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Introduction:
According to Ephesians
3:20-21, our
mission is to glorify God. That is why we exist. Our membership in
this fellowship is all about our desire to individually glorify
God through our corporate work and worship. At the root, no matter
how we write it or say it, this will always be our mission. How do
we accomplish this mission? I have discovered five overarching
biblical principles that define how we can glorify God. As we look
at these five principles, do more than simply hear the principles,
envision in your mind what this congregation will look like when
we are fulfilling them. Discussion: To glorify God we must… I.
… perform the work God has given us (John
17:4). A.
What work has God given us, His church? I
Timothy 3:15 explains that the church is the pillar and
support of the truth. Our duty is to hold up the truth. Our job is
to teach. B.
God is glorified when we are doing the work He has
established for us. He is not glorified when we become distracted
to do other work. If we become distracted with social concerns,
welfare initiatives, political agendas, educational reform,
recreational activities and entertainment venues we will no longer
be glorifying God. We have to do God’s work and we have to do
God’s work God’s way if we are going to glorify Him. C.
Envision for a moment—what will the Franklin Church of
Christ look like when we are fully fulfilling this principle for
glorifying God? We will be full of teaching and working to get the
gospel out. Members will be inviting people to worship and Bible
classes. Christians will be conducting studies in their homes. We
will be equipping people to teach the gospel of Christ in numerous
settings. We will have assemblies, classes, workshops, special
series, Bible schools, mail outs and all kinds of aspects of
teaching and training, drawing non-Christians into Christ and
drawing Christians closer to Christ. Certainly, we will always be
on the lookout to provide for the material needs of our brethren.
But first and foremost we will be about holding up the truth for
all to see. II.
… teach the Father’s will (John
7:16-18). A.
Jesus was not seeking His own glory, but the Father’s.
Therefore, as He taught, he simply taught what God had
established. He did not develop His own teaching. Nor did He take
the credit to Himself. He taught God’s will and gave Him the
glory for it. B.
There are already plenty of opinions floating around that
men have developed about how God will deal with things. We do not
need to weigh in with our opinions, we need to simply go to the
word of God and proclaim His will. We need to be a people of the
book that provide book, chapter and verse for what we do and
teach. C.
According to II
Timothy 3:16-17, God’s word provides us with everything we
need to be equipped for every good work. We do not need to make
things up. We do not need to write our own creeds, handbooks or
manuals. We need to simply teach the scripture. D.
Envision for a moment, what will the Franklin Church of
Christ look like when we are fully fulfilling this principle for
glorifying God? Each member will be devoted to the word and
learning exactly what God has said so we will know what to teach.
Christians will not wait on Bible classes and sermons to learn
God’s word but will be focused on learning all the time. Then we
will not hold this learning inside but will share it with one
another and with the world. Despite how others may view it, we
will simply proclaim what God has said, unashamedly. III.
… bear fruit (John
15:8). A.
According to John
15:1-10, the only way we can bear fruit is to abide in Christ.
The way we abide in Christ is by abiding in His teaching and
keeping His commandments. B.
When we speak of bearing fruit, what do we mean? Most of
the time, we immediately think of producing more Christians. In Matthew
9:36-37, Jesus referred to converting others as reaping the
harvest. Certainly, producing other Christians is bearing fruit. C.
However, there is a more fundamental aspect of fruit
bearing that we must also address. Galatians
5:22-24 lists the fruit of the Spirit. That is, if the Spirit
is in us and we are in the Spirit, then we will bear these
fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. As we bear these fruit,
more Christians will come naturally. D.
Envision for a moment, what will the Franklin Church of
Christ look like when we are fully fulfilling this principle of
glorifying God? What we will see is a congregation that is in a
constant state of flux. No one will be staying the same. Rather,
each of us will be growing in love, joy, peace, etc. Additionally,
with each passing week, month and year others will be brought into
the fold to also bear the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. We
will not be filled with competition but rather recognize the point
of the good soil in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew
13:23). The good soil produces from, some thirty, some sixty,
some a hundredfold. We will not be caught up in who does more. We
will simply be caught up in each of us doing what we can do. IV.
… worship, honor and praise God in unity (Romans
15:5-6). A.
Within Romans
15:1-13, we see that unity means we do not seek our own
personal agendas. We do not demand our desires. We do not exploit
our freedoms. Rather, we do everything from a mindset of accepting
others and helping them live even in their weaknesses. That means
we will sacrifice our own desires and freedoms in order to benefit
others. B.
This unity is to be around Christ Jesus. We are not allowed
to come up with a semblance of peace and unity while sacrificing
Christ’s will. Rather, through perseverance, we must each get
into Christ’s word so we can be of the same mind (cf.
I Corinthians 1:10). C.
Further, this unity will enable us to glorify God with one
voice. The use of the term “glorify” here refers specifically
to our worship. One of the greatest hindrances to being able to
glorify God is division among brethren. But unity draws us
together helping us sing, pray, teach, share of our means and
remember our Lord with one voice, glorifying God through our
unified worship. D.
Envision for a moment, what will the Franklin Church of
Christ look like when we are fully fulfilling this principle of
glorifying God? Do not think we will see no problems. We will
always see problems. However, we will see problems anticipated and
headed off at the pass. We will see problems dealt with quickly
and overcome to the strengthening of brethren. We will see
Christians sacrificing their own interests in order to help their
brethren grow and maintain their good consciences. Further, we
will see a devotion to worship as the congregation and each member
wants to gather to glorify God together worshipping Him with one
voice. V.
… serve God and each other through our individual
giftedness (I Peter 4:10-11).
A.
If we are going to glorify God, we will use the abilities
God has given us to serve Him and others. In I
Peter 4:10-11, Peter provides two examples—speaking and
serving. Whether we have these abilities or others, we are to use
them in such a way that God and His children are served,
acknowledging God for our abilities and causing others to look to
Him. B.
Romans
12:3-8
demonstrates this same principle. We each have different
functions. God has blessed us all with different abilities.
Instead of spending our time in arrogance because we think our
abilities are better than others’ or in complaining and jealousy
because we think others’ abilities are better than our own, we
should simply spend our time glorifying God by using the abilities
He has given us to serve Him and to serve His people. C.
Envision for a moment, what will the Franklin Church of
Christ look like when we are fully fulfilling this principle of
glorifying God? We will look like a group of servants. Arrogance
and pride will be removed. No one will be too good to use their
abilities to serve others. Laziness will be absent from our midst.
Priorities of service to others over our own desires will rule the
day. Each member will grow in hospitality. The individual members
will not wait for the church to organize a work to serve others;
rather we will each do whatever we can, whenever we can, for
whomever we can. Conclusion: We have a great mission. It is certainly a challenge. But we can do it. I know we can do it because we are not alone. According to Ephesians 3:20-21, the passage which assigns our mission, our God is able to do through us more than we can even imagine. God will help us accomplish our mission, we must simply commit ourselves to it.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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