Flora First Christian Church - Flora, IN

Nov. 11, 2007

Acts 2:42-47

Illustration of Bird Dogs and the Church

A farmer in Kansas once compared the church to his bird dogs that he takes hunting. He said, “Put those bird dogs out in the field together, and they circle in the high grass, moving swiftly with grace, soaring like a plane, with their noses to the ground, each moving to and fro sweeping the birds out of the ground into the air for me to shoot and capture. Wow! That’s quite a compliment on the church’s teamwork. Sadly he went on with his analogy. “But, you put those dogs in a cage, or in the back of a truck shell and they nip and bite and claw all over each other. I guess that’s why I don’t go to church any more.”

Sad that the Church is Like that

Ouch! That’s a sad comparison when the world so desperately needs what God has commissioned the church to go and to tell. God has forgiveness, peace, purpose, direction . . . and everlasting life to give to all people through Jesus Christ. It’s more than sad if people stay away from God because they think that His church is full of bickering and dissension.

What People Say About the Church

Some say the church is in jeopardy. Some say the church has become irrelevant, even dying, and that we need to put out a 911 alert for the church to be rescued. According to George Barna, of the Barna research group, on any given Sunday less than 40% of all Americans attend a worship service.

Did you know that there has been a 92% increase in the number of unchurched Americans in the last sixteen years? In 1991 there were 39 million un-churched Americans—those not participating anywhere, nor claiming any church affiliation. That number grew to 75 million three years ago. (George Barna Group). Folks, that’s not a good sign for the church.

Turn on the Television, Internet to See our World

All one has to do is turn on the television, surf the internet, or visit a news stand to know that we live in a world that doesn’t take its direction from the Bible. It is a fact pornography is one of the fastest growing industries in the U.S.– a multi-billion dollar industry, and it is tearing the spiritual core right out of marriages and families.

The highest increase of cocaine and marijuana use is among persons in their late 20’s and 30’s. They have college educations, professional jobs; they attended church at some time in their childhood, and they now have young families. You’d think they would know better.

Some say that this is a sign of the times. Others say that it’s a sign that the church lacks influence. Therefore, we must examine ourselves and our purpose. Change is needed. It must begin with us. Then we can take the change Christ has made in us into the world .

Paul’s Instruction to the Early Church

The Apostle Paul had this instruction to the early Christians in Rome, “Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to attest to God’s good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2, paraphrased)

If We’re Gonna Have Any Influence

If Christians are to have any power, and any influence upon this world for Jesus Christ, it can only come from God. It can’t come from the world—or we won’t be representing our Lord.

The Church Can Learn a Lot From Geese

There’s a lot that the church can learn from nature. All through the gospels, we see how Jesus used illustrations from nature when teaching His disciples. Jesus told the disciples to look at the birds flying around in the sky, and the lilies growing in the fields, and discover how God cares for them, and how we too can trust God to care for us.

Watching the Geese at Breakfast

Following my first night in the parsonage, I had my oatmeal breakfast on the deck just outside the kitchen. That morning in the gray sky, I noticed fewer than a dozen geese flying in their V formation. I thought to myself: “Fall is coming.” But this was the morning after an all time high for an October day in Indiana. I noticed that the geese were heading northwest. They were heading the wrong way!

Sometimes we do that as the church—we get all mixed up within our environment, and we head in the wrong direction until someone points it out to us. Maybe those geese had a specific cornfield or pond they were headed to. The church has a few things we can learn from geese that leave for their destination, and stay together no matter what happens around them.

John Maxwell’s Book

In John Maxwell’s book, “Developing Leaders Around You”, Maxwell reminds us of a few things that scientists have learned about why geese do what they do. The behavior of geese speaks to what the church also needs to do spiritually to be transformed in the image of Jesus Christ—who is the Lord and Savior the world needs now more than ever.
So . . . what are some lessons that the church can learn from geese?

I. GEESE ILLUSTRATE THE CONCEPT OF FELLOWSHIP.

In 2003-2004 “The Purpose Drive Life” by Rick Warren was the top selling non-fiction book in the U.S. According to Warren, fellowship is the second purpose of life—which means to love one another. Fellowship and recreation or merely coming to a pitch-in dinner are not one and the same. Fellowship means “to have in common”, “to share”, “and to participate for a common cause”.

How the Early Church Had Fellowship

In the 2nd chapter of the book of Acts, Luke tells us this about the early church. “And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42) We must ask ourselves, “As Christians, what are we doing together other than meeting on Sunday?” Why do the geese hang out before they head south for the winter? They get together to get to know each other, because then the journey will become easier. (God made them that way - they don’t have to think about it. We do!)

Geese Flying in “V” Formation

Science has discovered that geese fly in their “V” formation because as each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately behind it. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. People who share a common direction, and have community get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on one another’s thrust. Part of being in fellowship is making sure that we are headed in the same direction and that we are flying in formation. Have you seen a group of geese heading out in all directions as they try to head south? I haven’t. Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone. It quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front. When we fall out of formation with God, we also feel the resistance pulling us down, and away from our goal of growing in Jesus Christ. Geese, because of the instinct given to them by God, get together and head south for the winter for their survival. As Christians, we have a deep spiritual need to get together, to walk together, to spend time together and to grow together.

Scripture Verse from John

In the fourth gospel, John put it like this in his first letter. “If we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (I John 1:7) We need one another to stay in God’s direction. If we as people have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation, and so will those who are headed the same way we are.

II. GEESE ILLUSTRATE THE CONCEPT OF SHARING THE WORKLOAD

The “80%-20% Principal”
Non-profit organizations, service organizations and the church often speak of the 80-20 rule. It says that 80% of the work and giving gets done by 20% of the people. What happens when 80% of the work constantly gets done by 20% of the people? The people who are doing the work become discouraged and sometimes get burned out on their mission.

Geese and the Workload

When the lead goose gets tired, he rotates back in the “V” and another goose flies the point. It pays to take turns doing hard jobs. Sharing the workload ensures that the work will get done. The work of the church is important: we are assisting our Lord in building the kingdom of God. We must make sure that we use our skills and gifts. In the early church at Rome, Christians were instructed to use their gifts, regardless of what those gifts were, to glorify God. God deserves more from His church than 20% to carry His mission. That is why the church needs active committees, teams, teachers, Elders, and Deacons serving together and keeping their commitments. By instinct, geese share the work load among all the geese. As a church, we have a special workload to share . . . together.

Geese Honking Overhead

Have you ever heard a flock of geese flying high overhead? They are making all kinds of noise; they are honking at each other as they fly as encouragement.

III. GEESE ILLUSTRATE THE CONCEPT OF ENCOURAGEMENT

In 1Thessalonians 5 (11) Christians are told: “Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.” More times than not, the noise that we hear behind people who are working is not the voice of encouragement, but instead, the voice of criticism. We’ve got to be cautious, not to fall in the way of the world. Geese encourage one another on their long journey south, as Christians, we must take note on the journey to share Christ and to make disciples.

IV. GEESE ILLUSTRATE THE CONCEPT OF SHARING BURDENS WITH ONE ANOTHER

There’s one more concept that is desperately needed in the church.

When Geese Get Sick

When a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gun-fire and falls out, two other geese fall out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with the goose until it is either able to fly again or dies, and then they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group. Geese have figured out how to bear one another’s burdens. Christians are to: “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

Advice not just for Compassion Sake

This isn’t advice to be compassionate just so others might be there to help us if we’re in need. Compassion transforms us into the image of Jesus Christ.

Not all statistics bad news

Earlier I shared some statistics that the church in general has lost members over the past 30 years, and many churches have shut their doors. However there is good news. In the past five years many mainline denominations, including our own, have begun planting new churches, and more have been added to the church rolls than have been taken away. The good news is that we have discovered that churches grow regardless of their affiliation. It doesn’t matter if they have been labeled traditional or contemporary, conservative or liberal, whether they are denominational or community churches—as long as persons are committed to serving Jesus Christ as Lord and bringing others to know His life and salvation—then God’s church grows. The mission of the church is not for people to flock to us, or to the activities held here—but to Christ who lives and reigns in us and among us.