This is Your Church asking for Help

Help is a good thing, yet I think we would all agree that at some level… we hate asking for help. We assume asking for help is a neagtive. In order to receive the help we need we must move past false assumptions about help.
Here are 5 assumptions about asking for help.

It’s a sign of weakness.
I lose control of the situation.
I have to reciprocate.
I am burdening others.
I need to do it my way.

Asking for help does not show weakness it reveals strength!

We figure we should practice what we preach, so this is your church asking for help. This is your pastor asking for help.
Help is Spiritual and it leads to Spiritual Promotion. This is us asking, are you ready to help?

Help 2 – This is Your Church asking for help from Redemption Church on Vimeo.

Help 2 – This is Your Church asking for help

Sermon notes by Chris Fluitt

Redemption Church plano

Help Bumper
Welcome to Redemption Church. My name is Chris Fluitt.
We are in the 2nd week of the HELP series.

1) Help is a good thing

If you have ever been overwhelmed by work, stress, the weight of countless moving boxes… only to have someone offer their help… You will definitely agree that Help is a good thing.
There are times when the smallest act can help us greatly.

2) God does not need your help

He is self-existent and self-sufficient, but..

3) God calls for your help

He created a plan that is dependent on Human involvement. This very risky business actually places importance, value, and purpose upon us.
Let’s look at our memory verse for this month.
Psalm 121:1-4 (NIV)
I lift up my eyes to the mountains- where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
God does not need your help, but His church does. Today, your Church is asking you for help.
We need to clear something up first…
I think we would all agree that at some level… we hate asking for help. Here are 5 assumptions you must get past if you are to ever allow help to come your way. I completely have trouble in this area… so much that these 5 assumptions are taken from a writer named Lorie Corcuera. I am thankful for her help. (http://www.inc.com/lorie-corcuera/become-a-better-leader-by-asking-for-help.html)

Assumption 1: It’s a sign of weakness. If I can’t do it on my own, I must not know how to do it or I don’t have the skills or resources to do it. (before we can receive help we need to admit we need help)
Assumption 2: Allowing someone else to help me means I lose control of the situation. (Self-made man delusion)
Assumption 3: If I receive support then I have to reciprocate. What if I can’t return the favor? What if I don’t want to return the favor?
Assumption 4: If I ask for the support of others, I am burdening them. They are just as busy as me so how could they find the time to help out?
Assumption 5: I am the only one that can do it my way. It’s easier and quicker for me to do it than to train or teach someone else to help me. (Leaders pitfall)

4) Asking for help does not show weakness, it reveals strength

“Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and that then allows you to learn something new.” – President Barack Obama
All our assumptions on asking for help are false.
Have you ever learned that someone you care about needed help but didn’t ask? How did you feel? Disappointed. Upset. Cheated out of a chance to reveal your love & care.
We can’t help someone who does not reveal their need. If you are in need of help, please be willing to let us know.
So let me practice what I just preached…
This is your Church asking for help.
This is your pastor asking for help.
We are in need. Can you help?

5) Do we understand how spiritual help is?

What do you think is the height of spirituality?
Prophecy? Preaching a sermon? Some supernatural spiritual gift like speaking in tongues or healing?
1 Corinthians 12:28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.(NIV)
Did you catch it? There it is buried right there in the middle of all these titles and giftings that people ooh and ahh over. HELPS.
5) Do we understand how spiritual help is?
In fact I would tell you there are no positions in God that are not centered on HELPS. The 5 fold ministry… Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists…
Ephesians 4:11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,(NIV)
Ephesians 4:12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up(NIV)
The purpose of ministry is to help the Church… To equip God’s people for works of service – SOUNDS LIKE HELP – To build up the body of Christ!
All the spiritual gifts are to help others.
If you aren’t helping – It is not spiritual. If you aren’t helping – It is not ministry. If you are not helping – It’s not God working in you.
Being a help is a simple way to be supernaturally spiritual. I would tell you that if you want to do great things in God’s kingdom… just try to help… and see where that takes you.
Acts 6:1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.(NIV)
Acts 6:2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.(NIV)
Acts 6:3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them(NIV)
Acts 6:4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”(NIV)
Acts 6:5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.(NIV)
Acts 6:6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.(NIV)
Acts 6:7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.(NIV)
You see that the Church needed help. The apostles turned over some responsibility to 7 young men. The men helped distribute food. It was not glamourous, but this HELP, caused the word of God to spread, the number of disciples to increase, and for many priests to come to Christ. If the story ended here we would say wow… what a great important lesson on helping.
But the story continues. The next 2 chapters focus on 2 young men who were spreading food in Acts 6.
In Acts 7 Stephen witnesses to the Sanhedrin, where He presents Christ to influential people in Jerusalem… among them was Saul of Tarsus who became the Apostle Paul. Stephen went from handing out bread to handing out spiritual bread in a powerful Holy Spirit demonstration.
In acts 8 Philip was running from persecution and preached Jesus in the town of Samaria and converted the entire town. Everyone in the town believed.. everyone was baptized.. everyone was healed..
We have no record of Philip or Stephen going to Seminary or Bible College. We have no record of them studying theology for a decade. We have no record of an Angel telling them God has a special role for the to fulfill… WHAT WE HAVE ON RECORD IS THAT THEY WERE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT AND DESIRED TO HELP!

6) Help leads to spiritual promotion

If you want to be great in the Kingdom then you need to be a servant in His Kingdom.
Matthew 23:11 The greatest among you will be your servant.(NIV)

We need your help

We welcome you here. We are glad you come. We hope that you receive help and blessings from worship here or small group gatherings.
Have you volunteered your help? Maybe you wanted to but we just didn’t ask… Maybe you have not thought about… maybe you have. Well this is us asking.
Serve
Give
Outreach
To you who are involved already… You serve you give you are active… I am going to say something crazy… but hear me out. We need more from you.
If you can give more.. we can sure use your help.
If you can serve more.. we can sure use your help. (Help us lead)
Thank you for your help. I need your help. I need your prayer. I need your encouragement.. support.
There is no telling where your service in God’s Kingdom will take you. Do you want to do big things In God’s kingdom? Then offer help by doing the thing in front of you.