Nov 27, 1999 11 min read old-sermon

The Type of Person God Uses

it should have struck me before, but sometime in the first year of our marriage, I was struck by a startling realization: my wife and I are different
you would think that I might have realized that before our marriage, but for whatever reason I didn’t
in that first year of marriage, I discovered that I was a morning person, and my wife was an night hawk
my brain shut down right around the time that hers started working
what’s more, my idea of a good time was to retreat from the world and to barricade herself in my house
her idea of a good time was to throw open to doors and invite the neighborhood in
I liked to plan; my wife was spontaneous
I believed in punctuality; we’ll just call my wife a free spirit
and somewhere along the line I realized: the differences between us could either be the points of greatest conflict in our marriage, or they could become the points of greatest strength
I realized after a while that I didn’t really want to be married to somebody like me
I began to see that our differences, when nurtured and embraced, could lead to new and exciting adventures for both of us
our differences created opportunities for both of us to mature, and for her strengths to compensate for my weaknesses
we could choose selfishness and defensiveness, or we could choose contribution and caring
the moments of greatest delight in our marriage have been those moments that we have enjoyed the differences between us
the greatest strength of any group of people is going to be the synergy that comes from being different
Paul talks about this in Ephesians 4, which I’d like you to read with me
it’s found on page 1319 of your pew Bible
(Ephesians 4:1) As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
(Ephesians 4:2) Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
(Ephesians 4:3) Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
(Ephesians 4:4) There is one body and one Spirit– just as you were called to one hope when you were called–
(Ephesians 4:5) one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
(Ephesians 4:6) one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Paul is saying that there is an underlying, fundamental unity within the church
we don’t have to manufacture it; it was given by the Spirit
it’s simply our job to keep it
all believers belong to one body; all are united under one head, Jesus Christ himself
we are all one body
but there’s a potential problem
because verse 7 reads:
(Ephesians 4:7) But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
in spite of the unity of the church, Christ has given us all different roles to play
it doesn’t take very long in the church before we discover what I did in my marriage
there are differences between us
there are differences in giftedness
according to Colossians 3:11, there are differences in nationality, race, education level, social standing, wealth, gender, religion, and power
and these differences are going to be a challenge at times
that’s why Paul says in Ephesians 4:3, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit”
it’s something that’s going to take effort
it requires diligence
one of our greatest potential strengths as a church is going to be our diversity
one of our greatest potential points of conflict as a church is going to be our diversity
God uses all types of people – people with different gifts, backgrounds, preferences, and backgrounds
one of the things that excite me about Richview is our diversity in age
very few churches have the pronounced age differences that we enjoy
I’ve invited three representatives of different age groups to come up this morning
they don’t know what I’m going to do, but they’ve agreed to sit up here so that we can stare at them for the rest of the service
as we look at these three people, they’re very different
that’s exciting to me
these differences can be the points of greatest synergy in our church
or these differences can end up being the points of greatest conflict
every week, God has called us to serve these three generations
the greatest challenge we face today is adapt to our changing times, so that it may be said of us as was said of David:
(Acts 13:36 NLT) David…served his generation according to the will of God.
this is our calling; this is our challenge
if we are going to serve our generation, we’re going to have to be in touch with our times
we’re going to have to know who we’re called to serve
our model will be the men of Issachar, mentioned in 1 Chronicles 12:32
(1 Chronicles 12:32 NLT) From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the temper of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.
we somehow need to understand the temper of our times in order to know the best course for our church to take
so let’s look at our friends
on my extreme left, we have a builder
a builder is someone who was born between 1920 and 1945
we had a hard time finding someone to admit that they were a builder
but here he is – my friend Albert
in the middle, we have a boomer – Linda Nolan
a boomer is someone who was born between 1946 and 1964
we’re not sure when our boomer here was born, but I’m told it was pretty close to 1964, wasn’t it?
and then, closest to me, we have a buster – my friend Jonathan
a buster is someone who was born between 1965 and 1984
we don’t even have the next generation up here – Generation Y or whatever you’re going to call them; those age 15 and under
but these are the three generations that we are called to serve
now, aren’t you glad we have all three?
some churches don’t have every generation represented
some churches just have one or two
but we have the privilege – the calling – of serving all three generations
but is it going to be easy?
every week, we have all three groups within our church
we’re going to look at eight areas of church ministry and how these three relate to what’s going on
let’s begin by thinking about the PROGRAM STYLE of the church
how is the church going to be structured?
Albert and the rest of the builders tend to like formal and structured programs within the church
they like things to be well-planned and to be carried out well
they like the formality of a program, whether it’s a Bible study, prayer meeting, or whatever
Linda and the boomers, however, are a little different
Linda is not as concerned about programs as she is relationships
she wants the program style of the church to be relational
busters will naturally be drawn to events that allow them to relate to others and to find fellowship
it’s no accident that churches began to focus on fellowship and koinenea as the busters began to run the church
but then the busters came along
a buster’s approach to programs can be summed up in one word: spontaneous
busters are at their best not when things are too structured or formal, but when they have a chance to be spontaneous and imaginative in what goes on
don’t tie them down with a formal program and expect it never to change; allow them the freedom to experiment
this relates to their FOCUS
our build ers tend to focus on programs
our boomers tend to focus on people – usually their friends
our busters tend to focus on community – building an authentic community of people who can be real with each other
this next part is huge
because when it comes to MINISTRY, these three people are motivated in completely different ways
if you want to motivate a builder, appeal to their sense of duty
you can motivate a builder using guilt
you can appeal to their sense of duty
some of them lived through the depression
they served in a World War
they are motivated by duty
when it comes to boomers, though, motivation is found through fulfillment
if you want to motivate a boomer, tell them that Christ’s commands lead to true fulfillment
a buster is completely different
do you know how to motivate a buster? through a challenge
a buster will buy into a cause
if a buster sees a need, he or she will rise to the challenge
the motivation is very different for these three groups of people
now we come to the Sunday morning worship service
what do these three groups of people think about WORSHIP?
for someone like Albert, their idea of appropriate worship is a service filled with reverence
they have the conviction that worship is to be conducted with solemnity and seriousness
someone like Linda doesn’t necessarily mind reverence, but for her worship should include dialogue and interaction
there should be some give and take in worship
a boomer won’t mind if there’s some talking back and forth between the audience and the platform
I told you that the key word for a builder’s style of worship is reverence
do you know what a buster prefers? energy
a buster worships best where there’s some volume and intensity
let’s talk about something minor like MUSIC
we’ll generalize here
what type of music does a builder prefer? hymns
what type of music does a boomer prefer? generally, a blend
and do I need to ask what type of music a buster prefers? contemporary praise
no wonder there are sometimes tensions between the generations!
and then we come to SERMONS
this is where my job gets tough
what type of sermon does a builder prefer? expositional
start at chapter one verse one, and when you’re done move on to chapter one verse two
what type of sermon does a boomer prefer? how-to sermons
they want to know how to grow spiritually, how to be a better parent, how to deal with depression
and then we come to the buster
it’s important with the buster to address the issues
they won’t respect a church that preaches from chapter to chapter of the Bible, but never tackles the tough issues: what about homosexuality? is premarital sex wrong? how does a Christian respond to poverty or war?
the issues are important to them
you can see why, when we gather on a Sunday morning, we have vastly different preferences and tastes for what takes place in worship, music, and the sermon
we’ll cover two more areas of difference
let’s look at SUPPORT or what used to be called MISSIONS
builders support missions
it’s a sacred trust for them
but boomers tend not to be as focused on missions as they are missionaries
don’t talk about missions in abstract terms to a boomer
talk about the Kerrs in Japan
talk about the Fosters in Angola
busters are going to be more interested in projects and known causes
they will respond if you tell them about the percentage of people who don’t have a Bible translation in a certain area
they will sign up for a short-term missions project
all three have an interest in missions, but that interest is unlocked in different ways
finally, let’s look at the SAYINGS of these three groups
do you know what builders love to say? “Are you sure?”
they’re cautious; they don’t always like change or bold new initiatives
what’s a boomer going to say? “Just do it”
sometimes there’s been enough talk, and you just need to get to the action
the buster is sitting there watching all this go on
do you know what a buster loves to say? “Whatever“
can you see how different we are?
now let me ask you a question: which generation are we called to serve?
all of them
this is our calling; this is our challenge
which type of person is the type of person God uses?
God uses busters; God uses boomers; God uses builders
we need them all here
let’s thank them for coming up this morning
our diversity in age is going to be one of our greatest struggles – and one of our greatest opportunities
when you have a piece of fabric, the rips usually take place at the seams
but if sewn properly, the seams can be the strongest part of the material
let’s talk about builders this morning – those who are age 55 and up
I take my hat off to you this morning
we need you!
many of you have sacrificed for years to build the church
it’s because of you that we even have Richview Baptist Church and other churches around you
we are forever indebted to you for the contribution you have made in the past, and that you continue to make today
we are committed to continue serving you
we don’t want you to go anywhere
let’s show our appreciation to those builders who have shown themselves faithful
it’s our job to continue what you’ve started
we don’t want to do anything new
we want to recapture your passion
we want to affirm you for everything good that you’ve accomplished
I thank you for being who you are, and we need you in the future
we will never displace you; you are vital to our future
let’s talk about the boomers
boomers, you’re the missing generation in many churches
many between the ages of 35 and 55 have left the church
I’m so glad that you didn’t
you began to lead this process of change in society and in the church
we need you
we value what you have done, and what you’re continuing to do
we need you in the future
now let’s talk about the busters
one thing I’m learning is that busters don’t play games
I’ve been in some churches with no busters, and boy, are you ever missed!
I value your commitment to authenticity
I applaud the commitment you show to whatever cause you believe in
we need you
people sometimes say that you are the church of the future, but I disagree
you are the church of today; we need you, and we appreciate you
the differences between the generations can be the greatest source of tension in the church
or they can become our greatest strength
imagine if Richview was a church that could model to other churches what it was like to be unified in the middle of incredible diversity in the Body
what’s it going to take?
three things
ONE: APPRECIATE THE DIFFERENCES
I think an important first step is to recognize and appreciate how different other people are from us
life would get pretty boring if everyone else was just like me
when we begin to understand how we’re different, and see our differences as a strength rather than a weakness, our attitude chang es
each generation makes a unique contribution that the other generations can’t make
and together we find wholeness and maturity
like the men of Issachar, we need to understand the temper of our times in order to know the best course for our church to take
SECOND: REMEMBER WHAT’S WORTH FIGHTING FOR
do you remember the list I just gave you of the differences between builders, boomers, and busters?
you can summarize that whole list with one word: preferences
do you know what preferences are? just preferences
are preferences worth dying for?
yes, but the one who has to die is you
the area of preferences is an area in which we need to die to ourselves
(Philippians 2:3) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
(Philippians 2:4) Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
we will fight for God’s Word; we will battle for his commands
these are worth fighting for
but we’ll never battle over preferences
once in a while, when differences come up, I think we need to back up and say, “Is the issue a timeless command or principle of Scripture, or is it merely a preference?”
remember GST – goals, strategy, and tactics
goals never change – the goal of glorifying God and leading people to maturity in Christ
strategies never change – exposition, prayer, evangelism, fellowship
but tactics always change
“Methods are many, principles are few; methods always change, principles never do”
THIRD – AND MOST IMPORTANTLY – GET TO KNOW AND LOVE SOMEONE FROM ANOTHER GENERATION
Dann Spader writes, “People usually do not trust those they do not know”
the flip side of that is that people cannot help but trust those whom they know and love
I would challenge busters here – adopt a builder!
visit with them
get to know them
talk to them as they come into the church
don’t even tell them what you’re doing – just pick one and begin to really love them
the same with builders
adopt a boomer or a buster
find out what makes them tick
meet with them; pray for them
love them
every Monday morning, I meet with a builder
our friendship has grown
we are seeing Paul’s words come true
(Colossians 3:11) Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
because what type of person does God use?
God uses people of every age who are willing to do what David did – to serve our generation according to the will of God

Darryl Dash

I'm a grateful husband, father, oupa, and pastor of Grace Fellowship Church East Toronto. I love learning, writing, and encouraging. I'm on a lifelong quest to become a humble, gracious old man.

Toronto, Canada

Darryl Dash

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