Change the World:
One Relationship at a Time

Dichotomies of Christianity
  • Dichotomy Definition: a division or contrast between two things that are, or are represented as being, opposed or entirely different.
  • The one we focus on in this message: Relationships <-> Boldness 
  • The world wants us to think there is only one extreme or the other


  • God is Balanced – God is both and God wants that for us as well
  • Rev 22:13 – I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.


Other Dichotomies:
-God is love <> God is vengeful
-We are free in Christ <> There are rules to follow
-In the world <> Not of the world
-Humility <> Confidence
-Love the sinner <> Hate the sin
-Relationships <> Boldness
 
Relationships and Boldness

Relationship – time, investment, effort, cultivated, two-way communication, etc.
Bold – quick, decisive, resolute, courageous, obvious, direct, one-way, etc.

*They seem opposed


1 Corinthians 3:5-9
5What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given.
6I (Paul) planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
7So, then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
8Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
9For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building.


Verse 6
6I (Paul) planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

Boldness
  • We are called to be bold - Matthew 5:15 CSB
  • In the correct way – 2 Thessalonians 3:15

  • Boldness is simple – listen and obey – let God do the rest
  • Like a muscle – do it in little things and it will get easier to do it in bigger situations
  • When we fail to address the evil we see in our brothers and sisters for the sake of relationship, we are perpetuating the evil we want to rid the world of.

  • You don’t make change happen, God does, but He needs you to listen to the Holy Spirit and take action!
  • 1 Corinthians 3:8

Be bold so that God can work through you to build a relationship with Him – for you and others.



Relationships
  • We are called to love others (build relationships with them)
  • John 13:14-15, 34-35, Rom 12:9-10, 14, 18-21

  • 1 Corinthians 13:1 – speaking without love (relationship) is just noise
  • 2 Timothy 2:24-25

  • Parable of the Sower - Matthew 13:18-23 CSB
  • How do I know the condition of someone’s heart if I don’t know them?
  • Only God can truly know, but you are far more likely to be effective in sharing with someone when you have a relationship with them

  • You have a relationship capital account with everyone
  • Are you making deposits or withdrawals?
  • Deposits: Give them Trust and Respect, Listen to them, Let them Influence you (1 Corinthians 9:19-23), show them you Care
  • Withdrawals: Interrupting, being late, wrong tact, negative tone, wrong intent, poor communication delivery, being right

  • When we don’t build relationships, we fail to be effective in supporting God’s work. 
  • Nothing, no matter how good it is, tastes good shoved down your throat.
  • You may be speaking the truth, but when you hit someone with the hammer of truth, they only see the hammer.

Take ownership of building those relationships so you have opportunities to be effectively bold!
 
Building Relationships and Being Bold are equal

1 Corinthians 3:8
8Now he who plants and he who waters are one*, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
*Equal status/United in purpose

You must be able to do either when needed
  • Not easy to discern when it is needed if you aren’t continuously walking with the Spirit - Galatians 5:25
 
Both require GRACE and PRACTICE
This all seems so difficult because it is! We cannot do this without Christ.
  • We have to be willing to let go of our ego and our wisdom and surrender to what God is telling us to do - Proverbs 3:5-6 CSB and James 1:5 CSB
  • When we surrender to what God is telling us, we can be bold and we can build effective relationships.

  • How do we know what he is telling us? We have to listen:
    • When we read the Bible, that is an our opportunity to hear from God. It’s not about just reading words, it’s about experiencing God
    • When we pray, He will speak to us
    • When we are still(rest), the Holy Spirit will speak to us
    • God also speaks through other people to us


Do this where you are planted:

1 Corinthians 3:5         
5What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given.

1 Corinthians 7:24      
Brothers and sisters, each person is to remain with God in the situation in which he was called.

Just because we have good intentions doesn’t mean we are being obedient to God - Good intentions are not necessarily God intentions

Don’t rely on your own fleshly wisdom to discern this. It is often times the thing we actually don’t want to do that God is calling us to do. - Galatians 5:25

Take ownership of what you can control - right here in your family, community, work, wherever God has put you

Conclusion
Nothing should be done in Extremes – it’s not effective.

We have to build relationships AND be bold and obedient when called upon.

We should be balanced – again this takes EFFORT because we will have to constantly modulate/re-balance ourselves – this cannot be done in our own strength, but we have to act!

-God is always working on us, bringing us to more
-We were anointed for such a time as this

Change the world: by being bold enough to take ownership of one relationship at a time right here with the people around you right now