16 Aug “Leaving Country Club Christianity” (Learning to do anything to reach the lost…except compromise) PART 11

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Over the last few months we gave our key verses: 

I Corinthians 9:19-23:  “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might win the more.  And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law: To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ.) that I might gain them that are without law.  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.  And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.”

We discussed:  “Three Leaving Lessons”:

  1. We have to be able to leave our preferences.

Now in order to understand this better, please allow me to share “6 Preference Principles”:

  1. Never compromise on principle.  Frequently compromise on preference.
  2. Never compromise on conviction.  Always extend compassion.
  3. Never change the message.  Frequently change the methods.
  4. Resist the system with courage.  Reach the souls with compassion.
  5. We must do everything we can to reach the lost…except compromise.
  6. Build bridges and burn barriers.

Continuing with our “3 Leaving Lessons”, not only do we need to

  1. Leave our preferences.
  2. We must be able to…Leave our privileges.

Please allow me to share with you “3 Privilege Principles”:

  1. Membership has its privileges…you get to take the worst seat, you get to take the worst parking space and prefer our guests!
  2. To be a healthy Christian you must move from being the object OF ministry to the object TO ministry.

This month let’s continue!

      3. Never let your personal freedom become someone else’s bondage (Rom. 14:21-23, I Cor. 10:23-24).

It becomes a monumental moment in our Christianity when we no longer live solely for our own benefit but we begin to think of how our actions affect others.  Now don’t mistake me, I don’t mean that you care what people think about you…but I do mean you care about the people who think about you!

In other words, I no longer just fight for my rights but I also fight for the rights of others.  Let me explain.  At Joy Church all paid staff (obviously including me) have a zero drinking policy.  Now if you want to you could probably argue with me biblically about your right to drink one glass of wine in moderation.  However that would be pretty short sighted.  The Bible tells us in Romans 14:21, “It is good to neither eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak.”

We have 30-40 people who come to each of our three services throughout the week.  They come from a recovery house in the area.  All of them are recovering from either alcohol or narcotic addiction.  I would never want our freedom to get these precious individuals on a downward spiral of addiction bondage.  You see, you may have the self-control to sip one glass of wine….but they don’t!

These precious people come every week and they find hope in the pastor who was an alcoholic 41 years ago and now is free by the grace of God (see I Cor. 6:11-12)!  It would break my heart to hurt them in any way!  Remember:  What a leader allows in moderation will always be taken to excess by those who follow him.

Join us next week as we continue this series…