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 builders 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 changes

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

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The Type of Person God Uses