Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

This is the final week of our series called Come Together. God has a powerful message from His Word for us today. You’re going to be challenged in a big way today.

But before we get going on today’s message, I want remind you about the new series that begins next week.

I said last week that we are launching the biggest, most important series that we’re doing all year next Sunday, October 11. It’s easily the most important series that I’ve ever preached at ACC. And it’s going to be one of the most important series preached in the long history of our church.

This series is called Simple Church. In this series, we’ll be laying out an exciting new vision that God has given us. If someone came up to you right now and asked, “What is the vision of the Amelia Church of Christ?” you might not be able to answer them. After this series, you’ll be able to answer that question with incredible clarity. The vision is so simple…and it’s thoroughly Biblical.

You’ve got to be here for every installment of this three week series. It all starts next Sunday.

But now, let’s wrap up our Come Together series. The Beatles are as hot as they’ve ever been. They’re all over the news. Everybody is buzzing about the Beatles.

That has given us a perfect opportunity in this series to open a door for people to hear the gospel. We haven’t glorified the Beatles in this series. If anything, we’ve shown how they missed what they were searching for.

Think back through what we’ve talked about in this series. The Beatles were looking for help, but they missed it because they didn’t look to God for help in their lives. They made more money than anyone could imagine, especially in that time period, but all their fame and fortune couldn’t buy them what they really needed. They were known the world over, but still felt incredibly lonely. They tried to fill that void of loneliness in all the wrong ways.

It’s tragic when someone misses out on what God wants for them because they’re busy looking in the wrong places. That’s largely the story of the Beatles. And that’s the story of so many people in our culture today. And maybe that’s your story.

That’s why we’re doing this series. We’re taking questions and issues that people have, and we’re answering them from the Word of God. The Word of God is the source of truth. The Word of God is life. The Word of God is what changes people.

And the Word of God has done exactly that in this series. People have been broken through this series, and God has started to mend their hearts and their lives. People have made official commitments to our church family in this series. People have given their lives to Christ in this series.

A series about the Beatles can’t do that. A series from the Word of God can. And that’s what we’re all about. We’re in the book of Ephesians in this series. We’re in chapter 5 today. Let’s pray, and then we’ll get started.

Worship band plays The Beatles "Revolution"

John Lennon wrote this song in 1967. At that point, it was the most overtly political song that the Beatles had ever recorded. If you were around in the late ‘60s, you remember well all the political upheaval and unrest in our country.

So John Lennon wrote the song, Revolution, as a response to everything that was happening. You might not agree with all the political overtones in the song. I don’t either.

But I see something deeper in the song that I absolutely agree with, and it’s why we’re launching off this song to wrap up this series. There is something deeper in this song that is true. It’s solidly Biblical, even though that wasn’t what John Lennon intended.

The truth that is expressed is that true lasting change doesn’t come from politics. It doesn’t come from the government, regardless of what type of government you’re talking about.

There are a lot of people today who are looking to the government to provide all the positive change we need in our country. Regardless of your political leanings, you’ve got to understand that this is impossible.

The song also touches on the world of science and finance. Neither one is going to change the world. They can add to our world. Handled correctly, they can make our world better. But ultimately, they are human endeavors that will fall flat.

The catalyst to change the world is the church. Pure and simple. John Lennon didn’t get this. Most people in our country don’t get this. But as the church of the living God, we have to get this. The catalyst to change the world is the church.

Human governments come and go. In our country, the political wind shifts every few years. Every four years, we have a campaign where we listen to people promise that, this time, it’s going to be different. I’m the one to bring the change we need. And four years later, we’ll go through the same thing all over again.

I’m not trying to turn this into a political rant. Not at all. What I’m saying is that real, lasting change…a change that is forever…a change that is eternal…that kind of change comes from the church, and nowhere else.

Most of us can resonate with the words from the song. We all want to change the world. We really do. But it actually goes even deeper than that.

As the church, we don’t just want to change the world. We are called to change the world. We are empowered to change the world. We are expected to change the world. As the church of the living God, we can’t settle for anything less.

We can’t afford to get together and just play church. We can’t afford to view the church as a social club that’s all about us. The church is the vehicle that God has chosen to change the world.

The church has a mission. Or, maybe this is a better way to say it:

the mission has a church. The mission is the gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thing that will change the world. And the gospel has been given to us as God’s church.

But far too often, churches sell out the gospel for self-help, feel good, fluffy preaching. Far too many individual Christians sit on the gospel, believing that their faith is a personal thing that shouldn’t be imposed on somebody else.

We can never sell out the gospel. We’re not called to sit on the gospel. We’re called to change the world.

We’ve spent the last four weeks in the New Testament book of Ephesians. Paul wrote this book as a letter to the church in the city of Ephesus and churches in the surrounding area. It is one of the most important, most powerful books in the New Testament.

Today, we’re fast-forwarding to chapter 5. Pick it up in verse 13. “But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. (Ephesians 5:13-17, NIV)

When Paul wrote this Scripture, he assumes that we understand that our call is to change this world with the gospel. That’s why we spent a little extra time setting the table before we opened the Scripture today. You’ve got to understand that Paul already assumes that we know what God has called us to do. He tells us to “understand what the Lord’s will is.” The will of Jesus Christ is that we would use His gospel to change the world.

So Paul meets us right there. God has called us to change the world. And the Apostle Paul reminds us that this means we’ve got to be on the lookout for those opportunities everyday.

When Paul commands us to make the most of every opportunity in verse 16, you can also translate that as “redeem the time.” (KJV)

I love that concept. To redeem means to pay a price for something or to buy something back. When we say that we are redeemed, we mean that Jesus’ death paid the price for our sin. He bought us back from our sin.

But check this out. Not only does Jesus want to redeem your soul, but He wants to redeem your schedule.

Here’s a phrase that should never come out of the mouth of a Christ-follower: “I’m bored.”

World changers don’t get bored. If you’re bored, then you are living in unredeemed time. Some of you parents hear this all the time from your kids. Now you’re ready to pull out the whoopin’ stick the next time your kid tells you they’re bored.

Seriously…world changers don’t get bored. To be bored is to live in time that Jesus hasn’t redeemed.

Jesus not only redeems your soul, but He redeems your schedule. You live on His time. Here’s what that looks like…

That meeting at work has a higher purpose than discussing gap analysis or organizational structure or the latest marketing strategy. That meeting is not just on your calendar. It’s on God’s calendar. And He might just turn that ordinary meeting into a divine appointment.

A meeting might just be a meeting. But it is guaranteed to just be a meeting if you don’t go into it looking for God-given opportunities. If you go into the meeting, praying to see God-given opportunities, God might just turn that ordinary meeting into a divine appointment.

Now, before you think, “Well, I can’t change the world. I’m just one person,” listen up. You are just one person, but Jesus Christ has your back.

You + Jesus = Unstoppable.

Our problem is not that we lack the power to change the world. We’ve got the Word of God and the Spirit of God and the anointing of God to change the world. We don’t lack the power to change the world.

But many of us think that we lack the position to change the world. You think, “Look at my life. I’m just a blue collar guy. I’m just a stay-at-home mom. I’m just a teenager. I’m just an old man. I’m just an old woman. What can I do to change the world?”

Do you see what you’re doing? You are focused on your position instead of God’s power. If you could see yourself the way God sees you, you would never use the word “just” ever again.

You’re not “just” anything. You are a child of God, bought with the blood of the Son of God, filled with the Spirit of God, to change the world in the name of God! You + Jesus = Unstoppable!

For most of you, God doesn’t need you to be anywhere but where you are now. I say for most of you because there are times when God needs to move us to an area of greater effectiveness. But for most of us, God doesn’t need to move us. He doesn’t need to change your position for you to change the world.

You don’t have to live in the White House. You can live in your house and change the world.

You don’t have to be a CEO. You can be on the PTO and change the world.

You don’t have to be on Wall Street. You can change the world on your street.

The problem is that most of us don’t see world-changing potential in our current position. But listen to God’s Word again.

“But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. (Ephesians 5:13-17, NIV)

Paul tells us to “wake up, o sleeper.” Some of us are asleep at the wheel. We’ve become so complacent with our normal life in our normal subdivision at our normal job that changing the world just seems out of reach. Why even try? And we’ve lulled ourselves into a spirit of complacency.

Paul is jumping up and down, trying to shake us up. Trying to rattle us out of a state of complacency and back into a state of urgency.

If we wake up, if we open ourselves up to the possibility that we can do something incredible for God’s Kingdom, look at what Paul says will happen. “Christ will shine on you.”

All of a sudden, the light of Christ shines on you. It shines on your schedule. It shines on your meetings. It shines on your conversations with neighbors. It shines on your family relationships.

You begin to see things with a completely different perspective. Every conversation is an opportunity for something more. It doesn’t mean that you turn into some overzealous wingnut who tries to convert the kid handing you your Big Mac at the McDonald’s drive thru. But it does mean that you are keenly aware that any interaction could quickly turn into a divine appointment.

That is an incredibly exciting way to go through life. It’s exciting because you never know what’s going to happen. Some of you who are planners and control freaks don’t like that. You always want to know what’s going to happen and when it’s going to happen.

You’d better figure out a way to get over that, because that isn’t what following Jesus is like at all. Everyday is an unpredictable adventure. Everyday is filled with unforeseen opportunities.

But we can short-circuit these God-given opportunities if we’re not looking for them. If we’re not allowing God to redeem our time, making the most of every opportunity. If we’re not vigilant to live in the will and Word of God.

Paul reminds us to, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16, NIV)

If we are not living with godly wisdom, then we’ll never see the opportunities that God has for us. We are living in evil days. That’s no secret. It shouldn’t be a surprise. A world without Christ is a dark, broken, evil world.

The only way to change this world is to live with the wisdom of another world. We are called to a higher standard than our world. As the church of God, He has given us a higher standard in our lives. When we live foolishly, judging our sin by worldly standards instead of godly standards, this world will never change. We’re simply living as part of the problem instead of the solution.

But when we live differently, when we not only profess Christ but we live Christ, we are a catalyst for eternal change.

Our church is changing the world. Every single time we reach someone for Christ, our world is changed. Every time we plant seeds of the gospel, our world is changed. Every time a marriage is healed through the ministry of our church, our world is changed. Every time someone has food on their table because of the generosity of our church, our world is changed.

It’s happening. The Amelia Church of Christ is changing the world. I wish you could hear the stories that I hear. In fact, we’ve got a special series coming up later this year where you will get to hear some of these stories.

I wish you could hear them all. Do you realize that I hear a story from someone every single week whose life has been changed by our church? I’m not kidding. Every single week!

And I don’t think I’ve ever heard it more than I have heard it in this series. Some people thought we were going to spend four weeks jamming to Beatles tunes and it was going to be nothing but fluff-and-stuff preaching. Actually, God set this up as one of the most life-changing series we’ve ever done here at Amelia. I kid you not…I have heard more stories of life change in this series than maybe any other that we’ve ever done.

The Amelia Church of Christ is changing the world. And in the series we’re starting next week, we’re going to see how God is positioning us to go even further in changing the world.

Don’t ever look at the size of our church right now and think, “Oh, we’re just a small church. We can’t change the world.” We’re changing the world.

Don’t ever look at your position in life and think, “I’m just a ________________. I can’t change the world.” You are perfectly positioned and empowered by God to change the world.

When we walk out of those doors today, we’re not just a group of people heading home to watch football or heading to Bob Evans for brunch. We are an army of world-changers that is being unleashed on this community. And if we take that seriously, if we open our eyes and allow God to redeem our time…if we see every interaction as a possible divine appointment…this community won’t know what hit it!

When you think about our church, think of it as a tag-team sport. When you walk in the doors, you look at the people leading worship, you look at the person preaching the Word and you say, “Go for it!” We’re here to challenge you, encourage you, and build you up in Christ. You look at us and you say, “Go for it!” And I promise that you’ll get our very best every single week.

But when you walk out today, we’re going to look at you and say, “Go for it!”

You have a unique circle of influence. Your workplace or your school is your pulpit. Your colleagues are your congregation.

You can reach people that I will never be able to reach. You can minister to people in ways that are unique to you. You have the potential and the power to change the world in ways that we never can.

When you walk out those doors today, “Tag! You’re it! Go for it! We’ve done every single thing we possibly could today to help you encounter Jesus. Now use that to go out and change your world this week.”

If your walk with Christ has denigrated to the point where it’s all about going to church, it’s all about sitting in this room for an hour, dropping a few bucks in the plate, eating a cracker and sipping some juice, and then going home and forgetting it all until next week…if that’s what following Jesus has become for you, then let me clue you in on something…you’re not following Jesus anymore.

Maybe you were at one time, but you’re not now. Someone who is following Jesus gets out of bed every morning with this on their mind.

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16, NIV)

Someone who is following Jesus lives with wisdom and they watch for opportunities like a hawk. The days we live in are evil. Our world is wasting away. Our culture is corrupt. And time is short.

The local church is the hope of the world, and you’re a part of that. No one else can effect real, lasting change. No politician, no new initiative, no government program, no scientific breakthrough, no philosophy, no alternative belief system…nothing can impact our world for the Kingdom of God except the local church.

That’s why I’ve given my life to the church. That’s why I do what I do. I’m not satisfied with the shape our world is in. I’m tired of the power of darkness and sin ruling over people’s lives. I want to see a revolution happen in our world. I have a burning passion inside me to change our world. The local church is the only vehicle to get it done.

What we do around here isn’t a game. It’s deadly serious. Eternity is long. Hell is hot. Heaven is real. And the choice is ours.

We can stumble and fumble through life…or we can start a revolution and change our world. You have the power and position to start a revolution in your world this week.

Let’s get it done, church. Go for it!

Mike Edmisten

Tags: Come Together: A Beatles Series, Ephesians, evangelism, mission