What is going to cause us to move from where we are to where God is taking us?

In Matt. 21:33-41 Jesus says, ‘this is what the Kingdom of God is like: a landowner (God), planted a vineyard, (gathered a group of people in a specific location), and put a wall around it, (established the boundaries or areas of effectiveness, it’s unique purpose and destiny), and dug a winepress in it, (provided everything necessary to fulfill that destiny, money, talent, gifting, opportunity), and built a tower, (for safety, speaks of watchmen, intercessors, the prophetic, discernment, vision), gave it to the people and let them manage and run it for him. Then he expects to receive produce, he expects them to use what he has provided to ‘turn a profit’.

God is moving in our body and there is great progress on most fronts. It is a delight to be associated with every one of you, to be part of the family called River Community Church. I really do love you guys! I also have a sense that God is taking His church, us, to another level of productivity. Do we believe that we are to be more than a place to gather on Sundays, if it is convenient? I believe we are. Sundays are important because that is where we are all together and in that place, God can say and do stuff in us both that we can see and that we can’t. It should be the celebration of a 7 day a week walk with Him in our homes, schools, places of work, free time.

The ‘managers of the vineyard’ in the story decided it should all be for them, they should set the priorities, and consume the entire ‘product’ themselves. God has provided us with all the components in the parable, and now He is looking for produce. He expects us to take what He has given us and ‘turn a profit’ make ‘an increase’, not to decide to consume it on ourselves. How we can be guilty of this is to participate in the life of the community only when it suits us, is convenient, or feeds something in us, in other words, stay immature and refuse to grow up into all God has for us. When opportunities to serve or help out in an area are made known, do we ask Father: ‘is this something I should be involved in?’, or do we say: ‘I’m not willing to be inconvenienced and therefore this is not for me’. We stay as ‘consumers’, where most people start when they first join a church family, in that the focus is ‘what’s in it for me, how will this church meet my needs’, instead of moving on to participators or ‘producers’ where the focus is ‘how can I contribute? what’s my piece of the puzzle today?’

Another thing is about growth. We all seem to want at least a few more people to be in the meetings on Sunday. But with growth comes responsibility. The core of people who God has joined together here and brought through all the ‘laying the foundation’ process are the ones who need to assume it and step up. In the past in speaking with the ‘evangelistic giftings’ in the River, we have come to the conclusion that if we did a door to door invitation campaign in our neighbourhood, which we were considering, and suddenly 50 people showed up to ‘check us out’, we wouldn’t know what to do with them. We are growing in it, but not yet good enough at showing up on Sundays ready to go up and talk to new people and make them feel welcome. People come back the second time, and eventually begin to feel joined when they are welcomed and spoken to, and maybe even phoned or emailed during the week. This is not my job, or Pam’s job solely or ‘someone else who is more outgoing than me’. It’s OUR job! Are we ready to do that? Are you? If you invite your friend or neighbour and then decide not come yourself that day, it’s unlikely he’ll feel very comfortable. Consistency!

We’re getting pretty good at the ‘Father’s love message’ where we know we don’t have to perform to be accepted by God, and that we don’t work for approval. That the Father loves us unconditionally and completely, not more and more as we earn it. That God will use us and trust us with doing His business, before we have attained perfection. Now He wants us to do something with it, to go out of a place of feeling approval and worth as sons and daughters, and produce a crop in the vineyard He has prepared for us.

The same David who wrote ‘you make me lie down in green pastures, you lead me beside quiet waters, you restore my soul’ also wrote ‘you clothe me with strength, you train my hands for battle so my arms can bend a bow of bronze, by your strength I can run through a troop and leap over a wall, I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and I did not turn back until they were consumed’. We are designed for both the quiet place of rest, and the battlefield. We will feel unfulfilled until we are about our Father’s business. We will feel exhilarated and free and fulfilled and truly alive when we take what we know in the quiet place and as a team/body begin to launch out to produce whatever God has prepared for us.

There’s no one here but us chickens! Let’s not be those who sit around and watch and wait for someone else to make the church whatever it is we perceive it to lack, like bigger, more friendly, more evangelistic, more missions oriented, etc. etc.

It’s usual to assume that it is the pastor’s job because he gets paid, or at least the leadership team’s job. Wrong! Not in this outfit! My job is very clearly to equip each one of you to ‘do the work of the ministry’, not do all the work of the ministry myself.

So look around you: do you love the church as much as I do, and can’t wait for what the Father has for us to walk out after all this preparation? There’s no one here but us chickens! It’s up to me and you and all of us together!! Let’s go for it!

That the leaders lead, that the people volunteered, bless the Lord!  Judges 5:2

Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power  Ps 110:3