Sermons
Small Things Can Be Big
SMALL THINGS CAN BE BIG
Sermon Outline By Terry Siverd
Cortland Church of Christ / June 10, 2018
Our 42nd Annual Summer Youth Retreat (Camp 2:52) begins two weeks from today.
At last count we had close to 50 youths planning to attend along with about 30 counselors and seven cooks.
Our congregation has experienced shrinkage over the last years.
Many have moved away … Many faithful saints have passed away … Some have become disenchanted …
Many of our children have either left the church or have chosen to pursue their faith in other venues.
And last of all, we find ourselves challenged to share the gospel with those all around us.
If we ask the question, “Who have YOU lead to the Lord?”, some cannot think of a single person.
What we are experiencing is also being felt and dealt with by many other churches.
Disciples of Christ on Warren’s West Side. Methodist church near Hot Dog Shoppe.
Some time around the late 1980’s early 1990's our Summer Youth Retreat peaked with around 115 campers.
Past retreats drew from churches of Christ in Ashtabula … Conneaut … Cortland … Cuyahoga Falls ... Erie … and Warren.
This year, drawing from two churches we’ll likely match or top last year’s headcount (45) with 30+ Cortland-related.
The Christian Chronicle recently highlighted this “growing problem of significant shrinkage" within our fellowship.
Identifying WHY we are shrinking is not a simple undertaking.
Some would say it the absence of instrumental music.
Some contend that we need a much a greater emphasis on grace as opposed to what they perceive to do legalism.
Some argue that we have an antiquated view of the role of women in the church.
Some blame it on a culture than is becoming more and more secular with many viewing churches as unnecessary.
Some detect a siphoning off from small and medium-sized congregations by mega-churches offering one-stop shopping.
As I said last Sunday, I don't have a quick fix to our circumstance. I don't think any of us do.
Last week we turned to Zechariah 4:10a to hear wisdom from above.
Around 540 BC, five centuries before Jesus was born, the Israelites returned from
Babylonian exile to find Jerusalem in ruins and their beloved temple destroyed.
The exiles who returned quickly began reconstruction (Ezra 3:1-6 & 5:16) and with considerable enthusiasm they
set about rebuilding the temple. But they soon became discouraged and the work of God came to a standstill.
Neighbors fought the project tooth and nail, finally succeeding in getting a restraining order to halt construction (Ezra 4). Enemies mocked. Supporters became discouraged and disengaged and despair and despondency loomed large.
And then a prophet of God named Zechariah began to speak words that pierced Zerubbabel to the heart and aroused within him and his companions a renewed sense of vigor.: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel” - -
NOT BY (MAN’S) MIGHT NOR BY (MAN'S) POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT, says the Lord Almighty.
The governor Zerubbabel could feel his heart pounding as the message continued (Zech.4:6-7) - -
“What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground.
Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of, ‘Grace, grace to it!’ i.e., God bless it! God bless it!.
“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the laid the foundation of this temple, his hands will also complete it.”
What had appeared to be an impossible dream (an immovable mountain) now became doable, with God's hand.
Zechariah’s last words to Zerubbabel were ever so timely, first for Zerubbabel and now for us (Zech.4:10a) - -
FOR WHO HAS DESPISED THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS?
The people should not think that small beginnings (small things) are unimportant (NCV)
Throughout redemptive history God has often chose to use small things to accomplish His work.
On and on we could go, with various texts of Scripture talking Biblically about the importance of SMALL THINGS.
I titled last Sunday’s sermon, “Dream Small".
Our ultimate dream is a big one - - to see our congregation flourishing to the glory of God.
But, as with most big dreams, they are attained incrementally - - often one small step at a time.
In his catchy song, Dream Small, Josh Wilson has written:
Don’t buy the lie you’ve got to do it all Just let Jesus use you where you are One day at a time
Loving God and others as yourself Find little ways where only you can help With His great love
A tiny rock can make a giant fall Yeah five loaves and two fish can feed them all So dream small.
This morning I want us to consider some “small things” that can help us grow spiritually and numerically.
Here are some small things we can do to help us grow spiritually and numerically.
START WITH YOU OWN FAMILY.
This can sometimes be quite a challenge - - reaching and restoring those nearest and dearest to us.
Don’t give up. Pray without ceasing (1Thess.5:17). Look for times of refreshing to urge renewal.
If a man does not care for his own, he has denied the faith and is worth than an unbeliever (1Tim.5:8).
SUPPORT OUR CHURCH FAMILY.
Attend Sunday AM Bible classes as well as worship, trying not to miss a one. Your presence matters.
Take part in our midweek Bible group. You will benefit and your presence will encourage others.
Participate in: Picnics … P/T Luncheons … FallFest … Spring Outreach ... L.I.F.E. Groups ... Camp … Spark … etc.
Be generous (sacrificial) in your giving - - some church growth ideas require funds,
and therefore can't be implemented if funds aren’t available. e.g., House To House/Heart To Heart.
Count heads. i.e., take note of who’s here and who’s missing. Call, write or visit those who are absent.
Birthdays and anniversaries are still being published of those who have fallen away - - why not call, write or visit?
Take time to peruse and review an old church directory to see who’s missing.
Adopt someone - - a widow … a young child ... a teenager/college student ... someone struggling.
Think of things we might do that are not big budget items. Sometimes the best things are the least expensive.
Invite your friends and family to Bible classes and worship assemblies.
Pray often - - for the lost; the hurting; the weak; the wayward; your preacher; our elders; church growth.
Don’t nitpick. Stop looking for a splinter in someone else’s eye when you have a beam in your own (Mt.7:3).
Do all things without grumbling or disputing... (Philip.2:14).
Build up rather than tear down - - Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification, according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear (Eph.4:29)
Encourage others - - Therefore encourage one another, and build one another up… (1Thess.5:11).
SEEK TO EXPAND YOUR REACH.
Regarding those who do visit our assemblies - -
Greet them warmly … Sing with spirit … Amen prayers ... Encourage others ... Be sweet.
Look outside of your immediate family and beyond our church family.
Go out into the streets and lanes of the city and bring them in… (Lk.14:21b).
Thinking outside the box often stretches our comfort zone in doing things we’ve never done before.
Thinking outside the box might also describe looking beyond our small circle, or daily orbit.
Even in our modern era the fields remain white unto harvest, but we must first “lift our eyes and look” (Jn.4:35).
Try to make new friends.
Strive to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Mt.5:13-16).
Remember: people don’t care how much you know unless they see how much you care.
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in you - - be the aroma of Christ (2Cor.2:15).
Seek to build bridges rather than erect barriers.
Cultivate a sixth sense for those who are hurting.
Look for a door for the word (Col.4:3).
Cultivate the courage to ask someone to study the Scriptures with you.
Host a home bible study.
If you can’t teach it, recruit someone who can.
Much of what we’re talking about today can come spontaneously, without detailed organization.
What is required however, is cooperation on our part along with a sense of partnership in the work of the gospel.
It will necessitate initiative and diligence (stick-too-itive-ness).
And often, such zeal proves to be contagious and tends to snow-ball for the good.
If we are to grow, we will need a LARGE HEART for the things of God.
That large heart will also need lots of stamina.
We must not allow ourselves to be easily discouraged.
As Jesus taught (Lk.8:9-15), the soil is sometimes rocky; sometimes thorny;
sometimes comprised of ones who are choked by the riches and pleasures of this life.
But if we keep scattering seeds we will be blessed with good soil.
We’re not asking anyone to do anything BIG.
We don’t need to buy the lie that we've got to do it all.
But we asking, for the sake of Christ and His church, that everyone do small things that can make a big difference.
PRAYER
