The Vibrant, Active Brotherood

[00:00:00] Good evening. God bless you. I've toyed with the thought. I wonder what the committee would do if we would just sing for the rest of the evening. You know, singing can be very vibrant and active within the brotherhood also. I've been so blessed many times just listening to my brothers and sisters sing. [00:00:32] My assignment tonight is Vibrant, Active Brotherhood. Vibrant and active is a sure sign of life. If that's found in the presence of your brotherhood, you will find an animated, pulsating group of believers who are cooperating together for a cause. Does that define me? Does that define you? [00:01:09] Vibrant and active in brotherhood. Let me begin this evening with an ancient but true story. Somewhere about 3,000 years ago, four men were banished from their city due to the fact that they were lepers. Although the inhabitants of the city had removed these four diseased men from within the city walls, The city was not much safer or better because of it. Because their city was besieged and surrounded by a huge enemy army. [00:01:44] In fact, this siege had been going on for so long that the people within the walls were on the verge of starvation. In fact, due to their intense hunger, some of them had even succumbed to cannibalism, eating their own for sustenance. With the valued people inside the city walls starving, you can probably imagine how much these four social outcasts had to eat. [00:02:25] And so one day, considering their options, they conversed among themselves and they said, Why sit we here till we die? Even if we found a way to get back into the city, it would benefit us but little, because they're not much better than us, as far as food goes. On the other hand, if we continue sitting out here outside the city gates, that's not all that promising either. Why don't we go down to the enemy camp and see if they'll take pity on us? [00:03:00] If they kill us, we really haven't lost that much. Because unless we get food, and get food soon, we're going to perish anyhow. Maybe they'll be sympathetic toward us. Feed us and let us live. And so as the sun set, four gaunt, hungry lepers. limped their way to the outskirts of the enemy camp. [00:03:37] And upon arrival, to their astonishment, they found the camp deserted. The whole encampment had been abandoned, obviously in haste, and as the four of them continued limping into the camp, there was no sign of human presence anywhere. These four gaunt lepers had been quite sure that death was inevitable for them. Instead, as they walked into the enemy's camp, they found unattended campfires cooking their supper. [00:04:12] Food, food, food, and plenty of it. Not only was there food for them, they also found silver, gold, and raiment. After filling their stomachs, they began to carry out the valuables, and they found a place to hide them. They came back, went into another tent, found some more, and carried it out and hid it also. After several trips of carrying out and hiding, a realization dawned upon these four now fortunate men. [00:04:47] And they said one to another, 2 Kings 7, verse 9, We do not dwell. This day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace. Should the four hungry men only enjoy themselves, feasting on the abundance of food, celebrate their fortune all by themselves, enjoy the intimate fellowship of their quartet group, fantasizing about their fabulous discovery and future? [00:05:22] or should they share the good tidings with their own? The very ones who had despised them. The ones who had cast them out to die. This evening, the dilemma of the four gaunt, skinny, bony, hungry, desperate lepers is not so much different than our own. We have feasted on the gospel of Jesus Christ. [00:05:58] We have found the food that gives us abundant life here and eternal life in the future. We have a joy unspeakable because we are well fed and taken care of lepers. We used to be outcasts, but this evening we've been pronounced joint heirs. Healed, sins forgiven We are offered a future that is beyond description [00:06:29] Beyond human comprehension Guaranteed by God Almighty Himself And God has called us to flesh all of this out In the context of brotherhood Why aren't we vibrant and active? Is it because we have so soon forgotten where we once were? Have we so soon forgotten how desperate our situation was? [00:07:02] Outside the city walls, banished, alienated, left to die, facing an inevitable death. As we evaluate our personal experience in local church life, brotherhood, Do you see any correlation between yourself as one of the four lepers, the valued people in the city walls, the brotherhood, but eating their own sustenance? [00:07:35] But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. Brotherhood, cannibalism, if you will This I say, then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh Galatians 5, verses 15 and 16 Does our vibrancy, activity in our local body Does it exhibit the lusts of the flesh, biting and devouring each other [00:08:09] Or is there evidence that we're indeed walking in the Spirit We have a promise from God in his word that if we're indeed walking in the spirit, we will not be fulfilling the lust of the flesh. Last evening, I think it was, Brother Wilbur asked the question, what is the biggest threat to hinder us from fulfilling the call that God has placed on our lives? And he mentioned some possibilities. [00:08:43] My immediate response to his question is that the biggest threat for Ben Stoltzfus is Ben himself. If Ben would just get out of the way and let God have his way, then God could begin to show himself strong. So often hinders so much of what God wants to accomplish through us. Vibrant and active brotherhood [00:09:15] When the Spirit of God visited the churches in Revelation, He observed a condition in one of those congregations that is relevant to our topic here this evening. I invite you to open your Bibles to Revelation chapter 3. Revelation chapter 3, beginning to read in verse 14. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, [00:09:52] These things sayeth the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou wert cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold or hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, [00:10:22] I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy negatives do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. [00:10:53] To him that overcometh who I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Often one of the major problems within our brotherhoods is the fact that too many of us are neither hot nor cold. [00:11:27] God clearly tells us he prefers us either hot or cold. This condition of being okay with something in between there is nauseating to our Savior. And the fact that we don't see it if we're indeed in the middle somewhere, if we're indeed leapwarm, is plainly to our detriment. Our condition in the eyes of God, if we're found there, is that we are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. [00:12:12] That's not a good commentary on a mediocre, half-alive follower of Jesus Christ. Miserable, wretched, blind, naked, poor I believe it's the half-alives I don't know if that's a good phrase or not I believe it's the half-alives among us who are the most damaging In brotherhood experience and relationships We're not on fire for God [00:12:43] On the other hand, not completely dead either Just alive enough to be nauseating for the cause Well God tells us very clearly here He would prefer us either hot or cold Now I'll be frank with you here It's a little bit difficult for me to fathom That God really does mean what he says here Hot or cold [00:13:16] If I understand it correctly, God is telling us that lukewarmness really indicates that we really don't appreciate what we've been just saved from. We used to be outside the city gates facing inevitable death. Death and condemnation was staring us in the face. But now that we have all the food we could possibly want or in need of, all we can think about is self-indulgence. [00:13:53] God says, I prefer you were either cold or hot. You know, is God really suggesting here in Revelation 3 that if we're not going to move toward being hot, become vibrant and active for the cause? Is he really saying he prefers that we wouldn't even pretend to be Christian? Is God really telling us that those who are cold, atheists, if you will, [00:14:27] those who make it clear that they want nothing to do with following Jesus or Christianity, is he saying that they are preferable to him? than those of us who are half-alive, mediocre, middle-of-the-road, the run-of-the-mill sort of Christians, just sort of average followers. Is God saying that those who are cold have never tasted of the good things? Is God really saying that they're less wretched, less miserable, blind, poor, naked? [00:15:06] I know your works, God says. I see the fruit that is being produced. And what I see, now see it. I would that were cold or hot. Choose one or the other. Being okay with something halfway in between there, it's not a good place to be okay with. It's not a good condition to be okay with. I see Jesus giving us a choice on what sort of believer, what sort of brother we will be within the brotherhood. [00:15:40] And the only reasonable choice, as we look at the implications and the instructions from the word of God, the only reasonable choice is that we become hot, alive, active, and vibrant for the cause. And as I understand life and what God expects, we happen to be in the driver's seat in order to become the hot people. Because it's obvious that God in his word is wanting us there and he's going to give us the resources to go that direction. [00:16:18] God tells us in what direction we should move toward if we're indeed this evening finding ourselves numbered among those who are somewhere in between. Let's just read verse 18 and 19 again. This is the three passions that the half-deads, I don't know if that's a good phrase, the half-deads or the half-alives, the in-between of hot and cold. Three passions listed here that need to be ours if we're indeed finding ourselves there. [00:16:52] I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment that thou mayest be closed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear. And anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous, therefore, be vibrant and active, and repent. Passion number one, buy gold tried in a fire. [00:17:28] God says, go and buy this gold. Now we all know that salvation can't be bought with money. Grace on merited favor with God comes to us as a gift from God. But this passage says that we're to go and buy gold. Gold tried in the fire. In 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 7 we have this verse that the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth [00:18:04] Though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. I don't know for sure exactly what this gold is or what it consists of that we're counseled to go and buy. In Peter there, it obviously has something to do with our faith. Buying gold at least has the implication that it's going to be costly for us to get this. I don't know for sure what this church in Laodicea was in desperate need of by being lukewarm. [00:18:48] But I believe they needed some stirring up. Maybe they even needed persecution. I don't know if that's the condition of your brotherhood or not. Personally, I prefer to think that Peckway is not in the condition where they need a lot of stirring up and persecution. But if she is, if that is the condition of our brotherhood, and God does send persecution or stirring up, [00:19:26] you and I, if that occurs, you and I, We, at that point, will choose how we will respond to it. It's important. Maybe it will serve us well now to determine how we're going to respond if God does see it best for us to respond. It says it there in verse 19, As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Most of us don't ask God to send that to us, do we? [00:19:59] But if our spiritual condition is of such that causes God to vomit, I suspect that he will send us rebuke and chastisement. It's evidence of his love. You know, most of us find ourselves living in a culture where feelings often trump right thinking. [00:20:34] I don't suggest that we should urge ourselves to the point that we're past feeling. But unless we are thinking right, we probably won't go right. How are we going to respond if God does send us chastisement and rebuke? How do you respond if that occurs in the context of your brotherhood? You know, way too often we respond by getting angry. [00:21:09] We respond by suggestions, I don't deserve this sort of brotherhood. When in fact we might actually deserve it. We might deserve exactly what God is sending us. As many as I love, I rebuke and chase. Way too often we embrace thinking and action based on feeling. Versus thinking in action based on what God has said [00:21:43] Our feelings will often tell us If I have to live with this kind of brotherhood And do brotherhood with people like you I'm out of here And I wonder how often we miss what God wanted to teach us Be zealous therefore and repent Brotherhood offers blessing and protection for the believer. [00:22:17] In fact, this protection and blessing we often fail to think about. Just this past weekend, I was reminded of the blessing of brotherhood. The blessing of people who care about each other. In our community, there was a 60-year-old man who, last weekend, in our local newspaper, [00:22:53] There was a writing in there that he died in prison. He was 60-some years old. His last name was Stoltzfus. His father had been a bishop of a local Mennonite church. Back in his youth days, he had identified himself with the brotherhood of a motorcycle gang. I believe they were known as the Pagans. And the reason he spent 40 years in prison and died there was due to the fact that he had been accused of murder. [00:23:34] A murder which he maintained throughout those years that he was not responsible for. This evening it's quite possible that he was right and the jury was wrong. But as someone said, he didn't receive that sentence because he sang too loud in church. He was not a suspect because of living godly. [00:24:12] The brotherhood of the believer really does offer blessing and protection. Oh, we forgive. The way of the transgressor is a hard way. Blessed is the man that walketh in a certain place. and walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of the sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. [00:24:46] The second passion for the half-alives or half-deads, lukewarm, is to buy white raiment. Buy white raiment that ye may be clothed. Again, the Bible does not specifically tell us what this white raiment is. Other than that, it's white raiment that we're supposed to go and buy and clothe ourselves with it. Maybe you have difficulty with the suggestion that it might even include that which we wear. [00:25:24] Clothing. I don't know. Go buy white raiment, the Bible says. The implication, again, is that it will be costly to buy. I believe white raiment speaks of holiness of life. I believe it refers to a people who are separated unto God. Let me just say this in relation to buying white raiment. [00:25:55] I believe God desired this brotherhood in Laodicea to really look like something. I believe He wanted them to look like they were serious about the cause. And as the world observed them, looked at them, there was to be no doubt in anybody's mind Who these folks were? Little Christs. [00:26:32] Thirdly, the third passion is to anoint thine eyes. Anoint thine eyes because you're blind in your lukewarm state. Anoint thine eyes so that you can perceive the direction you are headed. Do your brotherhoods need that in 2010? Do you need to know the direction you're heading? Absolutely. Anoint thine eyes so that you know where you're going. [00:27:05] In fact, have enough of vision that you'll be able to see where your decisions will take you in about four... Tim Miller told us today, think in four generations. We're so short-sighted so many times. Have enough of vision for at least four generations. Are these decisions that you're making as a brotherhood, are they going to result in wretchedness and misery? Are they going to produce wretchedness and misery in the lives of our posterity? [00:27:39] Or are they going to give us blessing? What are we willing to pay to experience the sort of brotherhood that keeps us from heading down that road? I'm convinced it's going to cost us something. I'm also convinced that it's going to cost us something that our flesh is not going to like. 1 John chapter 3 verse 14 [00:28:14] God says this We have passed from death unto life Because of what? Because we love the brethren We have passed from death unto life Because we love the brethren He that loveth not his brother abideth You know, this verse here in 1 John, the content of this verse is not what you will find promoted in much of nominal Christianity. [00:28:56] Mostly what you will hear from them is that God loves you and all you need to do is receive and accept that love and then, oh, happy day. Go get the food and enjoy it all by yourself. Get as much valuables as you can possibly carry. Stash it all away for your own enjoyment. The four lepers came to a realization that many of us miss. We do not well. [00:29:28] This day is a day of glad tidings. We hold our peace. You know, this evening, God really does love us just the way we are. But it's also true that because He loves us, He doesn't want us to stay that way. His goal is for us to be conformed to Jesus Christ. Jesus, let this mind, let this thinking be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. [00:30:05] Let this mind be like that of the Lord Jesus. Don't allow your feelings to trump your thinking. There are three primary methods that I believe God utilizes to bring us to the realization of needed change. Number one, it's the mirror of His Word. Secondly, it's the presence of His Holy Spirit living within us, giving us direction and influence. And thirdly, it's the brotherhood. [00:30:39] All three of these, the word of God, the influence of his spirit, and the brotherhood, need to have their proper significance in the lives of followers of Jesus. And while I don't plan to say a lot about the first two, the word of God and the Holy Spirit, except to say this. I don't think we should ever overemphasize the one at the expense of the other. Especially so with the Holy Spirit and brotherhood. [00:31:16] And this is a serious problem among Christendom today. There really is the possibility to overemphasize brotherhood at the expense of serious Bible study. And if we do that, we will ultimately compromise the truth of the scripture in order to accommodate relational issues. The fact of the matter is, we will never truly solve relational issues by overlooking or bypassing the truth of the scriptures. [00:31:52] You won't solve them. God's word and the illumination of his spirit will give us the answers and direction we need in brotherhood. Sometimes we kind of pride ourselves by suggesting that we're people of the book. Most of us, probably all of us, last evening, we raised our Bibles in affirmation by saying, this is the book. [00:32:25] But in reality, I wonder sometimes if we shouldn't admit that we have become a people of many books rather than the book. Most of us tend to be quite eager to see what commentators and other Christian authors have to say about what God said, rather than listen to what God said. There's also a possibility that an overemphasis on the Spirit can occur. There are those people who would tell us that the Spirit told me to do things and say things that the Scripture and serious Bible-believing brothers clearly reject. [00:33:07] And if that occurs, we need to be asking ourselves the question, what Spirit is being heard? Any spirit that violates what has been said is clearly not the same spirit who wrote the scriptures to begin with. The same spirit that wrote the scriptures is also the same spirit that lives within the life of each believer. Wonderful. He cannot lie. He has promised to lead us into all truth. [00:33:39] His spirit will not guide us differently than what he has already written. You know, the grace of God operates in a similar way. How many times have you heard statements such as, I'm just so thankful for God's grace, God's grace bringing me salvation, God's grace taking care of my wrong actions and sins. Well, praise God that His grace is able, it is sufficient to do that. [00:34:10] But God's grace has appeared to us for much more than that. Let me read to you Titus chapter 2 verse 11 and 12. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Listen, the grace of God also does this for us. Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. The same grace that brought salvation is also the same grace that wants to do a work within our lives. [00:34:47] Teaching us. Again, the verse there in John 3.14 We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brother. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. God is really giving us a thermometer, a gauge, to evaluate where we are in relation with him. I don't know if this is your practice in your home congregations or not, but at Pequay every six months we have preparatory services. [00:35:25] And just recently as we were getting ready for preparatory services, I thought about, you know, this comes around maybe just a little often. Every six months we get together and we take inventory of our relationship with each other, with God. But you know, if we notice, it's kind of a bit of tradition at Peckway, okay? We've done this for as long as I can remember. As long as I've been there, I should say. [00:35:58] If we notice the seriousness of loving the brethren, it may put a little different light on our tradition. Beachy believers need to affirm the certainty between faith in Christ and commitment to brotherhood. We can't have one without the other. [00:36:29] The Bible says we love the brethren or we abide in death. Abideth is an ongoing condition. Abideth in death, that's serious. It's really serious. It's a seriousness that can't be ignored. Sometimes, maybe a lot of times, we entertain thoughts such as, you know, God really gave me a set of difficult brethren to love. [00:37:04] I mean, we just have a few hard, just difficult people to love in our brotherhood. The probability of that being true is probably not real foreign or remote to any of us. Most of us probably have a few individuals in our brotherhoods that, well, if our feelings would trump right thinking, we would just say, [00:37:34] I don't know what you're asking. But you know, I really don't think we should spend very much time in figuring out why they happen to be in our brotherhoods. Instead, I think we should focus, I think we should encourage ourselves on what God says about them being there. Listen to what he says in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 18. But now hath God set every one of them in the body as it hath pleased him. [00:38:15] I've never seen anyone do themselves a favor by arguing with God. But now has God set the members, every one of them, in the body as it hath pleased him. I remember hearing one pastor saying that he feels sorry for those who aren't happy with where God has set them. Because it pleases God. And so we probably shouldn't spend very much time at all figuring out how to get rid of them. [00:38:50] Sounds horribly carnal, doesn't it? But what we need to do is to choose to love. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death How much will we give? How much are we willing to pay? How much are we willing to sacrifice in order to be able to say I love the brother? I'm not talking about feelings I'm talking about a decision that moves us in a direction Whatever it takes, whatever it's going to cost us [00:39:24] We need to begin up that path. Whatever it is that we have to sacrifice, it won't be too much. You see, the other alternative is simply not an option for us. Abideth in death. I've read about football fans who actually paint themselves purple. to match the color of their team. [00:39:59] Imagine that. I've read that these same human beings will shave the name of their team into their haircuts. I also understand that they wear some silly rubber mascot mask and that they tattoo the name of their team, a logo, onto their shoulders I've read that some of them actually insist that their honeymoon is shortened [00:40:29] all in the name of loyalty to the team. Giles Pellerin was an 87-year-old man who was a devoted fan of the University of Southern California Trojan football team. Giles had logged an attendance of 750 consecutive USC football games. He had not missed a Trojan game in 69 years. [00:41:06] Once when he was having emergency appendix surgery, just five days before the game, and he found himself still recovering in the hospital, Also, he tells the nurse he needs to go for a walk. He ended up at the stadium. Someone asked him, why do you make all these sacrifices to identify with the Trojans, an athletic team? [00:41:40] Giles Pellerin's answer was this, but that's all just part of being a fan. Brothers and sisters, have we honestly answered the same question in relation to a team that is far more important than any USC football event? How many of us have actually said, that's just part of loving the brethren. [00:42:19] That's just part of my commitment to a team that one day is going to experience the marriage supper of the Lamb. In conclusion, regardless of how we view the general condition of our brotherhood's back home tonight, I venture to guess that for most of us, she is probably less vibrant and less active than what we think she should or could be. [00:42:55] Let's be assured of that, even if that's true. Even though she has some spots and some wrinkles, even though she has lost the last ten consecutive games, she is the organism, she is the locality where God says, I will build my church. And if you want to be a part of that church, you must love the Brethren. The ultimate future of the church is glorious beyond imagination. [00:43:31] And that reality should do something for at least a few of us who were once gaunt, bony, diseased, hungry, desperate lepers. May God bless you.