One Thing is Necessary

Robby Pollard, Lead Pastor

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Stages of burnout:

Enthusiasm

Stagnation

Frustration

Apathy

Burnout: Stages of Disillusionment in the Helping Professions

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Luke 9:2, 6

²and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.

⁶And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

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Luke 9:10

¹⁰On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida.

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Luke 9:16

¹⁶And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

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Luke 9:18

¹⁸Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

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Luke 9:20, 23

²⁰Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

²³And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

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Luke 9:28

²⁸Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.

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Luke 10:2-3

²And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. ³Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

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Luke 10:36-37

³⁶Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” ³⁷He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

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Ambassadors, representing the Lord (Luke 10:1-24)

Neighbors, imitating the Lord (Luke 10:25-37)

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Luke 10:38-42

³⁸Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. ³⁹And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” ⁴¹But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, ⁴²but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

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Luke 10:38

³⁸Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.

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Luke 19:6

⁶So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.

James 2:25

²⁵And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

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Luke 10:39

³⁹And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.

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Luke 10:40

⁴⁰But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”

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Luke 10:41-42

⁴¹But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, ⁴²but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

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“________ ,  ________ you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.”

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Luke 10:39

³⁹And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.

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Before you serve, sit.

Before you labor, listen.

Before you work, worship.

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Faithful to my Lord’s commands,

I still would choose the better part;

Serve with careful Martha’s hands,

And loving Mary’s heart.

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Lo! I come with Joy to Do,

Charles Wesley, 1747

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“Worship is at the heart of all that we are and all that we do in the Christian life. It is important that we be busy ambassadors, taking the message of the Gospel to lost souls. It is also essential to be merciful Samaritans, seeking to help exploited and hurting people who need God’s mercy. But before we can represent Christ as we should, or imitate Him in our caring ministry, we must spend time with Him and learn from Him.” Warren Wiersbe

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1 Peter 4:10-11

¹⁰As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: ¹¹whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

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John 15:5

⁵I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

A cry for help from the heart of a childlike pastor is sweet praise in the ears of God. Nothing exalts Him more than the collapse of self-reliance that issues in passionate prayer for help. Oh, how we need to wake up to how much “nothing” we spend our time doing.

Apart from prayer, all our scurrying about, all our talking, all our study amounts to “nothing.” For most of us the voice of self-reliance is ten times louder than the bell that tolls for the hours of prayer. The voice cries out: “You must open the mail, you must make that call, you must write this sermon, you must prepare for the board meeting, you must go to the hospital.”

But the bell tolls softly: “Without Me you can do nothing.” Both our flesh and our culture scream against spending an hour on our knees beside a desk piled with papers.
- Brothers, We are Not Professionals, John Piper

“________ ,  ________ you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.”

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Before you serve, sit.

Before you labor, listen.

Before you work, worship.

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