Brian van Deventer

Amen and Good morning. Grab your Bibles, and our first Scripture is going to be Hebrews 10:24,25. This is one of those Sundays where you wish that every regular member or attender of the Church could be here today. We’re going to be talking about something we don’t often talk about. I think that over the next few weeks, we’re going to be going through the mission and vision of our Church.
Every Church has a personality. It has its own identity. When you come here, it may be very similar to other Churches, but still, you feel a little bit different personality. Just as every person has their own personality. Some of you stranger than others. Notice that I said ‘You.’ But there is a culture, a personality that we are intentionally trying to create in our gatherings. And in the work that we do together, that we ask every person that comes into this place, to try to incorporate themselves in and it into themselves.
It starts with a vision. Our vision statement is really more ‘values’ than it is ‘vision.’ And the vision of the Church is answering the question, ‘What do we want to become?’ You as individuals, if you are part of this Church, and we welcome any guests today, thank you for being with us and we hope you’ll still get something out of this. But there is a picture of a person that we want to create, we want culture.
And we simply say this, ‘The Glyfada Christian Center, purposes to be a community of worshippers.’ Those are important words, but we’re not talking about that today but later. But we want to become a community of worshippers that display these values, that we are devoted to Christ. I hope that you are passionate about Him. That we are humble in how we serve. And that we do serve and that we are humble.
We want to be a people of holiness of heart. We want to be pure before the Lord. And even in our failures, our hearts point to Jesus. We want to be people in a house that never stops praying. Barring disaster, the one service we never cancel is prayer, and even if it’s only down to one person at prayer time, we keep the house open and prayer happening. And every person who has ever been that one says, Amen. There’s one here, there’s one there, one there, one there. There are a few of us who at sometime have been the only person on a Wednesday night for prayer. But we will pray.
And we want to have love for the Word of God. Pastor Gail has been pushing us, and rightfully, I’m not very good at it yet, but I’m trying to always carry my paper Bible. This little tool (the Smart Phone) has made things easy. But there is something about seeing, touching, smelling the Word of God. Not because of what it is physically, but for what’s in there. As much as possible, we always want everything in this Church to revolve around the Word of God.
Pastor Gail saw my notes for today, so I saw I wrote a whole testimonial for myself. Because we are talking today about Church, and if there is anything I know about it’s Church. I’ve been in Church probably 99.99% of every week of my life from the week I was born. Now I know we have this tradition here in Greece, the mama staying home with the baby for whatever it is 40 days, 90 days, 3 years – I don’t know. But I happened to be born early in the week and my mama had me in church on Sunday. I grew up sleeping on chairs, sleeping under chairs, sleeping all around the room, more times than I can count, sleeping at the altar. Because we were in Church a lot.
Sunday morning. Go home, come back Sunday night. Go home. House prayer Monday night. House Bible study Tuesday night. Church Bible study Wednesday night. I got Thursday off. Friday night was prayer night at the Church. Saturday was youth meeting, and we started all over again. Even my when my daddy was not my pastor, I was in Church like that. Never until the day I left home, was I ever in Church less than 3 days a week and twice on Sunday.
I fact I was so accustomed to Church; you know our Sunday night services were always designed to be the emotional service. It was the one you brought them to, to get them saved. It was the one us kids came to every Sunday night to get saved again. And those of you who grew up in Church like I’m talking about, you understand what that means. We were taught, that every time you committed a sin, you had to start over. I promise you, as a teenager I had a lot of re-starts.
Anybody remember when once or twice a year, we had services every night for at least one week. There are a few hands. We called them revivals. A special preacher would come in and preach every night. We actually used to do that here. Then we cut it down to three days and now I can’t remember the last time we had one of those. But we used to be in Church. I got saved seven times in a one-week revival. And I promise you that on his news letter and on his report, that preacher counted all seven of them.
I was in Church so much, that I came to the altar one Sunday night; we would come and we would kneel down, remember that. We had steps up to the stage, I knelt down on that step, and I woke up at four o’clock in the morning. The Church was pitch black; everybody was gone. My mom and dad lived only 20 meters next door. They locked up the doors and left me there. My dad taught me a lesson about going to sleep at the altar. I thought I was fooling them with my very long prayers. I know Church, and I’m glad that I do.
I can’t say that I’m thrilled that I grew up that way, and pastor Gail will tell you, I danced the only time in my life when we stopped doing two Church services on Sunday. So, I don’t want to sound like a hypocrite. But I’m thankful for what I learned, and that was how important it was to be in the House of the God, and how important to be with other people committed to the Lord. Because when my life went completely off the tracks, there was something deep inside of me, that knew exactly how to get back, that knew where my hope comes from.
So, I’m thankful. I’d lie to say I’m happy to come to Church every week. And some weeks I wake up and think, ‘Let them go without me.’ But once I’m here, it’s a whole different thing. Because to be with the Lord and to be with the Lord’s people is a precious thing.
So, this is what we want look like. And this is a measuring stick to look at, and ask ourselves, ‘Where am I?’ We might have to find a way to do this again, but this used to hang on the wall over here, and our mission statement used to hang on the wall over here. So that we could all look at it every week.
And here’s the mission of our Church. ‘The Glyfada Christian Center is committed to encourage believers (this is simple) to worship, grow and serve.’ This is what we want to become and this is how we get there. ‘We commit ourselves and each other to worship, to grow, and to serve.’
Three simple words. In fact, say them to yourself right now. (Worship, Grow, Serve.) Very, very simple. But these words mean a lot. We probably never explained this recently, but in our Logo, there’s purpose in the Logo. Thank you to Janet Sewell out there somewhere, who created this one for us. The bowl of the Logo, represents worship. We won’t turn there, but in Revelation 8:4, also in Psalm 141:2 you will find that the prayers and praises of saints are represented as incense, coming from bowls. Our worship is the incense that brings everything else out of us. We believe that is essential for members of the local Church to commit to gathering. Maybe not in the way I grew up, but certainly in the way that we can.
Church is not something we make time for; Church is something we work other things around. And not just because it’s a good idea coming from our minds. The Bible says in Hebrews 10:24,25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day of His return drawing near.” Go to the next Scripture, there’s another, and I want this to re-enforce the first one, James 1:22, “But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
A lot of believers today are fooling themselves, about themselves. Because they will not commit to the things that the Word of God says to, and they act and convince themselves, like that is appropriate for them. Some of the most common words you’ll ever hear from believers, ‘Well, for me, I feel it’s good this way.’ But the Word of God never asks you what you feel about it. Jesus will never come in here and say, ‘Hey what do you think about my Fathers Word? How do you feel about this? Because, maybe I can get Dad to change it.’
No! This is the standard. Hold your Bible or hold your phone and remind yourself, this, not the phone but the Bible program in it, we’re about to get dangerous there. Don’t just listen to God’s Word, do what it says. Or else you’re just fooling yourself. A lot of people are removing themselves from the blessing of the Word, by their own choice and blaming God for it. The gathering should be set as a top priority in our lives. And not just to come and be here, but to be here with a connected sense of participation.
If you waited till you got here, to pray, you did not come ready. And I’m not saying that you had to have had an hour of Church service before you got here. I start my day a very simple way. Because I’m lazy. I know pastor Gail gets up, I hear her every morning, sometimes around 6:30 upstairs. How many know that Greek houses have very poor sound insulation, and marble floors don’t help. Doors that make all kinds of noise and dogs that make all kinds of noise. I can hear her get up and I know she’s going to be in devotion, every day for an hour to an hour and a half. Everybody say, bless her heart!
Mine is about 10 to 15 minutes, still laying on my pillow, saying, ‘God, let’s start the day.’ And I will meditate through things and I will say my little prayers, and then I will get on with my stuff. I’m not nearly as spiritual. But I’m ready for the day. Because I put the first thing first and I put it in the hands of the One who needs to have it. Because if I have to organize my day, I have to succeed, it’s going to be a bad day. But I know a Lord who knows exactly how to orchestrate.
And it’s the same thing for a Sunday morning. I don’t know what you need today, but the Holy Spirit does. I don’t know what’s going to happen in Church when we get here, but the Holy Spirit does. And it’s always going to be better with Him leading the way. And when we get in here, and we’re together, and we’re on one page, and we’re worshipping together, and we’re crying out to the Lord together, you know what happens? It’s called Pentecost. They were all together in one place, having one mind, and then, the rushing mighty wind!
But we come in, and we want the Holy Spirit to come in behind us and pick it all up. And this is not correction, it’s perspective. It’s understanding what it means to be a worshipper. So that we can become a community of worshippers. And it’s not just coming to Church. Obviously, worship means more things than that. It’s how we gather, because, oh, by the way you’re worship today, if it’s heartfelt, it maybe was just what that person besides you needed. Even if it doesn’t do that much for you in the moment, your prayer might just be the answer to somebody else’s need. Your offerings and your tithes, maybe just what God wants, to meet the need of the moment. So, the blue bowl, we worship.
Then we have two flames. The first flame, is grow; that’s why we made it green. We worship, and we grow. Every member and attender, is strongly encouraged to participate in the opportunities the Church gives, to study the Bible together. 2 Peter 3:18 says this, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” Not one of us has arrived in our knowledge. And if you have or you think you have, pray and repent – I didn’t get any Amens there. Not one of us is there.
One of my favorite things this last Easter week, pastor Gail assigned me two of the services. I have found some of the most simple truths in the most profound way that I had never thought of before. I had several people come to me and say, ‘I just never looked at it like that.’ Yeah, me neither. It’s fun. When the Word of God grows in front of you and expands you, I promise it feels good. So, we offer Bible Studies. Come on Wednesday nights if you can.
When we reconstitute the small groups, the house groups, go when you can. It’s not enough to do this on your own. That is not how Christians grow and it is not how Churches grow. Practice our faith together. Learn it together. So, be a part of group Bible studies. This is our Mission. Personal Bible Study – make it a part of your life. Be a part of small groups that take place.
And especially, grow in your decision making. I’m learning more and more and more before I make a decision, to just stop for a moment, and ask, ‘Lord what is good here.’ And sometimes, I hear Him saying something specific in my mind, and sometimes, I just have to make a decision. But I can trust the Holy Spirit to be working through me, because I have prioritized Him. God help me to do that better.
So, say Worship, Grow and the final flame the third flame. It’s the longest flame. Because it means, Serve. It reaches the furthest. Because number 1 and number 2 are for you and for us. But number 3, expands way beyond who we are. We believe that every member should volunteer in some aspect of ministry.
Pastor Gail already mentioned this morning, we need teachers to help with children, people who be able to take care of babies and toddlers so that Michael doesn’t have to do it every week. People who would grow strong in their faith as young men, so that Michael doesn’t have to teach them every week. Translators, office workers. Our deacons would probably love it if we had some volunteers to help clean. People who would commit to being here 20 minutes earlier to greet others coming in the door. People who might pray in the back room before Church, to bathe the Church in prayer. People who might serve coffee. People who might stay till the end of coffee, just to put up the chairs and get everything back in order.
Teachers, preachers, prayer warriors, we need them all. Where do you serve? But that’s in the Church. Philippians 2:2-4, “Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Pastor Gail say, ‘Make me truly happy.’ Paul is not here today, so I’m going to say it, ‘Then make me truly happy!’ Let me just take a moment again to thank the people who are here every Sunday morning helping make this thing happen. Thank you, Stavro, for being a Farsi mouthpiece and a Greek mouthpiece. Thank you, Leto, thank you, Mary, I might even have thanks in my heart for Victor this morning, I’m not sure. I’ve said everybody, but George and Lars of course, Fanis and sometimes Kari, Cecilia is always here first, except maybe George. I think they have a competition. And Cecilia only loses depending on traffic. It feels good to serve, it feels good when people serve. When we are coming together not just because we have a need for it, but we’re here because you and you, and you, and you, have a need for it.
And of course, we extend outside of the Church. We all know Matthew 28:19-20, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” This is a commandment not only for pastors and evangelists but a commandment to every believer.
But I don’t want to concentrate on this, we all know that Scripture. I want to use this Scripture today, Romans 10:14. This should be the center of our concern. Putting it second only to putting Jesus at the center of our worship, should be putting others before Him, and Him before others. “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?”
Everyone, every person deserves to hear about Jesus. And every believer needs to be telling someone about Jesus. And by the way, when this says, “How can they know Him?” it’s not how they can about Him, how can they know Him? Just people know about Him, does not mean that they have met Him. I know about a lot of people. But I don’t know them. There’s a big difference, and our job is not to create a church or a religion, our job is to grow the Kingdom of God. And just think about it.
I know pastor Gail encouraged each of us, to find one person to pray with for 15 minutes a day once a week. I don’t know if you have done that, we encourage you again. Just 15 minutes on the phone or whatever; over a coffee, just to pray for each other. We’re encouraging everybody to have at least 5 people that they pray for, as often as possible, not every day. It doesn’t take a lot, just speak their name before the Lord, as a five second prayer. I think we can handle that.
If every two of us, I didn’t ask pastor Gail about this, but this is just a suggestion, because sometimes it’s hard for us to do things alone; that’s alright; Jesus sent the disciples two by two. What if two of us have one common friend, could commit together to share Jesus with that individual. If every two of us did that, and we managed to bring people to the Lord and incorporate them into Church, it wouldn’t even be many months before we couldn’t find a place to sit in here. And again, not because the seats need to be full, but because the House of God needs to be rich.
I’m bad about following through on all my commitments. But I’ve got my five, and they are stubborn. At least two of them, I’ve sharing Jesus for 30 years. And just 2 weeks ago I sat down and had a coffee and did it again. That stubborn hardness is going to change, because greater is He that is in me than the one that’s in the world.
Worship, Grow, Serve. And I promise you, if we embrace that mission, we can turn Glyfada, Vari, Voula, Vouliagmeni, wherever you live, Lagonissi, Lavrio, man we stretch out a lot. We can see our community change. We can see our families change. We can see our friends and neighbors change, when we become as much as we can, what Jesus has called us to be. Embrace the mission.
And as a way of cementing this today, I was going to make a joke, but I won’t. We are going to take communion together.