Catalyst

Continuing the series...

Catalyst Something that initiates or causes an important event to happen and is not consumed in the process

Catalyst for Change in the Church
Colossians 3
1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
When people live their lives in close proximity to one another, share their lives, and spend time growing to know each other change is inevitable. Now many of us dont like change. In fact, we fear change. However, the Bible teaches us that change is good. We are changed forever upon entering into a relationship with Jesus, and we can be further changed by the catalyst of His people and His instruction coming into our lives through His people.

Why do we need to be changed?

On the inside

Perfected?
First, we are not perfect. Now all you need is an honest friend or a spouse to point out your faults. In verses 5-9 we have what is referred to in the study of scripture as a vice list. This is a list of things people fall into apart from Christ. We all still have some rough edges. No one has completely mastered their sin nature. In fact, Paul has already conferred earlier in this letter that he still wrestles with the flesh (Romans 7). So we need to continue the war against the wrong things we fall into.

Prepared
Second, we are being prepared. God is working in us to use us to accomplish His purpose. Weve spoken on many occasions about how we are not accidents. We are creations of God for His good works (2 Timothy 2:20-21). 20In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. 21If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. As God cleanses us He also uses us.

Bring on the change

Catalyst Something that initiates or causes an important event to happen and is not consumed in the process

So how does this change occur?

Changes are brought about by a catalyst. Ordinary things are made extraordinary by the introduction of something that changes them at their base nature. The church was sprung from the mind of God with the idea that we would challenge one another, build one another up into a reflection of Christ by the changes in our lives, the teaching we have heard, and the actions we undertake. Look at verse 16. We must be a part of one anothers lives so that change occurs.

Let me say this today. There are many of you here this morning who have been believers for a long time. You have the benefit of being discipled from an early age. Yet you have never discipled anyone else. Your faith and the teaching you have received molds inside of you. You are like a sponge that has been soaked and never squished.

Others this morning are relatively new to faith. But you are slow to learn. You resist wise instruction and you allow the frustrations of your life to keep you from godly counsel. You say you want to grow in faith, but it is not a priority for your life.

Both things must change this morning. We need to begin to grow in depth as well as in width. We need to begin to disciple one another as well as support one another. Why you might ask? Because the Gospel is not just for us, it is for the world, and we need to be prepared to take it there.

Catalyst for Change Outside the Church
Isaiah 61
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, [a]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
On the outside

What can be accomplished by a church of transformed believers? The real question is what cannot be? Stop and think about the possibilities. How about the restoration of families? How about the repair of a neighborhood? How about freedom from hunger and homelessness? How about the economic condition of a country? (Tony Camplo story) How about a corrupt government? (Bob Roberts story- )

See the Gospel is about all of these things. It is about a relationship with Jesus and being set free from sin, but it is also about being a catalyst for change in the world. It is about serving people who do not even believe as we do and doing so in a way that they glorify God, not us. (1 Peter 2:12)

The Gospel is the Good News, as the angel said on the night of Jesus birth for all people. We are catalysts for change by taking our faith to work with us and living it in our cubicles, our work stations, behind the counter, and at every door we come to. We are catalysts for change by volunteering our time with the less fortunate, helping our neighbors, and serving those who dont even know us.

Catalyst Something that initiates or causes an important event to happen and is not consumed in the process

And we are not just called to be catalysts for local change but for global change. We are called to be nation builders through service to those in other parts of the world. And we help build nations not just by sending money, but by going ourselves, and welcoming international people into our homes and lives. We build nations by planting churches of influence in other lands and by serving the governments of other lands in building their infrastructure and helping them to leave behind corruption and embrace the Gospel.