Arrivals and Departures: The Church as an Airport

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Arrivals and Departures The Church as an Airport

• Jon Wright
• 9th Jan 2005

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Departure does not have to mean The End

• People depart from Churches to new places /
  positions, sometimes happily and sometimes
  without the blessing of the Pastor
• Sometimes people come back but perhaps to a
  different position
• They can leave holes behind them
• One mans hole is anothers opportunity!

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Departure and Arrival are often linked together

• Arrival can be someone moving between Churches -
  they arrive in the new Church - perhaps to do
  something different there
• Arrival can mean someone in the Church steps up
  to take the position that has been left as a hole
• Arrival can mean someone taking a new position
  where before there was none

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Arrivals and Departures Free Gifts from God to
help in Arrival

• God has gifts for each and every person - John
  316 for example promises the gift of life
• God has gifts that are given to individuals - Rom
  126-8 (prophecy, serving, teaching, encouraging,
  leading, showing mercy etc), 1Cor 127-10
  (wisdom, healing, discernment, tongues, etc)
• Different Christians are given different gifts as
  different parts of the Church - Eph 411
  (five-fold apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor,
  teacher)

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Gifts are given for the benefit of the Church not
the individual

• Parable of the Talents - Matt 2514-30 (two
  servants invest their 5 and 2 talents and are
  commended, the third servant hides his 1 talent
  instead and is throw outside)
• Gifts are like seeds, they need to develop, be
  cared for
• Gifts can be taken back if not used, or not used
  correctly

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Use of Gifts - 1 Cor 12-14.

• They are to be used in love
• They are for the profit of the Church not the
  individual
• Gifts and talents are different things, a
  talented piano player is not a worship leader.
  Talents are what a person can do themselves, a
  gift is what God can do in and through one of his
  children
• However a gift often requires work on the part of
  the person - Noahs preservation was a gift from
  God but he had to build the ark himself!

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Abuse of a Gift - will result in the loss of the
Gift.

• The parable of the talents shows that God will
  take a gift back.
• Abuse of a gift can also affect others, for
  example, the gift of speaking in tongues when not
  used in love will sound like a resounding gong or
  clanging symbol - 1 Cor 131. This will drive
  people away and also prevent others from using
  their gifts in love.

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Some people never accept or ask for gifts because
of self-doubt

• Satan is the great deceiver, if at all possible
  he will make you doubt that God has gifts for you
• He may already seed the doubt years before you
  even realize that there may be a gift
• Example, a teacher may have told you that you are
  not good at a subject, so you avoid any ministry
  related to subject.
• However this is FALSE, gifts are what God does
  through you not what you do on your own.

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God is the God of 2nd Chances

• If we repent from not using/accepting or misusing
  a gift that God may have taken away then God will
  forgive us and the gift may be given/returned.
• However this must be repentance and not self-pity
• We must not use God forgiveness as a license to
  misuse gifts.

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Earnestly Desire The Greater Gifts - 1 Cor 1231

• If you want real joy, ask God want he wants to
  see in your life and then ask Him for it
• Seek the gift through which you can best meet the
  needs of others - 1 Cor 1213-31
• Seek the gift through which you can best manifest
  Gods love - 1 Cor 13
• Seek the gift through which you can best edify
  (build-up) the body of Christ - 1 Cor 14

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Summary - God is in Control

• Departures from the Church means opportunities
  for others (inside and outside the Church) to
  arrive
• God has an abundance of gifts which operate
  through his children for the benefit of the
  Church
• Gifts lost through misuse/nonuse can return
• Earnestly seek the best gifts!