I Choose Love - Love Cares, Part 2

Let me ask you, did you ever have concert tickets only to find out that you showed up on the wrong night and you missed the whole deal?

Where you got invited to a really special wedding only to get the time wrong and everyone was leaving by the time you got there? I want you to know there are amazing things happening all around us and we keep missing them because... Because... That's what I want to talk about today. Stay with me. Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Chip's our Bible teacher for this international discipleship ministry focused on helping Christians live like Christians.

Well, in just a minute, we'll wrap up our series, I Choose Love, How to Build Lasting Relationships. For the past several programs, Chip's highlighted the specific characteristics of love laid out by the Apostle Paul and how those attributes help us form bonds with others and with God. Now, if you've been encouraged by Chip's study through Philippians Chapter 2, would you take a minute after this message and share this series with a friend?

Now, you can do that through the Chip Ingram app or by sending them the free MP3s that you'll find at livingontheedge.org. And thanks for spreading the word about how this teaching is impacting you. Okay, if you have a Bible, go now to Philippians Chapter 2 as we join Chip for the remainder of his message, Love Cares. Do you care? Where you live, your roommate, your family, do they sense, do they feel you care? Does your words communicate? I really care. Do your actions communicate at work that it's your task and your stuff and what you gotta get done? Or that you care? I mean, one of the things I love about our church is when there are needs, you care. There's been an outpouring of finances and individuals really making a difference. Notice he says, therefore, receive him in the Lord with all joy and hold men like him in high regard because they came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete that which was deficient in your service to me.

Do you see these characteristics coming out? Commitment. He's my brother. We're in it together. We're family.

He's a fellow worker. We're arm in arm. I mean, we're setting goals. There's tasks. There's work to be done. This isn't about us. We're fellow soldiers. We're doing battle. We do spiritual warfare. We're working out hard things together.

We're in the trenches together. And then he says he's your messenger, and it's a very interesting word. This is a Greek word used in the ancient language of someone during that time who would be called a benefactor and someone who is sort of the benefactor of a city who might bring a drama to the city or a public works and pay for the majority of it. And what he's saying is, Epaphroditus was a messenger, an apostle, a benefactor, a brother. He was the kind of person who cares.

Hold people like that in high esteem. There's a couple of fellows that are going to rotate off the board, and as we were going through that meeting, I just thought of the endless hours that they've put in and the ministries that they're involved in and the preparation and what they've meant in my life and things behind the scenes that no one knows. But you talk about fellow brothers, fellow workers, messengers, people that care. Now, here's where I want to go. That's the passage.

You got it? Philippians 2, 19 to 30. What we know is that the command was don't think of yourself, put others' interests ahead of your own. The great example was verses 5 through 11. Jesus had this attitude in your cells that was also in Christ Jesus. He didn't think equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but he humbled himself.

Remember? And then love obeys. He says, now obey not just in my presence, but now much more in my absence. And now he's going to say, love doesn't just obey, but in the everyday grind of life, love actually cares. And here's what I want you to get. Notice on the top of your notes, it says, Timothy and Epaphroditus exemplify the kind of person God uses to fulfill his purposes.

Let me read that again. Timothy and Epaphroditus exemplify the kind of person that God uses to fulfill his purpose. Out of this passage, I've done something that I think is going to be very helpful. There are four things that when God is shopping, if you will, when he's looking, when he's saying, should I use this man? Should I use this student? Should I use this woman? Should I use this couple? Are you ready?

Should I use this church? There's four things he's looking for. And I put them in the form of a question. I want, as I go through these, I want you right now, would you please whisper a prayer? Oh God, would you help me to have ears that are open and a heart that's tender to hear that I could answer these questions honestly? Because if you're not using me to the extent that you've designed me to, there's needs that are going unmet in people's lives.

They're not experiencing Jesus. And secondly, I'm not experiencing the joy and the power in what you designed me to be. Four questions. Listen very carefully.

Pull out your pen. I've got a couple things to fill in. Question number one, when God is looking, is do you have a servant's heart? Do you have a servant's heart?

Do you really care about people to the point of moving out of your current schedule, your current rhythm, and just life as it is today? See, that's what servants do. Remember, for a servant, there's no job too low.

There's no recognition needed, and there's no thanks required. A servant doesn't whine about what's wrong. A servant says, oh, there's a problem or a need. I'm going to be a participant in changing it.

Here's the issue. We in our hearts and minds intend, but it's an action step. I would like you, use your tear-off tab or whatever vehicle, will you please ask God Lord, will you show me where to serve? And if not in this church, in a Christian organization, in a very special way of leading a study at work, we just want you, the body of Christ, to have a servant's heart. And a servant's heart isn't measured by standing up in a service. A servant's heart is measured by action steps that give and serve and obey and care.

And so just ask yourself, honestly, do I have a servant's heart? You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and Chip will be back in just a minute to finish today's talk. But quickly, I want to remind you that this program is only possible because of the generosity of listeners like you. So if you'd like to support us, go to livingontheedge.org.

That's livingontheedge.org. Thanks for doing whatever God leads you to do. Well, let's rejoin Chip now for the remainder of his message. There's a man on Saturday nights, comes early, prays, all during the service, he prays. We have another service, he prays. And then on Sunday morning, I drive in and I can tell you right where he stands, and he's helping people get in and out of the parking lot. You'll probably never know his name. You'll probably never recognize him. You know what Jim has?

You know why God's using Jim? He has a servant's heart. Second question, are you willing and available? Are you willing and available? Many care, but not to the point of genuine willingness to act. Others are genuinely willing. You're really willing, you're just not available. You're just too busy.

You're just doing lots of stuff and you've assumed all the stuff you're doing is the most important stuff. If there's no time for God and if there's no time to serve others for God, let me just tell you, you're too busy. The application for some in this church is to pause and stop and have a little private moment with God or a family council and say, we're too busy. We're going to cut some stuff out and we're going to put some God stuff in. Willingness and availability, when the eyes of the Lord are going to and fro. You know what? He doesn't use people that aren't available and He doesn't use people that aren't really willing. My question, are you willing?

The second reason people don't serve or don't care is, this is so sad, but you actually think that you don't have anything to give and you actually think, some of you, that because of what you've done or what you've been through or the tragedy or the abuse or the divorce or the separation or the abortion or the bankruptcy. I could go on and on and on and on. You think, God uses people that are squeaky clean and have it all together. Like the Apostle Paul, murderer. Or like Moses, murderer. Or like James and John, the guys with anger management issues. People that really have it together like Rahab, oh that's right, she was a prostitute. Or Matthew, the Apostle Matthew, oh that's right, he was a tax collector and a crook. I could go on. It always amazes me when I was a kid, I grew up in a real social church and we didn't believe the Bible, but it was a beautiful church and had all this stained glass.

I'm for stained glass, don't get me wrong, but they had all the pictures of all the apostles like in stained glass and that's where I had them. And then, are you ready? I read this book. And one of the greatest things that happened in my life, these people are as messed up as me. Some of them a lot worse, they're as messed up as you. You know what I have in my hands? These are people who say, this is a list of things that they can check, that this is what I've been through, the death of a parent, the death of a child, the death of a close friend, an unwanted pregnancy, the loss of a friendship, chronic fatigue, unresolved bitterness, job loss, struggles with alcohol, struggles with drugs, a major family change, gone through a divorce, been a single parent, raised in a single family, have an addiction, had a bad church experience, low self-esteem, loneliness, depression, fired from a job. And you know what we say?

Guess what? You qualify. You qualify because the grace of God has taken you through this.

You don't have it all together. This is a person who's been through cancer, terrible divorce. This is a person who's been through a terrible divorce.

Guess what? God uses people who will lay down their pride, be open to get some training and teaching, and say, I want God to use my brokenness and my pain in ways that are restorative, that he's going to leverage my hurt and my pain. Here's what the Scripture declares. God comforts us in all our afflictions so that we can comfort others as they go through it. The eyes of the Lord are going to and fro, and he's asking, do you have a servant's heart? He's asking, are you willing and available? And as the green lights come up on the dashboard of the Holy Spirit, he's looking for those kind of people that he's going to give direction and power and joy.

Third question you need to ask and answer. Are you faithful in the assignments God's given you? See, the fact of the matter is that God has given us many opportunities, and Timothy was faithful. He was proven. Epaphroditus was faithful, and he said, you have to be faithful. The thing that amazes me, you talk about faithful.

You talk about well-prepared. You talk about people that really pray. I remember a man named Dave Marshall who, beyond all the, quote, great Christians in the world who revolutionized my life, Dave was a bricklayer. Dave wasn't flashy. Dave wasn't cool.

The Bible studies weren't dynamic. He wasn't a good speaker, but Dave didn't give up on me. I was a sort of, just came to Christ, and I couldn't figure out whether I was going to really walk with God or keep hanging out in bars and doing stuff I knew was wrong, and Dave just was faithful. Dave invited me into his home for dinner. He cared. Dave modeled what it meant to be a man. He cared. Dave met with me once a week, and a lot of times I blew him off.

I wouldn't get up. He just kept coming. He cared. He cared. He cared.

He cared. You know what? Whatever my life ever amounts to, whatever number of people or depth of people who ever get changed or helped by Jesus, Dave Marshall is the human reason, because he cared. Final question that God is asking is are you loyal and teachable? Are you loyal? There's people here that have lived through the ups and the downs of leadership up and down and struggles and crisis.

You know what? They're loyal. They didn't come to this church and say, hey, what's in it for me?

If it isn't the way I like it, I'm leaving. They've prayed. They've hung tough. They've been faithful. They keep giving.

They keep coming. They just don't give up, and we are here because of them. And my prayer is that I will be loyal and faithful for the generation that's gonna come after us.

The final word I have there is not only loyal but teachable. Are you willing to learn something new? You know, God is looking for people that are willing to say, you know, I don't know how to do that, but I'm open. What are you willing to do so that you can experience the blessedness and the joy and that you can be a part of meeting the needs that, are you ready?

Only you can be. You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and the message you just heard, Love Cares, is from our series, I Choose Love. Chip will join us in studio to share some insights from today's talk in just a minute. One of the greatest highlights of God's heart is to witness his children, those of us who call him Lord, loving one another.

But as we all know, that's easier said than done and doesn't always come naturally to us. Through this short study, Chip walked through four characteristics of love laid out for us in Philippians chapter two. We pray you learned how to apply these truths to your relationships with others and God so you can choose to love more and love better. Let me encourage you to go back and revisit any part of this series by going to livingontheedge.org.

That's livingontheedge.org. Well, Chip's joined me in studio now, and Chip, you know, with all that's happening in our world today and the societal pressures on our kids, you know, it's hard not to feel completely hopeless. What encouragement do you have for us right now? Well, the fact of the matter is, Dave, it's easy to get discouraged as you see the moral decline in our culture. And it's on the nightly news, it's on the social media, and some of us wonder, you know, in private moments, how can we make a difference for Christ?

Here's what I want to say. Don't lose hope. We can and must reach and teach the next generation for Jesus. And so, what are some practical, doable next steps you can take? Well, first, pray.

I mean, really pray. And then ask God who He wants you to share Jesus with and who He's calling you to disciple. And let me encourage you, start with those in your own home. And then learn and be equipped through this brand new resource, Not Beyond Reach by Aaron Pierce.

You can reach the young people that you care so much about, and this resource will show you how. You know, I've talked about this book for quite some time, and what I want you to know is that we can make a difference, but we can't be on the sidelines. We have to engage. Will you pray? Will you get the book? And then let's start that ripple effect of reaching our kids, grandkids, and those far from God for the Lord Jesus Christ. To order this new book by Aaron Pierce, Not Beyond Reach, go to livingontheedge.org or the Chippingram app. Learn what you can do to skillfully and intentionally share the truth of the Gospel in this post-Christian culture.

Again, to get your copy of Not Beyond Reach, visit livingontheedge.org or the Chippingram app. We'll hear again as Chip to share a few final thoughts to wrap up this series. As we wrap up today's program, I would like to invite you to just pull up a chair and pause for just a moment, and let's really think about some things, because the eyes of the Lord are going to and fro throughout the whole earth. That the world as we see it now, if you're concerned, you ought to be, as am I. We look at what's happening globally and the vice of discipline and restrictions, the violence happening, the polarization in America, the hate, the prejudice, the kind of things that I see that in my lifetime I have never seen. God is not wringing His hands.

And if you look at history, whether it's the Greek world or the Roman world or the Persian world or the brutal Assyrian empire, God has always raised up a man or a woman, usually an ordinary person, and often either an older person or a teenager. And as we talked about really caring, that love cares, I've got a few questions for you that I'd like you to really think about, because God's eyes are looking for the man, the woman, or the student that answers yes to these questions. Question number one is, do you have a servant's heart?

I mean, you're living in a world that bombards you and bombards me with, it's all about you, it's all about me. Are your eyes outward? Are you a servant in your home? Are you a servant in your church and in your small group? Are you a servant at work? Or are you trying to get ahead and always concerned about what everyone thinks?

The second question is, are you willing and available? You know, you may have a servant's heart, but, you know, there's a lot of us that get so busy and so wrapped up doing so many things that God wants to use you, but you are so spread out. You know, busyness kills the joy in your life. Busyness and authentic, deep spiritual transformation don't go together. And it's hard to slow, to ponder, to spend time with God and to be available for just the assignments that have your name on them, instead of this response that we have, all of us do this, to pleasing people and doing everything.

Every need is not a calling. What does God have your name on? What does He want you to do? What has He gifted you to do in this season? What needs break your heart? What issues need to be addressed?

And it's not about talking to other people about them. It's saying, Lord, here am I. Send me. The third question is, are you faithful in the assignment God has already given you? You know, the Lord is a very, very wise steward of His people, and God always gives us small little assignments, and as we're faithful in the small assignments, then He gives us bigger assignments. And the final question is, are you loyal and teachable? You know, it really gets hard and enduring in this battle of the Christian life, enduring when He said, start a ministry. Keep loving that husband that's unresponsive or that wife or one of the kids that just doesn't seem to really get with the program. Can you be loyal and say, Lord, rather than all that has to happen in them, I want you to teach me. I want you to grow me. And as He changes you and changes me, it always has a ripple effect.

But you never reap in the same season that you sow. As you are a faithful, godly mom, dad, student, roommate, as you walk with God in the integrity of your heart, I will guarantee this. All the power in heaven and earth is behind you. Don't give up and don't give in.

Keep pressing ahead. Thanks for that encouragement, Chip. And as we close, if you're looking for good Bible content, check out the Chip Ingram app. You can listen to our most recent series or sign up for Daily Discipleship with Chip, which is a great resource to help you study God's Word at a deeper level. We want you to grow in your walk with Jesus, and the Chip Ingram app will help you do just that. Well, from all of us here, I'm Dave Druey, thanking you for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge. .