Symbiosis: Cooperating for the Common Good: Sermon 1/21/2007
Pastor David Nicol
Isaiah 62: 1-5 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11
I’m not going to preach on the Wedding at Cana text today—I want to preach a sermon on Jesus’ first miracle, but I’ve committed to preach a sermon series, between now and Easter, on the Growth Forces, or Life Giving Principles assumed to be at work in the process of Natural Church Development, so I’ll be focusing on Symbiosis, Cooperating, especially in light of 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.
Some of you might be asking the question—what is Natural Church Development? Natural Church Development, or NCD, is a process of assessing church health, and responding to the places where the church is less healthy than it should be. The Institute for Natural Church Development has undertaken substantial research and seen significant success in improving the health of churches that faithfully participate in the NCD process. As of 2006, the Institute has surveyed over 45,000 congregations in 70 countries worldwide, including over 23,000 in the United States. I’d be glad to help folks find more information about NCD, but its too much for one sermon or even one sermon series. So, over six sermons, I’ll be talking about one of the most significant insights in NCD—that when we understand God’s natural Growth Forces, which work in nature as well as the church, we can work to apply these Growth Forces to ministry in the Church.
What you do need to know, is that when we apply God’s natural Growth Forces to the life of the Church, in combination with the 8 Quality Characteristics of Healthy Churches, we can release God’s “All By Itself Growth” in our congregations. In nature we see “All By Itself Growth” most easily in plants—in scripture, we see this in two key verses: Jesus’ parable of the Growing Seed in Mark 4:26-28 where Jesus “…said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head” and 1 Corinthians 3:6 where Paul says “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” The Good News here is that the Church grows as if all by itself, because as Paul realized, it is God who makes it grow!
For this to happen, we need to learn to plant, water, fertilize, weed, graft, and get out of the way when necessary, which often times is a hard to do. What usually occurs in churches is that various committees, individuals, or ministry groups decide on the best way of doing things without consulting other groups within the Church. When we do this, our ministries do not exist in a symbiotic relationship. They are unable to live as different entities in mutually beneficial relationships. As we think about ministries in the local church, we need to recognize that each ministry within the life of any church is unique. But we also need to ask the question of all our ministries, are they living in a symbiotic relationship with the rest of the life of the Church?
As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 12, God gives all believers gifts for the building of the Kingdom. Though not all Christians receive the same measure of all gifts, if you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit has equipped you with spiritual gifts for the building of God’s Kingdom. There are many gifts, including those Paul lists, but all gifts come from the Holy Spirit, and are gifts for ministry. Not all believers receive equal measure of wisdom or knowledge, or gifts of healing, or miraculous powers, or prophecy, or discernment of spirits, or speaking in tongues, or interpretation of tongues, or gifts of administration, evangelism, preaching, teaching, or the ability to operate electronic equipment or cook beans—but all believers have been given faith in sufficient measure to seek God and God’s plan for our lives!
As we look at our God-given gifts, we need to ask ourselves, what is my place in God’s plan for this congregation? How can I use my gifts for ministry? Sometimes we need help discovering what those gifts are, and God provides a way to let us know, but just like getting out of the way of Church growth, we must get our fallen, sinful selves out of God’s way, letting the Holy Spirit work through us and use us to strengthen the Body of Christ and further the cause of the Kingdom of God in the world around us. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:7 “…to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”
The Holy Spirit has given us the gifts and talents necessary to reach the lost, the lonely, the least—all those who need to know that God loves them and wants to help them find a new and transformed life in Christ. If this congregation is going to be healthy, living according to God’s natural Growth Forces, we must start by examining the ministry programs we have, and what we have asked people to do. We must determine whether or not our life together is symbiotic or chaotic. By thinking about how our programs, ministries, and personal spiritual life can be more symbiotic with other people and ministries in this congregation, we can begin to unleash the forces of “all by itself growth.”
Are you ready to get out of God’s way? Are you ready to unleash the power of God in this place? Then begin by asking God to work within you to show you your spiritual gifts. Next, find where God is calling you to serve, and make sure your ministry works in a symbiotic relationship with other ministries, so that this congregation can become Christ’s hands and feet at work in this community.
Isaiah 62: 1-5 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11
I’m not going to preach on the Wedding at Cana text today—I want to preach a sermon on Jesus’ first miracle, but I’ve committed to preach a sermon series, between now and Easter, on the Growth Forces, or Life Giving Principles assumed to be at work in the process of Natural Church Development, so I’ll be focusing on Symbiosis, Cooperating, especially in light of 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.
Some of you might be asking the question—what is Natural Church Development? Natural Church Development, or NCD, is a process of assessing church health, and responding to the places where the church is less healthy than it should be. The Institute for Natural Church Development has undertaken substantial research and seen significant success in improving the health of churches that faithfully participate in the NCD process. As of 2006, the Institute has surveyed over 45,000 congregations in 70 countries worldwide, including over 23,000 in the United States. I’d be glad to help folks find more information about NCD, but its too much for one sermon or even one sermon series. So, over six sermons, I’ll be talking about one of the most significant insights in NCD—that when we understand God’s natural Growth Forces, which work in nature as well as the church, we can work to apply these Growth Forces to ministry in the Church.
What you do need to know, is that when we apply God’s natural Growth Forces to the life of the Church, in combination with the 8 Quality Characteristics of Healthy Churches, we can release God’s “All By Itself Growth” in our congregations. In nature we see “All By Itself Growth” most easily in plants—in scripture, we see this in two key verses: Jesus’ parable of the Growing Seed in Mark 4:26-28 where Jesus “…said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head” and 1 Corinthians 3:6 where Paul says “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” The Good News here is that the Church grows as if all by itself, because as Paul realized, it is God who makes it grow!
For this to happen, we need to learn to plant, water, fertilize, weed, graft, and get out of the way when necessary, which often times is a hard to do. What usually occurs in churches is that various committees, individuals, or ministry groups decide on the best way of doing things without consulting other groups within the Church. When we do this, our ministries do not exist in a symbiotic relationship. They are unable to live as different entities in mutually beneficial relationships. As we think about ministries in the local church, we need to recognize that each ministry within the life of any church is unique. But we also need to ask the question of all our ministries, are they living in a symbiotic relationship with the rest of the life of the Church?
As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 12, God gives all believers gifts for the building of the Kingdom. Though not all Christians receive the same measure of all gifts, if you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit has equipped you with spiritual gifts for the building of God’s Kingdom. There are many gifts, including those Paul lists, but all gifts come from the Holy Spirit, and are gifts for ministry. Not all believers receive equal measure of wisdom or knowledge, or gifts of healing, or miraculous powers, or prophecy, or discernment of spirits, or speaking in tongues, or interpretation of tongues, or gifts of administration, evangelism, preaching, teaching, or the ability to operate electronic equipment or cook beans—but all believers have been given faith in sufficient measure to seek God and God’s plan for our lives!
As we look at our God-given gifts, we need to ask ourselves, what is my place in God’s plan for this congregation? How can I use my gifts for ministry? Sometimes we need help discovering what those gifts are, and God provides a way to let us know, but just like getting out of the way of Church growth, we must get our fallen, sinful selves out of God’s way, letting the Holy Spirit work through us and use us to strengthen the Body of Christ and further the cause of the Kingdom of God in the world around us. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:7 “…to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”
The Holy Spirit has given us the gifts and talents necessary to reach the lost, the lonely, the least—all those who need to know that God loves them and wants to help them find a new and transformed life in Christ. If this congregation is going to be healthy, living according to God’s natural Growth Forces, we must start by examining the ministry programs we have, and what we have asked people to do. We must determine whether or not our life together is symbiotic or chaotic. By thinking about how our programs, ministries, and personal spiritual life can be more symbiotic with other people and ministries in this congregation, we can begin to unleash the forces of “all by itself growth.”
Are you ready to get out of God’s way? Are you ready to unleash the power of God in this place? Then begin by asking God to work within you to show you your spiritual gifts. Next, find where God is calling you to serve, and make sure your ministry works in a symbiotic relationship with other ministries, so that this congregation can become Christ’s hands and feet at work in this community.
posted by Rev. David Nicol at 11:00 AM
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