July 7, 2024 1:00 am
Commitment is a two-way street, and it's essential to have a desire to be a blessing to others. The church should be a source of blessing, and unity is crucial for the body of Christ. A lack of commitment can lead to division and a lack of blessings, while a commitment to one another can bring about a deeper understanding of God's design for each church and its members.
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I've met people who expect a commitment in marriage but don't give it. I've met people who expect a commitment in friendship but don't give it.
I've met people who expect a commitment from the church but don't give it. That's supposed to be a two-way street. And somewhere in your life and in your heart there should be a desire to be a blessing to other people.
And then what happens? This place becomes a source and a place of blessing. Welcome to Cross the Bridge with David McGee. David is the senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina. No matter who you are or what church you may attend, God has a design for each church and every member of that church. Find out more about this as Pastor David continues in 1st Corinthians chapter 12. But before we join David, have you ever considered the Bible as a whole? It's more than just a history book, a book of poetry, or a series of stories to share in Sunday school class. The Bible is one book with one central message.
You heard me right. There is one main message in the Bible and David McGee is ready to share that life-changing message with you in his latest DVD entitled, One Book, One Message. Join David as he takes you from Genesis to Revelation and unlocks the most profound truth of all the scripture. You'll never look at the Bible the same way again. The DVD One Book, One Message is our gift to you when you call to support Cross the Bridge today.
You can call 877-458-5508 or go online to crossthebridge.com. Now here's David McGee with his teaching, Quit Dating the Church. Turn with me to 1st Corinthians chapter 12. A lot of us, we approach church almost as a dating relationship and what I mean by that is that, you know, we look for anything to go wrong so we can bail. As opposed to a marriage, you know, once you get married then there's penalty and pain and walking away.
Why? Because there's a commitment. Do you understand that in regards to people and the church there should be a commitment. Now there also should be a commitment from the church to the people and let me tell you there absolutely is in this place. The deacons, the elders, the staff members are committed to you without a doubt. I am committed. I'm giving my life to share these truths that I'm sharing with you today to help you to help you follow God. And you know in those days and age we talk about how corporations don't have any commitment to their people, to the employees anymore but you know studies also show that employees no longer have a commitment to the corporations.
Now which came first or who did it first? I don't know but this is where we are. And so in this society we tend to lack commitment, we tend to lack loyalty. And in a place like the church there really should be a commitment. So we're gonna be digging into the Word of God today and looking what it has to say. 1st Corinthians chapter 12 verse 17 says, If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing?
If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? Again Paul is comparing the church to the human body and he's saying the church is made up of different parts, different members. And your body is extremely diversified but yet in purpose it's very unified. And if parts of your body were to cause schisms or divisions or begin to do their own thing it would be a serious, serious problem.
Maybe even threatening the life of the body. We see in the Bible that the same is true. We're gonna probably next week we get into you know what happens when there's division and how you deal with that. But again when we talk about the body there's there's two ways we don't talk about this. One is the body is the church, big C worldwide church, anybody that believes in Jesus as their Savior anywhere in the world today. And then there's the local church that is us, the bridge. And so in both cases there are differences.
There's differences when you look around the world between different churches and there's differences with us in this place. And we each have a different responsibility. You know it's talking about parts of the body and you know of course I wonder gee you know when you just read that you think okay which part am I right? See I happen to know which part I am. Evidently I am the mouth of the body of Christ you know. That's somebody's got to do it you know. I mean I'm I'm the one that talks in here and and so you know we each have our responsibility because if people came in here and during the service and everybody started talking that wouldn't work well with it.
Some of you've tried it and the hushers got you didn't they? So I'm the mouth of the body of Christ. But we all have our part to play. We all have our part to play. But we're all together and we need to understand how important this togetherness, this unity is. Because what's happened in modern Christianity is there's a real lack of commitment to one group of people. And that's on both sides. Let's admit that. Pastors the average tenure now I think is 2.3 years for a senior pastor.
We've gone through four different senior pastors and no I'm kidding. I'm here. Why? I've got nowhere else to go.
Well I don't know. You know I've had offers to do other things in other places. But I have a commitment to this place. I'm aware that there's other churches but you should have a commitment to this place.
Why? Because with commitment is blessing. Some of you may be going, I don't understand. You know God talked about all these blessings if I had a relationship with him. Are you committed to him? See because if you're straddling the fence between the world and God you're not really committed. And let me assure you of something. You are not experiencing the full blessings that God has for you. Why? Well because you're in love a fence-sitter.
You need to get off the fence. Now if you think that's graphic think about what Jesus said. In the book of Revelation he said you know what you're neither hot nor cold you're lukewarm. So the King James very politely says so I will spew you out of my mouth. You need to understand in the Greek what that's really saying is I will puke you out, vomit you out. That's what it means. I don't think anybody you know you think of that oh let it be me I want to be puked out by Jesus.
Well don't be lukewarm. Experience that commitment, that oneness. There's a blessing there.
Don't let the enemy rip you off. Look at the prayers of Jesus in John 17. He prays three times in a couple verses that they all may be one. That they all may be one as you Father are in me and I in you that they also may be one in us. That the world may believe that you sent me and the glory which you gave me I have given them that they may be one just as we are one. These are closing hours of Jesus life. This is the true Lord's Prayer. The closing hours of life. You see the heart of Jesus revealed in John 17 as he prays and what's the predominant theme of the prayer that they might be one.
So it's important absolutely it's important. You're listening to Cross the Bridge with David McGee. We'll return to the teaching in just a moment but first we have a brand new DVD that we would love to send to you. It's called One Book One Message. In this powerful DVD David sweeps through the entire Bible to help you understand the main message of all of Scripture.
Once you grasp this amazing truth you will never look at the Bible the same way again. One Book One Message is our gift to you today when you call with a gift of any amount to cross the bridge. Your gift helps keep us on the air encouraging you and others so call today. The number is 877-458-5508.
That's 877-458-5508 or go online to CrossTheBridge.com. Friend do you have a heart for the lost? I invite you to send us the first names of your lost loved ones and we will have hundreds of people praying for them. Just go to CrossTheBridge.com and click on the prayer button and you'll enter their name and if you put your name and email address in there I'll send you free resources to equip you to pray and teach you how to reach your lost loved ones. Please don't wait this is so important so please again go to CrossTheBridge.com and click on the prayer button and send us the first names of lost loved ones. We'll send you some free information and together we can partner to deliver the good news of Jesus Christ to the whole world.
The whole book for the whole world. Now let's return to our study. Verse 18, but now God has set the members each one of them in the body just as he pleased. God brought you here. Whether you've been here for years and we've got people that have been with us since the house. That shows commitment. That shows loyalty. It shows character.
To go for the long haul. The commitment with a church and a person is much like it's much like a marriage. It's not well let's you know let's walk the road together till we think something's wrong with one of us. Is that the relationship you have with Jesus? You think he's just gonna walk with you till he figures out something's wrong with you?
Gang he already knows something's wrong with you. That's why he came and he died on the cross for your sins. And it says God set the members. And again you know I'm I am committed. I'm not asking you to do something I'm not willing to do. I am committed to this place. How committed? You know what? Unless the Lord you know tells me to go do something else which I really don't sense in my lifetime.
Could be. Or the Lord takes me home. I'm committed to spending my life pastoring and leading this place. Amen. Some of you are like praise God. Some of you are like man.
Doggone it. But again let's understand the prayer of Jesus. Let me let me set up another pronoun in there. John 17 21 that they we you and I may all be one as you father are in me and I in you that they we you and I also may be one in us. That the world may believe that you sent me and the glory that you gave me I have given them that they we you and I may be one just as we are one.
Tell you something verse 25 we're gonna really get down to the nitty-gritty. God has brought us together. Mark chapter 10 verse 9 says therefore what God has joined together let not man separate. So you need to view with great suspicion anybody that tries to divide or disrupts that unity or tries to get you to go somewhere else or do something else. Why? Because that's a really selfish move.
I have never intentionally invited anybody from another church ever. Why? It's inappropriate. Especially if somebody is being blessed and being fed. It's just not the thing to do.
Why? Because there's so many people that aren't going to church. Why are you inviting somebody else from another church? Now if somebody's at a church and they're starving to death. If somebody's at another church and they're not talking about being born again.
They don't give invitations. Perhaps they've even slipped into heresy. That's a different discussion. I've actually been in a position where I've sat with somebody they said well I was over at this church I've done it now and this went wrong this one and now I'm here. And I've actually said to some people you know what I'm glad you're here but you need to go get that straightened out at your old church first and then come back here.
Because that's an unresolved conflict. You and your pastor just you know it may be it to agree to disagree but go straighten that out and come back here. Well pastor that's no way to grow a church. Well evidently honoring God and walking in integrity is a way to grow a church. Amen? And I know we sometimes we get bummed out somebody's here and then they leave but you know a lot of times God uses moments in time to really to prune people and and to be honest sometimes he'll use the own rebellion in the person's heart to move them out.
Don't let that be you. 1 John 2 19 says these people left our churches but they never really belonged with us. Otherwise they would have stayed with us and when they left it proved that they did not belong with us. It's a sad verse. Why? Because friend as we go through trials and storms we go through them together. What kind of friend am I to you or what kind of friend are you to me or what kind of commitment is there to the church at first little trial or little storm. We break that commitment. That's not really a commitment. I hear people breaking commitments for sometimes the silliest reasons.
What does that show? Shows there wasn't a commitment there to begin with. Life lesson here is God has a design for each church and a part for each member to play. Gang we are so commitment phobic. In other words we are afraid of committing. Well I mean not us but there's a church down the road. They are afraid of committing.
No we are. Why? Well because we've been hurt or something's gone wrong and because the devil gets in and creates fear in our mind about committing.
Why? Because there is a blessing and being committed. Some of you maybe think back if you're married think back before you were married. How scary that was to make a commitment. In my life I have two older brothers and in one year my mom and dad married 33 years, got divorced. My oldest brother got a divorce. My middle brother got a divorce and I decided to get married. And I was praying God don't let this be some genealogical curse that I can't be married. There was a little bit of fear if you will of commitment. Of course 22 years later I am still married same woman. Amen.
Praise God. Got married when I was eight. And that blessing and that commitment is a two-way street. I've met people who expect a commitment in marriage but don't give it. I've met people who expect a commitment in friendship but don't give it.
I've met people who expect a commitment from the church but don't give it. That's supposed to be a two-way street. As well as being blessed. See I want to be a blessing to you. Absolutely want to be a blessing. The staff wants to be a blessing. Elders, deacons, team leaders want to be a blessing to you. And somewhere in your life and in your heart there should be a desire to be a blessing to other people. And then what happens? This place becomes a source and a place of blessing.
And then when you hit a storm or a trial guess what? There's a commitment there. I've said before you know if you try to build that commitment when you're in the middle of a storm or a trial it's gonna be difficult. Some people always wait till they get in the midst of that to look around to try to get a friend and try to develop relationships. Friend, that's a bad time to do it.
I mean if it's the only time you do it that's it. But to already have the existing relationship with other people and with the Lord. Such a blessing. And once God joins together don't don't break that covenant and that commitment with each other.
Don't do it. If you know God has brought you here only let God take you out. Amen. I mean I'm here I'm not it's not well you know I'm here for now till somebody says something mean or looks at me weird or somebody doesn't call me or email me or text me or Facebook me quick enough then I'm out of here. That's not really a commitment is it? But I'm committed I just told you that I'm committed here till you know probably till the Lord takes me home.
Why? God brought me here. Verse 19 it says and if they were all one member where would the body be? If they were all one member where would the body be? See if we were all one part of the body what kind of body would it be? If my foot was made up of five big toes I would probably have to learn how to walk again. If my hand had five thumbs on it I would probably need to figure out how to play guitar again.
That's not the way that it works that's not the way it's operated. There's diversity in the hand there's diversity in the foot there's diversity in the body of Christ. A lot of times we look at other people we go well you're not like me well praise God.
Amen. We think we want somebody to be exactly like us but we don't. Ladies you let somebody show up wearing something you're wearing and you realize quickly you don't want everybody to look like you. As a matter of fact sometimes we look at hey hey hey he's got on my shirt. That's not your shirt. I doubt he slipped into your house and stole it from you.
He bought that shirt probably the same place that you bought it it's not your shirt. It's like kindergarteners isn't it? Some little kids playing with a toy that looks like the toy that the other kid has he freaks out. That's my toy.
It's not your toy. See we're different and praise God we're different and I'm still learning leadership and their giftings and who's gifted in this area who's gifted nobody's gifted in every area. If people that are really gifted in mercy really gifted encouragement. You know I feel like God has to a certain degree gifted me in encouragement and so I want to be committed to encouraging people. Why? Because we need encouragement. You come in here some Sundays and you're in the midst of a storm you're in the midst of a trial and I want to help you I don't encourage you through that. Maybe you're fighting some illness or some disease or cancer maybe you're battling cancer and you know what you come in here battling that kind of stuff you don't need me up here saying women should wear their hair like this or women shouldn't wear makeup or lipstick you don't need that. Amen. How weird is that? You come in battling something you can't wear lipstick. We get beat up enough out there and occasionally you'll hear something I'll step on your toe a little bit but it's done with love it's done with mercy and it talks about the gifts we all got different gifts and the Bible plainly says you're not supposed to have every gift yet we're all supposed to have one gift it's been a whole chapter on it after this one this chapter first Corinthians 12 31 says so you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts but now let me show you a way of life that is best of all it's love we should have love for one another but how do you have love without commitment you don't love comes with commitment if I tell you that I love you and then you have a storm and I abandon you or if you tell me you love me and then you hear a rumor and you abandon me is that really love that's not love it's not commitment so we're all given these different gifts who go who gives these gifts God gives these gifts and then we fit together like this beautiful kaleidoscope jigsaw puzzle this rainbow body crashes like a rainbow made up of all these beautiful colors I talked about a rainbow so it one time somebody emailed and said rainbows gay it's in Genesis with Noah the rainbow is ours we're taking it back God gave it as a sign of his covenant and what makes it what makes a rainbow so beautiful that it's different so many colors I mean if you saw a rainbow and those all one color and people weird with no but there's different colors that's what makes it so beautiful when you look out the body of Christ different colors different people different backgrounds different careers different gifts different personalities God wants us to be he wants us all to be different because there's a beauty in that it really is and what's sad is in some places in some spiritual communities if somebody comes in they feel a little different they actually are made to feel like they don't belong let me tell you something if you're unique and everybody in here is we need you we need your uniqueness because at some point somebody else is gonna walk through that door that you will click with maybe your past your history maybe your education maybe what you do for a living and because of your uniqueness how you and maybe the enemy is coming see what you don't really belong here you're not whatever no your uniqueness is why you belong here because we're all unique and if we were all the same it would be redundant or one of us wouldn't be necessary the Bible talks about this uniqueness and because of that doesn't matter what somebody does their past their background how they help every person is important every person you are important friend do you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven you can know right now I want to lead you in a short simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him now God wants you to pray this prayer so much that he died to give you the opportunity and the ability to ask him to forgive you please pray this prayer with me out loud right now dear Jesus I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life and I've done wrong things I have sinned and I'm sorry please forgive me of all those things please give me the power to live for you all of my days in Jesus name amen friend if you prayed that prayer according to the Bible you've been forgiven you've been born again Jesus said he would not turn anybody away who comes to him and he came for those people who knew they needed forgiveness those who were sick not the righteous so congratulations friend you just made the greatest decision that you will ever make God bless you if you prayed that prayer with David for the first time we would love to hear from you you can call us toll free at 877 458 5508 to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ if you've been encouraged by this ministry contact us today your prayers and financial support help keep us on the air encouraging you and others call today and we'll send you a copy of pastor David's brand-new DVD entitled one book one message you'll be blessed by this overview of the Bible and it will forever change how you read the scriptures to get your copy call 877 458 5508 that's 877 458 5508 or visit us online at cross the bridge calm while there make sure to sign up for the free email devotional also if you're not able to make it to your home church this Sunday why not join us for our live stream at 9 and 1130 Eastern just visit cross the bridge calm and click on our live stream link there you can watch pastor David teach from his home church the bridge in Kernersville North Carolina again that website is cross the bridge calm thanks again for listening we hope you'll join us next time as we continue to cross the bridge
Whisper: medium.en / 2024-07-07 00:10:52 / 2024-07-07 00:20:33 / 10