12 Mile Bridge Sunday: Crossing the Bridge

Use these materials to go deeper into this message on your own, or with your small group. 
Small Group Guide

9:00 Service | 10:30 Service | Sermon Audio

Today’s Scripture is from 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, starting in verse 1. Let’s hear God’s Word… 

1 You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. 2 We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. 7 Instead, we were like young children among you. 

Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. 9 Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. 

13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. 14 For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus… This is the Word of the Lord. 

My goal for today’s message is very simple: I want you to cross the bridge.  

Now: the main thing that I mean by that is that I want you to cross the bridge and serve with one of our 12-Mile Bridge partners in Paterson. And today you’re going to hear about lots of different ways you can do that. So I want you to cross the 12-Mile Bridge. But it’s even broader than that. Because I believe God calls all of us to live a life of bridge-crossing. There are people around you right now that are separated from you by different kinds of bridges. Some of the bridges are geographical and cultural, like the one between here and Paterson. Some of the bridges are generational—if you’re in your 40s or your 60s, there’s a bridge to cross if you want to connect with people in their teens, and vice-versa. Some of the bridges are political—if you’re conservative, there’s a barrier between you and someone who’s liberal, and vice-versa. And when I study the life of Jesus, and when I read about the early church, they were regularly crossing bridges in the name of Christ. 

So by teaching this passage from 1 Thessalonians, and illustrating it with examples from 12-Mile Bridge, my goal for today is that you’ll make the decision to cross the bridge.  

Let’s talk first about Why You Should Cross the Bridge. Why should you do this? In verse 1, Paul says You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. He’s looking back on the time when he had crossed the bridge into the city of Thessalonica. And he says, “That time that we spent with you was not a waste of time. It accomplished good things.” If you’re going to take the time to cross the bridge into Paterson or to cross some other difficult bridge in your life, you want to know it’s not going to be a waste of time. Right? Of course. 

So Paul says, “The time we spent with you was worth it”—and here’s why—verse 3: For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives… Let me ask you something: is it possible to serve with impure motives? Absolutely. In verse 3, Paul says “we weren’t trying to trick you.” In verse 5, he says, “We didn’t use flattery, and we didn’t use a mask to cover up greed”—we weren’t doing this service to make money off you. In verse 6 he says We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else… So we weren’t doing this so people would be impressed with our selfless service. There are all kinds of ways we could serve with wrong motives.  

Early in the planning stages of 12-Mile Bridge, I reached out to a mentor of mine named John Algera. John is a retired pastor who served in Paterson for about 35 years. I excitedly told him my vision for connecting The Chapel with needs in Paterson. And I’ll never forget what he said. He said, “Just make sure that when you serve in Paterson, you’re not trying to fix them. Because you’re going to gain as much or more from them as they gain from you.” In other words, make sure your motive isn’t paternalistic; condescending; arrogant. I never forgot that advice, which is why, on the picture of the bridge, the arrow goes both ways. It’s a reciprocal relationship. The bridge goes both ways. 

So I mentioned all kinds of wrong reasons to cross; what’s the right reason? Look at the second half of verse 4: We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. Listen: the reason you should cross the bridge, into Paterson or whatever bridge God puts in front of you, is to please God. That’s it. Because you are so grateful for everything he’s done for you, and you have so much reverence for him, and you care so much more for his approval than the approval of anyone else.  

Speaking about people who are passionate about serving and pleasing God, I want to invite my first two guests to the Hot Seat. Would you give a warm Chapel welcome to John Oostdyk and Joel Beleno.  

Dave: John, first can you tell me about Servant’s Heart—what do they do? 

John: Explain the model of Servant’s Heart.  

Dave: So how many people have graduated from the Workmanship program, and how many students do you have right now? 

John: Answer. 

Dave: Joel—tell us about your experience in the Workmanship Program. How did you get involved, and how did it affect your life? 

Joel: Answer. 

Dave: Joel, what are you doing right now? 

Joel: Answer. 

Dave: John—I understand there’s some big news for the Workmanship Program?  

John: Talk about Franklin location. 

Dave: John, if someone wants to get involved, what should they do? 

John: Talk about paths to involvement. 

Dave: I truly believe that God is pleased with what’s happening through Servant’s Heart, so I want to thank you both for being with us today. Thank John and Joel! 

So whatever bridge God is calling you to cross, don’t do it to manipulate or trick or fix anyone; don’t do it to impress people; do it to please God, and God alone. 

Secondly, let’s talk about How You Should Cross the Bridge. In other words, when you cross bridges to serve people, how should you carry yourself? Verse 7 says Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. I have never nursed a child before. I know you’re surprised. But I live with someone who has nursed four. And here’s what I’ve learned about nursing babies: It is inconvenient. It’s messy. At times it can be painful for the mother. It is sacrificial. And it is life-giving for the baby. Let me say that again: it’s inconvenient and messy and painful and sacrificial; and it’s life giving. And therefore, it’s worth all that. 

Paul builds on that idea in verse 8—listen to this: Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. Paul clearly had a message to share—he calls it “the gospel of God.” But he says we didn’t just come to convey a set of facts. We were delighted to share our lives with you. When God was getting a hold of my heart in college, I wasn’t just drawn to the gospel because it was true; I was drawn to it because it was brought to me by people who loved me. And I have found over and over again in ministry that the cliché is true: people really don’t care how much you know unless they know how much you care.  

When I think about people sharing not only the gospel of God, but also their very lives, one of the first people who comes to mind is my friend Renee’. So would you welcome to the Hot Seat Renee’ Toure and Euphoria Pilgrim.  

Dave: Renee’, tell me about Street Hope alive – how did it start, and what is the purpose?  

Renee’: Answer. 

Dave: Renee', tell me about what street Hope alive does to accomplish that purpose. 

Renee’: Talk about some of the things SHA does. 

Dave: Euphoria, tell me how Street Hope alive has impacted your life.  

Euphoria: Answer 

Dave: Euphoria , tell us about your plans for the future. 

Dave: Renee'--if people want to get more involved with SHA, how can they do that? 

Renee’: Talk about ways to get involved. 

Dave: Renee’, I am so grateful for our partnership. Thanks for all you do, and thank you, Euphoria, for sharing a little of your life with us today. Let’s thank Renee’ and Euphoria! 

Paul said, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. So whatever bridge God is calling you to cross, remember it’s not about just changing someone’s mind or giving them information; it’s so much more personal. Don’t just share a message; share your life. 

One more thing this passage teaches us—final point: What Happens When you Cross the Bridge. As Paul thought about the people from this city, Thessalonica, look what he wrote verse 13: 13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. 14 For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus… Back in chapter one, Paul wrote this: …you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. In other words, these people were not the same as they were before. They had changed deeply. They had turned away from idols—which is anything we put in place of God—and they were now serving God.  

When we choose to cross the bridge, it opens up the door for people’s lives to be impacted in eternal ways.  

Even before we established 12-Mile Bridge, The Chapel had a relationship with a ministry called New City Kids. New City Kids is an after-school mentoring program, and I think their model is genius, and it’s working. So would you welcome our final set of guests, Tafadzwa Wellman and Eddy Madera. 

Dave: Tafadzwa, Tell me about New City Kids. Where are the locations, and what do you do? 

Tafadzwa: Answer. 

Dave: Tell me about the Paterson location. How long has it been operating, and how many kids and teens are currently involved?  

Tafadzwa: Answer. 

Dave: Eddy, how did you get connected with NCK?  

Eddy: Talk about becoming teen intern, teaching bass.  

Dave: What did you like about that experience?  

Eddy: Talk about what you liked about being a teen intern, and how you benefited. 

Dave: I know you graduated from high school a year and a half ago. What are you doing now?  

Eddy: Talk about studies at MSU/chemistry, serving as music coordinator at NCK, plans for medical school. 

Dave: Tafadzwa, if someone wants to get more involved in NK, what can they do? 

Tafadzwa: Talk about steps to involvement. 

Eddy’s story is a great example of the fact that our investment in New City Kids is helping to provide jobs for these teen interns, but it turns out to be so much more than a job. It builds confidence; it develops their leadership skills; it deepens their spiritual roots. So we’re affecting the lives of lots of teenagers from Paterson. AND, we’re affecting the lives of lots of elementary-age kids who are mentored by those teens. And many of those elementary kids will grow up to be teen interns, and that positive cycle will continue.  

Here’s the bottom line: I don’t know what bridge God is calling you to cross, but when you choose to be obedient and cross the bridge… 

…with the right message—the gospel of Christ 

…with the right mindset—not to please people, but purely to please God 

…and with the right method—sharing your life with people… 

…when you do that, good things happen. It’s hard and it’s sacrificial, but good things happen. You will be leaving an imprint on people’s lives that will affect them forever. 

Now: I have to say, the hardest thing about preparing for today was that I knew we wouldn’t have time to feature all of our 12-Mile Bridge partners up here on stage. All of them are represented in the gym, but I just couldn’t get then all up here on stage. So let me give a shout out to the partners that you haven’t seen on stage: 

Lighthouse Pregnancy Resource Center. This is an amazing organization, led by my friend Debbie Provencher. They minister to young women experiencing unplanned pregnancies, and also young moms and young families in under-resourced areas. They have locations in four cities, including Paterson, and they are making a huge difference. Let’s give it up for Lighthouse. 

The Good Shepherd Mission. This is a residential, addiction recovery ministry in the heart of Paterson. we have a long history with these guys; their new director, Greg Mergian, actually interned with me here at The Chapel about ten years ago…and he’s doing a great job. So let’s hear it for the Good Shepherd Mission. 

New Destiny Family Success Center. This is an great organization. Their mission is strengthening families, and they do that in all kinds of ways—they build up women and fathers; they have programs for kids. You might remember we collected items at our Chapel Kids Camp last summer for New Destiny to give out to kids at the beginning of the school year. And you might know that our very own Tammy Corra, who got connected with New Destiny through 12-Mile Bridge, is now serving on their staff. Can we show our support? 

And then finally, Child Evangelism Fellowship. They share the gospel will hundreds of precious kids in the parks of Paterson every summer. And this is exciting: their brand new director is the Chapel’s own Linda Schramm. Let’s show our support for this great ministry. 

You can find out more about all of these ministries, in the Taste of Paterson ministry fair in the gym today. 

So…I told you what my goal was for today: I want you to cross the bridge. Because I believe God wants you to cross the bridge. He wants to push you out of your comfort zone into some unfamiliar territory. So as we close, I want to tell you about a great way to do that.  

Six days from the day, we are hosting our third Annual “WeServe” day. This is one of my favorite days of the year! We plan to mobilize hundreds of Chapel people to serve in thirteen different locations—most of them in Paterson. So there are opportunities to paint and clean and do demolition; there are opportunities to do outreach with kids, and prepare Thanksgiving meals. By the way, we have opportunities for Seniors who can’t do any heavy exertion; we also have opportunities for folks with special needs. So…go to our web site; click on Events, and you’ll see “WeServe,” and you can choose an opportunity to sign up for, and you can also sign up today, right out in the lobby. This is a great thing to do with your small group; it’s a perfect thing to do with your family. Together, as a church family, we’re going to cross the bridge and make a difference in the name of Christ. 

Stand for closing. Again, don’t miss “A Taste of Paterson” in the gym—you can meet John and Joel and Renee’ and Euphoria and Tafadzwa and Eddy and lots of other great people, and try some really unique foods. Mention parents picking up kids NOW…