians 5:22-23: Pastor Bob Church Picnic and Community Outreach Sunday!!! Biblical Focus: Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Scripture Lesson: I Corinthians 12:4-11 1CO 12:4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. 1CO 12:7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. Traditional Worship Service: Hymn of Praise: # 170 O How I love Jesus Prayer Hymn: #171 There s Just Something About That Name. Hymn of Response: #172 My Jesus I Love Thee Hopefully we will have the volunteer booklets completed by this time to hand out. Play the video intro to American Pickers show: What is Picking? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trloylrzoag&list=tlmyukujrx H2kSGDJUE6T9FbQZUfBBxnuk
American Pickers: The show follows Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz as they travel primarily around the greater Midwestern United States in a large van, buying ("picking") antiques and collectibles. A lady named Danielle runs the office of Antique Archeology, from their home base in Le Claire, Iowa, and a new location in Nashville, Tennessee. I really like the lead in lines at the beginning of the show. I'm Mike Wolfe, and I'm Frank Fritz. And we're pickers. We travel the back roads of America looking to buy rusty gold. We're looking for amazing things buried in people's garages and barns. What most people see as junk, we see as dollar signs. We'll buy "anything" we think we can make a buck on. Each item we pick has a history all its own and the people we meet? Well, they're a breed all their own. We make a living telling the history of America...one piece at a time.
As I thought about this show, it reminds me of the Lord looking for people to serve His church and using their gifts to bless the kingdom of God. The Bible says that each of us have at least one spiritual gift and most of us have a variety of talents and treasures to offer. I Corinthians 12:7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. Do you ever think that God has a specific job or need in our community, at the work place, your neighborhood, and the Lord is hunting through all of the people in the area who are willing to say yes to using their gifts and talents to accomplish His will? Illustration: Just as Mike and Frank go through a large box of old antiques looking for that one item they call rusty gold, do you think the Lord sifts through the box of people in our community to find people willing to use their gifts and talents for His glory. Does God have jobs that need to be accomplished and looks to find people with the right gifts and talents to meet that ministry need? I think He does. I can just see the Lord sifting through his large box of the people in Osceola UMC. Here is what God might say as he sifts through a box of people. (Have a box with dolls dressed as characters in the church and act out this part.) God Speaking: Mmmmm now let s see what we have in here. Now here is Lynn Lambert, she sure is good at playing piano and she does have a heart of gold, but she doesn t quite have the gifts I am looking for this ministry task. Now who is this?.an old codger with farmer blue jean overalls on loves to tell funny stories and has a great sense of humor. Talk about your Rusty Gold; Oh that s Bus Kelver Mmmm, he sure is good at making that fish fry s taste so good. I can t wait until he gets up here to heaven, so I can put him on my kitchen and picnic staff, but he is not
really what I m looking for either. I ll probably have to wait a while before that happens, I think he going to live as long as Moses. Oh well here is an interesting person. This person knows how to get many things accomplished and has the gift of administration, enjoys telling people what to do, when to do things, and when to do it, is one of the best volunteer recruiters the church has seen in the last 100 years and people can t seem to say no to her. She raises untold amounts of money for the church coffee fund; Janet Keller; yes indeed a great lady with many gifts and talents, but not exactly what I am looking for. What else is in here? (Mumbles while sifting through the box of dolls) This guy is a great choir director, loves music and people. Seems to be happy all the time, but is a bit of a ding a ling I mean he leads the hand bell choir. (Not quite what I need.) The guy is a master electrician and has used his talents to run electric wire to most of the church over the past 50 years. He sure has saved that church a ton of money over the years with all his volunteer work. A-well just another one of those thousands cows on the hill for my church. This gal is a makes those prayer quilts for people who are sick, but not exactly what I am looking for. Check this guy out; He loves to work with teenagers and even teaches all those jr. & sr. high schooler s on Wednesday night and even spends his weekends with those crazy teens. You gotta love someone like that. (Who said there are no more martyrs in the world today?) There s just got to be someone in here who could fit the kind of talents I am looking for to meet the ministry needs in this community. Hold on.maybe this is just the person with the right gifts and talents I am looking for. This person, has a compassionate heart, loves missions
and helping people, especially the poor, she has a soft heart for young children and often times buys children in her neighborhood clothes to wear, food to eat and toys from her own pocketbook. She has the gift of evangelism, and most of all she is very sensitive to listening to my voice through prayer and situations in her life. I think this is my gal. Let s see her name is Lisa Vanhimbergen. I know in a few weeks there is a new family that is going to move into the Osceola neighborhood. They are quite poor, just lost their father and really need the loving touch of a Christian servant. I need some angels to set up a meeting so Lisa and this family can cross paths. I ll send the Holy Spirit to whisper in Lisa s spirit when she meets them. This is just the person of Gold I was looking for? Perhaps this is just how the Lord uses our gifts and talents to cross paths with those in need to accomplish His will and make the world a better place. I Corinthians 12:4 Let s take a deeper look at this passage: 1CO 12:4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. 1. Different Gifts = The Same Spirit. 2. Different Service = The Same Lord. 3. Different Workings = The Same God working through men. The gifts of the spirit as mention are as follows: Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, teaching, preaching, performing miracles, helps, administration, speaking and interpreting spiritual tongues, and discernment. The different service and workings are the ability to use our talents, job skills, and work knowledge to help the people of both the church and community. (Nurses to take the blood pressure of people in the church
or go on a mission trip, people with building trades to serve to care for the church on trustees, people with mechanical skills to care for the church buses or change oil for those who can t afford that sort of thing, cooks to help with church fund raiser dinners, sewers and seamstress to make prayer quilts, baby blankets, pillowcase dresses for children in Africa and Honduras.) There are so many other ways to use your gifts to help God he is just waiting for you to say yes. Very Important: God is not waiting to give you a golden invitation from the church pastor to serve in some sort of ministry. You can create your own way to use your talents to bless others in Jesus name. 1. I know a teenager who knitted winter gloves and hats for poor people. She just started doing it and it became a ministry of the church as others joined her. Hundreds of people joined her. 2. I know a doctor and dentist who began serving at a local clinic on their own volunteer time. 3. I know of a wonderful lady who makes it her business to find out if people are sick in the church. Why; so she can take them to the doctor for appointments or just to help them. 4. I know of someone who is helping a homeless man who needed to get medical attention and connected him with the Veterans Administration. Hardly anyone knows about this act of kindness. 5. I know someone who quietly volunteers for Habitat for humanity to give people homes. None of these folks needed suggestions or permission from their pastor to serve. They just saw a need, knew they had a gift or talent to help and jumped in. May God bless them greatly!!! The Lord pulled them out of his box of people and said, thank you please use the gift and talents I gave you and go to work.
OUMC Volunteer Booklets: Over the past year someone with wonderful gifts and talents in writing and organization has been pulling together a useful tool to help us become better volunteers in the church and community. Jaci Miller has put together a booklet to help us understand many different ways we can use our spiritual gifts and talents to share in the church and community. Each of you were given a OUMC volunteer booklet when you came into the sanctuary and I want you to take it out as Jaci comes to give us a brief overview of how to use the book. Jaci Miller: You have 3 to 4 minutes to peak their interest and look at the booklet more when they get home. I m sorry I cannot give you more time, but this is a communion Sunday. Illustration: My wife came home on a Saturday afternoon after shopping and told me she went to a flea market type of place not far from Osceola called, Pack Rat Pats. It is one of those places that sells a little bit of this and that. The way I imagined it: if one hundred homes were to have a garage sale on the same day and place everything into a small house you might come close to the variety of things that are in this small store. There is a basic organization to the place, but the shelves are lines with one person s give away s to hopefully become another person s treasure. Nancy came home to tell me you could hardly walk down the isle with all of the nick-nacks and things they have in there. However, among all the stuff in that store, she was able to find an item that was gold from her point of view. Nancy is half Swedish and we have a few things around the house that depict her Swedish Heritage. She found a simple wooden red candle holder with small flowers painted on both sides. You would have thought she found a priceless possession. To her it was worth pure gold. Among all the treasure in that store, she found one that was golden.
Those who don t share: Unfortunately there are some in our church who have golden gifts and talents, but hide them and don t want to share their gold to the church or community. I can t imagine having so much gold that was freely given to me and not sharing it to help build God s kingdom. Folks I want you to know that although God sees us as gold in his box of useful people to serve his will. There is another type of Gold we have to offer our community. It is the Gold of God. The disciples Peter and John talked about it in the book of Acts chapter three: Acts 3:1-12 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer--at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. AC 3:6 Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. AC 3:11 While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?
Folks what we have to offer people is Gold. God is gold. He is more precious than anything. Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Just like the beggar who spoke to Peter and John, you may think money is what we need, but I believe God is what we need. You may think that material possessions is what we need, but I believe God is what we need. You may think that fame and glory is what we need, but I believe God is what we need. Folks, God is indeed Golden and he is looking for Golden people to use their gifts to share to a lost and dying world. Will you serve?
Let s pray, Heavenly father, may we sieze the day to find gold in the gospel of your love. May we share that gold with our neighbor. May we serve our community offering the gold of service and good will to everyone. Help us to walk in the light of your love on this earth, until you call us home and we may one day walk the streets of gold in heaven. Holy Communion Words of Wisdom: Sometimes God s blessings are not in what He gives. Rather the blessing is in what is taken away. Sometimes Less is More. Benediction: May God give you the confidence of Daniel to face any crisis. May you have the assurance of Moses and Abraham that God is on your side. May you be willing to let God work things out according to his plan and in his time. Never interpret God s silence as God s absence.