Grace Lutheran Church Sermons

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+ In Nomine Jesu +

The Rev. Evan Gaertner

4^th Sunday of Easter                                                                                        “The Whole Counsel of God”

April 29, 2007                                                                                                                                Acts 20:17-35

The U.S Chamber of Commerce estimates that theft by employees costs American companies $20 billion to $40 billion a year. To pay for it, every man and woman working in America today contributes more than $400 per year.

The chamber also reports that an employee is 15 times more likely than a non-employee to steal from an employer. Unfortunately, 75% of employee-related crimes go unnoticed.

Big box stores like Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and Costco, which is like Sam’s Club, experience quite a bit of back door theft by employees. A dollar store was recently cited for code violations when it was found that a rear exit door was chained shut. The manager offered the excuse that the door had to be chained shut to prevent employee theft.

The solutions of how to stop employee theft fall on a line of frightening employees from stealing towards being so kind to employees they won’t want to steal. Costco is an example of a low profit margin business that has found it more profitable to pay its employees a higher wage and better benefits than its competitors. By paying its employees more than others they have given employees a reason to see the store succeed. This business atmosphere has led to a reduction of back door theft. While businesses that have invested in more heavy-handed approaches have found no significant decrease in employee theft.

All of this discussion of employee theft was brought to my mind this week as I read Paul’s farewell words to the leaders of the church of Ephesus in Acts 20. Luke records in Acts 20 the speech that Paul gave to the leaders of Ephesus as he prepared to go to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem he expected to get arrested, he went anyways.

His words to the church of Ephesus help us to understand the priorities of ministry. Acts 20:20 states, “I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Later Paul states, “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.”

Paul did not allow threats of persecution to silence his proclaiming of the Word of God. He did not compromise his beliefs in order to be more accepted. He did not shrink away. He did not allow the foundation of Christ to be chipped away.

If we stand on the true foundation of the Word of God we will experience the profit of Christ. Paul stated, “I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable.” If you were operating a business and had the opportunity to make a profit and did not seize that opportunity the shareholders would be upset. Also if you were operating a business and had been advised of actions that were causing a bleed of money and did not act to improve the situation the shareholders would be upset.

Now the church is not about making money. The treasure we have is the grace of Jesus Christ. We have been bought, redeemed, purchased from our sins, not with gold or silver but with the very precious blood of Jesus. We have been adopted into the family of God, inheritors of the promises of God. The promise of salvation is a treasure that overflows. But false doctrine has the power to steal us away from this treasure, because our trust in God becomes misplaced.

Back door theft in a business is a greater long-term threat than a person walking out the front door with something stuffed into his coat. The message of good news in Jesus Christ is under greater long term threat by the danger of false teaching than by anything present in the culture.

Some will attack the threat of false teaching like a weapon carrying security guard. Jumping up and attacking any notion of theft and constantly examining every person for faults and mistakes. CompUSA down on Niagara Falls Blvd is going out of business. David Pogue, a New York Times Columnist, asked people what their worst memories of CompUSA had been. A person wrote that he did not go back because whenever he entered the store he felt like he was being examined to see how much of a threat he was to steal something instead of being viewed as a customer.

There are people in the church that are always ready to find the fault in another person. They would not say they enjoy finding other people at fault but that they are seeking to preserve what is good and right and salutary.

This kind of menacing and threatening response to false teaching appears to have been the practice of the leaders of Ephesus. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians encouraged them to stop there angry divisions and instead, “Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Eph. 5:1) He also wrote they should act, “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Eph. 4:2-3)

Paul did not shrink from declaring anything that was profitable. Paul did not hold back any of God’s will for the people of Ephesus. He proclaimed the law, convicting them of their sin. But could you imagine if all he did was say, “You all are sinners, I am disgusted with your immorality and divisiveness. You all deserve the judgment of God. Goodbye.” Paul did say to them in the 2^nd chapter of his letter to them, “It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience.” (Eph 2:1-3, The Message)

Paul did not hold back in his condemnation of sin. But more importantly he did not hold back in proclaiming the wonderful promises of God. Writing to them, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he love us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” (Eph. 2:7-8)

Paul kept the communities he visited united to Christ and the true promise of the forgiveness of sins by declaring to them that we have been saved by grace through faith and this is not our own doing.

Paul struggled with people teaching false doctrine. Look to the book of Galatians and you will find that he can act both like the security man at the front gate but also more importantly he encourages us in the good news of Jesus Christ.

Costco experienced less back door theft when they started to give its employees a better wage and benefits. Costco could start paying a lousy wage to its employees and for awhile it would see its bottom dollar go up. But in the end Costco will continue to be profitable when it does not shrink back from supporting and lifting up its workers.

Our congregation will experience less loss and division when we lift up the wonderful promises of Jesus Christ. We were once dead in our trespasses but thanks be to God that in Christ Jesus we are alive.

Soli Deo Gloria