Sermon

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August 17, 2003
10th Sunday of Pentecost
Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16
Pastor Robert Raasch

We All Are One in Mission

1. United by Faith and Confession
2. Using God's Word and Sacrament
3. To Win, Nurture and Equip God's Elect

As many of you know, over the last couple of weeks, our congregation has been taking a little closer look at the Mission Statement which Mount Olive recently adopted as its own. Both Pastor Zank and Pastor Berger called your attention to the mission statement in recent sermons. This morning, the text we have for our consideration invites us to take on more look at that Mission Statement printed on the back of your worship folder. But before we do that, maybe the question should be asked, "Exactly what is a mission statement, anyway? Does a congregation really need a mission statement?" Or is it just what we had this blank spot on the back of the bulletin and needed to fill it with something?

Actually, a mission statement serves a very important purpose in the life of a congregation. It is a succinct statement of who we are and why we exist as a congregation. Even though a congregation doesn't need a mission statement to be able to carry out a mission, the fact is, a mission statement can help members see exactly what their mission is. It allows members to see that as Christians, as members of one congregation, we are as the hymn-writer put it, all one in mission. In fact, let's let that be our theme this morning:

We All Are One in Mission

1. United by Faith and Confession
2. Using God's Word and Sacrament
3. To Win, Nurture and Equip God's Elect

First, we are united by faith and confession. Really, that's the main point that St. Paul makes here in our text. Paul reminds his readers that when the Holy Spirit calls people to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, not only is the dividing wall between God and man broken down, but so is the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile, between male and female, between blacks and whites. As believers in Christ, we are all one, that is, we are all members of one body, the Holy Christian Church, the Communion of saints. That's what St. Paul means when he says, "There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called-one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all." Paul is here referring to the invisible bond that unites all Christians in to one body. We sometimes refer to that as "unity of faith." All who trust in Jesus as their Savior are united into one body, regardless of their particular church affiliation.

However, because faith is not something you can see in a person's heart, God expects us to use a second criteria to establish and maintain unity within a visible congregation like Mount Olive. And that criteria is our joint confession of God's Word. In other words, what unites us into one visible fellowship is the fact that we all confess to believe the same thing about the various doctrines contained in Holy Scripture. For example, as WELS Lutherans, we confess that the Bible is the 100% accurate, inspired Word of God. Not every Christian church confesses that. We confess that God grants the forgiveness of sins through Holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Many Christian churches don't confess that. We confess that the world was created in six days, rather that evolving over billions of years. All these things are aspects of a joint confession that unites us not with every other denomination, but rather, unites us with other members of the Wisconsin Ev. Lutheran Synod, of which Mount Olive is one congregation. So in summary, you and I are united by two bonds: the invisible bond of faith that unites all Christians, and the visible (or maybe I should say audible) confession of doctrine what unites us in this visible congregation. That's what is meant by the very first words of the Mount Olive Mission statement: "United by our faith in Jesus Christ and our confession of God's Word, the members of Mount Olive Evangelical Lutheran Church…"

The members of Mount Olive what? What do we do? Why do we exist? These questions are answered by the next section of the Mission Statement. II. We Use the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. My friends, this is really the heart of the mission statement. It defines what we do. The words leading up to this talk about who we are, the words which follow talk about why we do what we do, but here's the essence of our God-given mission. We use the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. That's what sets us apart as a church (as opposed to simply a service organization, a social group or a business). God has placed into our hands the most powerful tools in the world. He's given us a means through which he works miracles in human hearts and lives. If we're going to do anything of value as a congregation, it has to some how be connected to bringing people into contact with God's Word and Sacraments.

And why is it so important to bring people into contact with the means of grace? Why does everything center on using the Gospel in Word and Sacrament? Because these are the tools that God uses to get his work done. Remember, in and of ourselves, you and I are good for nothing. We've already made a mess of our lives by repeatedly rebelling against God's laws. If left to our own ways, we'd surely be eternally damned. That's what my conscience tells me and that's what God's law announces. That means that by nature every human being is living a life without hope, without peace, without a real purpose for life.

But God has changed all that, hasn't he? He's changed it with one gift, the gift of his Son. By living the perfect life that God demands, and by suffering the punishment our sins deserved, Jesus has reconciled all mankind to God. In Christ, we are assured of God's love, his forgiveness and his promise of life eternal. These are the precious gifts which God brings to you and me in his Word and Sacrament. Is it any wonder that time and time again God says, "Take these gifts to heart and then share them with others"? He says, "Go and preach the good news to all creation." "Go and make disciples of all nations by baptizing them and by teaching them." Jesus invites us to "Take and eat of his body and drink of his blood, poured out for the forgiveness of sins."

My friends, make no mistake about it, in God's Word and Sacraments, God gives this congregation and really our world everything it needs to experience true life with God now and in eternity. Isn't that why we come right out and say in this Mission Statement, "United by our faith in Jesus Christ and our confession of God's Word, the members of Mount Olive use the gospel in Word and Sacrament."

But now, someone might ask, "What's the purpose for these tools?" What goal do we have in mind? What do we expect will happen as we use the gospel? These are the questions that are answered in the third part of the Mission Statement. Notice our three fold purpose for using the gospel. Our mission is to use the gospel in word and sacrament to: 1. Win the lost for Christ; 2. Nurture one another in Christian love, and 3. Equip God's people for lives of Christian worship and service.

Let's take a look at those goals. First we want to use the gospel to win the lost for Christ. There are two very important assumptions, very important premises built into that statement. First, we acknowledge that without Jesus Christ, people are not just practicing an alternate form of spirituality. They're not just walking a different road to heaven. No, they are lost. They're hell bound, doomed to experience pain in this life and eternal torment after this life. But at the same time we're confessing that the gospel has the power to rescue such lost sinners. Notice, our goal is to win the lost for Christ. In other words, we're not here to pad the membership rolls. We're not here to simply make more members for our church. Mount Olive's mission is to use the gospel in Word and Sacrament to make Christians, that is, people who truly trust in Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

But of course, once a person becomes a Christian, that doesn't mean our mission as a congregation is accomplished. No, just as surely as we have the responsibility to bring the gospel to the lost, we also have the responsibility to bring the gospel to the "found" That is, we have the responsibility to nurture the faith of those who already are members of Mount Olive. St. Paul refers to this aspect of our congregation's mission when he writes, "Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ." Notice that both St. Paul and our mission statement incorporate the idea of growing in our faith. In other words, our mission as a Christian congregation is to do more than give people the bare minimum to Bible knowledge. You know, so they can just barely squeak by. No, our goal is to help believers truly deepen their understanding of Biblical truth, and be able to apply that truth to their every day lives. We envision a congregation where Christian men and women never stop learning, but rather continue to work their way through a series of Bible classes on different topics and books of the Bible. The goal here is not simply spiritual rebirth. It's spiritual maturity. St. Peter implores us to "Grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

And if we do that, if we commit ourselves to nurturing people in an atmosphere of Christian love, what will be the result? Paul tells us here in verse 14. "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming." In other words, the better grip we have on God's Truth, the less chance we'll be suckered in by some kind of false teaching or worldly behavior.

Finally, there is one more purpose for using the gospel in word and sacrament. And that is according to our mission statement, "to equip God's people for lives of Christian worship and service." So what does that mean? It means that we expect that our study of the Word will have an effect on our lives. As we spend time in the Word, as we feed our faith with the sacrament, God prepares us, he trains us, yes, he motivates us not only to bring to him our heartfelt thanks and praise. He also equips us to carry out the roles he's given us in life, whether it be as a parent, teacher or manager of the family finances. God's Word equips us to be better evangelists, better spouses, better servants. In fact here in our text St. Paul speaks about that pastor's role in that equipping process. Paul writes, "It was God who gave some to be…pastors and teachers, to prepare (that is, to equip) God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up." The Greek word used there for "prepare" is the same word used for the setting of a bone, or the mending of a fishing net. It's the idea of getting things lined up so that all the components function properly. To take all the gifts and talents God has given to you and put them to work. To plug them in in the appropriate places so that we can work together as a team, as this human net, if you will, to bring more and more people to Christ.

And why are we doing all this? Why do we want to carry out this mission? Is it so that we can make a bigger name for our selves? So that we can erect some kind of monument to our own glory? No, quite the contrary. Everything we do is done, as the mission statement says, "all to the glory of God."

My friends, I don't know if you've given a lot of thought to the purpose of this congregation, or for that matter the purpose of your involvement in this congregation. Yet I pray that through our study of the Word today, and maybe by a glance or two at this mission in the weeks and months ahead, God will open our eyes and our hearts to see what God has truly called us to be and do, as Mount Olive Evangelical Lutheran Church. To God be the glory. Amen.