Fast Food Faith (Quick Fix Christianity)

Text: 2 Cor. 4:1-18

Introduction:

1. illus. McDonald's ritual of fast food

2. Feeding the 5,000 (John 6)

a. give story

b. disciples leave on boat w/o Jesus

c. Jesus goes to a solitary place

d. Jesus walks on water

e. they go to Capernaum. The people wonder how Jesus got there

f. Discussion on the Bread of Life w/ Jews (possibly disciples in broad sense)

g. Jews and/or disciples respond, "This is a hard teaching, Who can accept it?"

h. Many turned back after this

3. People left because they wanted a Fast Food Faith. They turned back when they discovered that the kingdom was essentially/fundamentally different from what they were looking for. It didn't meet their expectations. They were looking for a political, not a spiritual savior. Earlier they wanted to take Jesus by force and make Him king.

They wanted a change of circumstances, not a change of character. God ultimately is concerned with character development, not circumstantial betterment. They wanted an external fix, not internal shift/change. So they turned back.

Transitional Statement: Paul dealt with the temptation to quit in 2 Cor. 4 in an extended passage on ministry. I want us to learn 3 lessons about ministry that will help us to "not faint."

  1. Characteristics of Ministry (v. 1-6)
    1. Ministry is from God, not men (v. 1)
      1. It is a stewardship from God. "Moreover, it is required of stewards that a man be found faithful."
      2. 1 Cor. 4:2 Notice that this stewardship is not speaking of money but of the mysteries of God.
    2. Strait forward, above board, not crafty. We don't trick people into the kingdom, Go converts them. (v. 2)
      1. Truth, not distorting the Gospel message
      2. One thing to make it relevant, understandable for the culture, another to distort or change it to make it more palatable and acceptable
      3. Examples of some crafty, non-biblical messages
        1. health, wealth, prosperity gospel
        2. answer to all of your problems
    3. Christ-centered, not man centered, (v. 5)
      1. From Gen. to Rev. Christ is the focal point of the Scriptures
      2. Emphasis should not be on what we are doing but on what God is doing through our church
  2. Consequences of ministry (v. 7-15)
    1. Demonstrate the power of God (v. 7)
      1. When God does something using the less than average it makes it that much more extraordinary
      2. When God does something despite our flaws, it makes it extraordinary
    2. Persecution (v. 8-10)

      3. "In the world you will have tribulation"

    3. Death to Self
      1. Priorities have to be arranged according to God's will, not our will
      2. "Whatever is your will is mine and I accept it"
      3. "Struggle with my will is this God, how does it fit into what you want?"
      4. "I die daily" coupled with "day by day"
    4. Evangelization (v. 15)

    "spreading more and more"

  3. Continuation of Ministry
    1. Daily Renewal
      1. No quick fix, miracle grow drug
      2. Not a quick meal at a smorgasbord but a daily feasting on the Word
    2. Eternal Perspective look at the reward, not the consequences

cp. Heb. Moses in Heb. 11.

Conclusion:

I feel like quitting at times. I have a low self-image, question my suitedness to ministry. I'm not the best people person. Your excuses may be different than mine, but these questions will help you. When I get like this, I ask these 5 questions.

1. Have I lost sight that my ministry is a stewardship of God's grace? (v. 1)

You're not quitting on pastors or giving up a volunteer job. Ministry is more than volunteerism. Volunteering is a part, but not the whole. Before you quit, ask God if a pink slip is His idea or yours.

2. Am I frustrated because my focus has been on self, on personal accolades (or lack thereof), etc.? Remember, we are in the ministry for God's glory, not ours. Ultimately, we are looking for God's "well done," not man's.

3. Am I quitting because I can't handle the persecution? (v. 7-9)

A. Sign of weakness or cowardice. In the world you will have tribulation.

B. cp. parable of the soils, "No root in themselves"

C. Some want the glory without the gore, the crown without the cross, reward with the rejection

4. Am I quitting because my circumstances are less than ideal? Am I focusing on the temporal instead of the eternal?

A. kids are worse than ever

B. materials are inferior

C. co-workers aren't faithful

D. our faithfulness should not be dependent on circumstances

E. don't let the seen obstacles cloud your vision of the unseen benefits.

5. Am I quitting because I am not seeing Instant results (Fast food).

A. Examples:

1. Decide to begin giving to the Lord and then that very week your vehicle breaks down. You begin to wonder if its worth it. Does it make a difference?

2. Read your Bible but there are no fireworks, it's even a chore. So you put it down and stop reading. It is like medicine, then cereal, then sundae.

3. Marriage is drab, you try to light a spark. You make a great dinner, put on candle lights, dress nice, send the kids to the baby-sitter only to find out that your husband got tickets to the basketball game is planning to go tonight. It's no use, it will never work.

4. You teach SS, AWANA week after week, the kids seem to be getting worse as a whole, kids don't behave like they used to. They seem to have difficulty understanding, reading, etc. Finally, it doesn't seem worth it, so you are ready to throw in the towel, quit. If God has gifted you to teach, then teach, in season and out of season

B. Remember, "day by day," it takes time.

1. Luke 17: 10 lepers were healed as they went. They had to obey first and act in faith before

they could see results. Results were not instantaneous.

2. Blind man healed who saw "men as trees" at first.

3. We shall reap "in due season" if we faint not! Explain both phrases.

4. Often You must remain obedient in order to see the benefit. The benefits are not always immediate, they are not always perceptible. Growth is normally imperceptible.

5. Ecc. 11:1 Cast your bread on the water and it will return, though not necessarily immediately.

C. Example of Quick Fixes

1. Physical Body: treating ulcer with antacids

2. Marriage:

3. Lifestyle:

4. Substituting education for training

5. Parenting: Picking up after them instead of teaching them to pick up.

6. Money: borrow instead of save for an item. ex. of two couples standard of living compared

when one borrows and the other saves.

D. Good Boomerangs

1. Kindness, soft answer turns away wrath

2. giving, can't outgive God

3. Bible Reading

4. Church attendance; don't expect the benefits in one service. illus. a new diet won't change my physical condition overnight. I have to stick with it. Suppose I have a heart attack and then have to change my diet. Do I quit just because after three months my cholesterol level hasn't dropped significantly? No, I stay on the diet.

5. Prayer: cp. Lk. 18:1

Closing:

*Many quit when results are around the corner.

*illus. swimmer from Catalina Island

Florence Chadwick was the first woman to swim the English channel. On July 4, 1952 she tried to swim from Catalina Island to the California mainland 21 miles away. It was a foggy day and the water temperatures were cold. The difficulty lay not in the distance, but in the danger of the temperature. Florence was ready to quit but those in the boat urged her to go on saying that the shore couldn't be far away, though they couldn't see it. Ultimately, Florence gave up and climbed into the boat. She did so only one-half a mile from the shore. Afterwards she cried, "If only I could have seen the shore, I could have kept going." We need to keep our focus on Jesus and not lose sight of Him.