Sermon summary on Jan 30, 2005; Author: Pastor Roger Fung
America is all about "be all that you can be." 20 th Century psychologist, Abraham Maslow, popularized that idea of self-actualization. The idea is to develop your potential until you reach the top. In another word, "be all that you can be."
While this is no longer newsworthy to us, and that we know it is happening in our society, what's troubling is that it is happening inside the church. Instead of using others, stepping on others to climb to a new spiritual high, Jesus gave up His rights, His positions, His comforts, His status, and ultimately His life, so that we will receive the benefit. Instead of elevating the one, He challenged us to live for one another.
In Ephesians, Paul gave us a picture of how we are to organize ourselves in the church. In the first 3 chapters, Paul clarified our new position in God, that we are alive in Him. Then in the last 3 chapters, Paul admonished us to practice this new life. In Chapter 4 particularly, he began by calling us to unite as one. "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace ." He went on and explained what unity means, and then the means to unity.
In v11, Paul showed us that God has given a variety of gifts to us. The purpose is (v12) that we can do ministry, that the body of Christ will be built up. This process of building up, will continue (v13) until we have achieve unity in faith, knowing the Son, and becoming mature. As we are becoming complete, we can stand firm in our faith (v14). Not only will we be standing firm for ourselves, but that we may be able to communicate and express our convictions (v15), and help others to also stand firm in their faith. While each of us are parts of the whole (body/church), this building up is not about the individual parts, but the building up of the whole body (v16). Notice the translation in the New American Standard: "… from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." The "itself" is referring to the whole body, and not the individual parts.
Thus, Paul was saying to us that we are not here to be all that we can be. We are here to become much more than we can be on our own. That's why we are a body, that we are a team. However, how can we make this dream come true?
This is where the Buffalo and the Goose comes in. By looking at how these animals are organized will give us some pointers in being up of our churches. Both the buffaloes and the geese live in packs, they live in groups, but they organize themselves very differently.
Even though the buffalos are quite powerful, with fierce temper, and since they live in groups, you would figure it's pretty hard to kill one of them, let alone the whole herd. However, the buffaloes are organized behind one leader only. If you kill the head buffalo, the rest of the herd would just stop and wouldn't know what to do. The safety and future of the whole herd is dependent upon one buffalo, the one head honcho.
How often are our churches, our businesses, our governments set up like the buffalo? In this "dog-eat-dog" world, we have come to rely on the top dog. When the top dog says jump, we say how high? When a new pastor comes in, everyone is glad that they found such a great man of God. All are eager to serve, all eager to listen, because he is the top dog, the head honcho. Even if he doesn't want to be the top dog, the congregation would not allow him not to be the top dog. After the honeymoon period has past, especially when the church has not achieved some of its goals, it's time for us to find a new "top dog". It's never the congregation's fault: he can't preach; when he prayed for me, I wasn't healed; he can't counsel; he can't do this; he can't do that… so on and so forth. How often are we like the buffaloes?
That's not the way of the geese. The geese also live in packs, but there is no one head honcho. Every goose is a leader. You've heard of the "V formation", right? Did you know how well it works? When the geese head south for the winter, they would fly in this "V formation". Studies have shown that whole flock would fly at least 70% farther in this formation, then if they flew alone. When we build a team of geese, instead of buffaloes, we can accomplish more than the sum of our individual achievements!
We can learn four things from the geese. Like a team of geese, we must: have common goals, cooperate, communicate, and commit to one another.
Whether we have a church with 10 people or 10,000 people, no church can run in 15 different directions. Without common goals, we will just be a bunch of "loose sand" always asking, "what do I do"? Like a basketball team, the whole team must focus on one goal in order to win. That is to score at least one more point than the other team. Having more rebounds will not win the game. Great passing will not win the game. If a team doesn't score at least one more point than the other team, you lose! Make the main thing the main thing. As a church of Christ , our main goal must be Christ's main goal: to make disciple of all nations!!
Not only do we have to have common goals, as a body we must learn to cooperate with one another. When the lead goose is tired, it falls to the back of the formation, another goose takes the lead. It is the same in cycling. The first in line takes away the wind drag for the rest of the team. Those who follow would be able to conserve their energy. When the lead is tired, he falls back, and someone else takes the lead. World-famous Lance Armstrong wouldn't be able to win so many times, if he didn't have a great team cooperating with him and backing him up. While one man may get the glory, it is the whole team that wins.
In ministries, we need to learn how to back each other up. There are times when the "lead" person will take the hit, doing the hard work. Those of us who are behind need to be ready to assist, may even take over the lead for a period of time. If I ask all the leaders of the church to stand, I won't be surprised to see no more than two or three of you will stand up. But we are all leaders. A great church is not one head honcho and a bunch of followers. A great church is a group of leaders who are working together for the greater good. Another mark of cooperation is being willing to do what is needed to be done, even when those are not our favorite jobs, or jobs that we are not expert in. We can't afford a "that's not me job" attitude.
With common goals and good cooperation, we need to learn to better communicate with one another. When you hear a flock of geese flying by, you would think that it was the head goose calling to the rest, " please follow me ……" But that's not what happens. The yapping that you hear are not from the lead goose, but the following goose. In a way, they are calling to those in front of them, " keep going, we are behind you… …"
Won't it be great, if our churches are like that? We often expect our leaders to encourage us, how often do we give encouragement to those who are currently leading? And how often have we gotten into disagreements, even becoming bitter about others simply because the communications between the parties were not clear? When our line of communication is broken, we would be able to accomplish much. If we are not ready to encourage those who are currently leading, they will only burn out.
Fourthly, not only do we need to have common goals, cooperating, and communicating to one another, we must commit to one another. In a flock of geese, if any one of them is wounded and had to stop flying to heal its wounds, two to three other geese would stay with the wounded one until it can fly again.
A great team cares for and is committed to one another. At the end of Ephesians, Paul gave us the metaphor of the Roman armor, the armor of God. The Roman military was also known to have its own "V formation". When the Roman soldiers form a "V formation" with their shields, not only were they shielding themselves, they were also shielding the body of the solider next to him.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says, "…two is better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
In sports, how often do we see athletes being more interested in their own individual trophies and awards, but never win the big game. In church, are we committed to building up one another, or are we simply building ourselves up?
Finally, one way to develop this commitment, this communication, this cooperation, and this common goal is to submit ourselves to the corporate good, to subordinate our own rights and interests for the group's interest. We must be willing to pay the price, because the goal of a united church, a united body is worth everything we can give.
Are you more like a buffalo or a goose? Will your church be filled with buffalos or geese?
The Buffalo or the Goose??