Our Personal Responsibility in Christ | Guest Tim Engrav

This week’s message comes from Tim Engrav, Rockwell Church Moderator and former elder, who stepped in with short notice to bring a powerful message from Romans 12:1-2.

Tim unpacks what it means to live as a living sacrifice for Christ in a world that constantly pulls us in the opposite direction. He explores the importance of personal responsibility in faith, how we can avoid conforming to worldly patterns, and how true transformation happens through the renewing of our minds by the Holy Spirit.

Through practical examples, biblical cross-references, and challenging questions, this message encourages us to evaluate:

• What am I truly sacrificing for Christ?
• How does my life reflect God’s will?
• Am I being transformed by God or conformed to the world?

Listen and be encouraged to offer yourself fully to God in worship and daily life.

Key Themes & Scripture References:

• The Meaning of Sacrifice in the Christian Life – Romans 12:1 (Living sacrifices, not just rituals)
• True Worship Through Obedience – 1 Samuel 15:22 (Obedience is better than sacrifice)
• The Power of Transformation – Romans 12:2 (Renewing your mind)
• Avoiding Conformity to the World – Romans 8:5 (Living by the Spirit, not the flesh)
• The Role of Christian Community in Encouraging Faithfulness – Ephesians 4:15 (Speaking the truth in love)

Notable Quotes:

• "God isn’t calling us to empty rituals—He wants our hearts, our obedience, and our devotion."
• "Being a living sacrifice means daily surrender, trusting God with your time, resources, and priorities."
• "We must not conform to the world's patterns but instead be transformed by the renewing of our minds through Christ."
• "If you live for Christ, people will notice. Some will be drawn to it, and others will push against it. Be ready to stand firm."

Application & Takeaways:

1. Identify Areas of Sacrifice – Where is God calling you to give more of yourself? (Time, resources, priorities)
2. Prioritize Obedience Over Routine – Are you serving God from the heart or just going through religious motions?
3. Renew Your Mind Daily – Spend intentional time in the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to shape your thinking.
4. Avoid Worldly Conformity – Stay aware of influences that can subtly shift your values away from Christ.
5. Engage in Christian Community – Seek out prayer groups, mentors, and accountability partners to stay strong in your faith.

How to Get Involved:

• Stay connected with Rockwell Church at rockwell.church
• Join a prayer group or ministry team to deepen your faith
• Share this episode with someone who needs encouragement in their walk with Christ

Keywords & Tags:

faith, Romans 12:1-2, living sacrifice, obedience, renewing your mind, transformation, personal responsibility, spiritual growth, Christian community

This episode challenges us to fully surrender to Christ, embrace transformation, and live boldly as His ambassadors.

Listen and subscribe at rockwellchurch218.buzzsprout.com.
#RockwellChurch218 #Romans12 #LivingSacrifice #FaithInAction #RenewYourMind

The WELL Faith Podcast offers encouraging, Bible-based messages from Pastor Chris Teien and guests. New sermons are released every Sunday. Replay episodes are marked with an asterisk. Find us online at ChrisTeien.com and Rockwell.Church in Virginia, MN. Email comments to wellfaith24@gmail.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:16

Today's special speaker is Tim Engrev. Pastor texted me early afternoon yesterday, and obviously I'm not Pastor Chris. My name's Tim Engrov and I'm your church moderator for those that I don't know, and also a previous elder of the church. So I have uh brought a message to the church in the past, but it has been five years ago. Um so yesterday pastor texted me and said he was sick and he was losing his voice. Um I think he was checking with a few of us, a few options. He also did check with uh one of the range pastors over in Chisholm, too, to see if they could move something around and help out, but that just wasn't gonna work out. So um interestingly enough, on Monday I I told my wife Chris that maybe I should prepare a message this week because Pastor's wife Julie was ill last weekend. Um but of course I procrastinated, so I had to work on it yesterday. Um thinking Saturday morning. I haven't heard from Pastor, so I guess we're in the clear. Not so much. But that's okay. Um, so please bear with me. But I do have a message uh to share with you today, and uh and hope that it uh resonates in your heart and mind anyway. Um praying to the Lord that uh he'll help guide me and um and that we can still share this time together and share this time with the Lord. And I guess this was just another good way that for the Lord to keep my mind and heart in his word uh by preparing today. So today we're going to look at Romans 12, verses 1 and 2. And let's prepare our hearts and minds with a quick word of prayer before I get to it. Dear Lord, we just pray for your presence and strength to clear our hearts and minds as we prepare to study and apply your word this morning. I ask that you help deliver this message today and that you your word and will can be done for the body of believers here at Rockwell. Amen. So I'm gonna take a quick drink here of water. By the way, cold and flu season are going around, so you know, probably a good idea to keep keep your Lysol wipes handy. Thinking of that. So I'm not gonna walk around because I I didn't put the wireless mic on. So setting the stage in the book of Romans, uh, so we're looking at Romans 12. Uh Paul had heard about the church in Rome, and but neither he nor any of the other apostles had been there. So he wrote uh this letter, uh Romans, the book of Romans, and it was meant to introduce Paul to the Christians in Rome, and to give a sample of the message that he was going to provide before he got there or arrived. He uh considered the Christians, his brothers and sisters in Christ. They estimate Romans was written about A.D. 57 from Corinth, as Paul was preparing for his visit to Jerusalem. So in chapter 12, Paul starts to explain how Christians should behave and provide some guidelines for living as a saved people in a fallen world. So I know many of you, and I know a lot of you have probably spent time in Romans, but it never hurts to go back and look at it again, especially when we think about that point that saved guidance for saved people living in a fallen world. Throughout this section of Romans, we can learn to live our faith every day, and while it means to live in or what it means to live in complete submission to Christ. So think about uh saved people in a fallen world. Can we relate to that in any fashion? I think we can. The fallenness maybe has changed for us today, you know, in the world we live in today, but in many ways it's it's uh coming at us even faster. It might look different, but there's a lot that's the same. So Romans 12, verses 1 through 2. Uh Ken was kind enough to get the verses in this morning on short notice, so I appreciate that, so they can be on the screen for you, or you can follow along. So I'm working out of the NIV and I have a life application study Bible, so that's my reference point as I speak to you today. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing, and perfect will. So again, Paul is providing some initial guidance for the believers in Rome. Put yourself in the shoes of those believers. And what would that feel like to get a letter from somebody you maybe don't know, but maybe have heard about, that's full of encouragement, but also full of instruction. And we can only speculate, you know, what life was like and what those believers might have been facing. But it's easy to uh to think that any kind of encouragement would be a good thing to receive. I'm gonna dive into those two verses today with just uh some cross-references and some thoughts, and then circle back at the end for some life application thoughts that I have with a lot of open-ended questions for you all to just think about and don't need to answer. Uh, and my nine-year-old has gone down to children's church, so he won't shout out an answer either at this point. Sacrifice, the first piece is sacrifice. What does the word sacrifice mean to you? One of the definitions from Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines sacrifice as to suffer a loss, the loss of, give up, renounce, injure, or destroy, especially for an ideal, belief, or end. Pretty descriptive definition, I would say. Now, sacrifice doesn't necessarily come easy to us or naturally to us, does it? Especially if there is suffering or pain that's involved in it. Sometimes maybe that suffering doesn't hurt us physically, but maybe it affects us emotionally or spiritually. To others, sacrifice is a way of life. Especially if they're doing it for a child or a family member or a close friend. They might sacrifice without even hesitation or without even thinking about it. Some sacrifice without thinking about it just to support because they're kind and they love, and they're being unselfish. So here's an example: a mother sacrifices to feed her baby, she sacrifices sleep to feed her baby. The mothers can relate. Maybe the dads know what I'm talking about too, because they'll be reminded of that. And they may serve in a different capacity and sacrifice for that situation. A dad drives a minivan so that his wife can have the most reliable and four-wheel drive vehicle to drive, and his college-age son doesn't have to roll up to campus in a minivan. Real life example, right here. Those are just a couple of ideas you might all be thinking of sacrifice examples in your own mind. And sometimes we sacrifice without even knowing or thinking about it. And that's okay, that's good. So there's lots of examples, the list can go on and on. I just want to get you thinking about it. And also to give you some examples so that you can think and watch or notice when sacrifice happens around you. Maybe you sacrifice a lot. Maybe others around you do as well. And then we can circle back and think about well, how does God sacrifice or calls us to sacrifice for Him? And what does that look like for each one of us? It won't be the same for any of us. Some of those examples might be just here in church, like the serving circles, the ministry teams, helping with children's church. Jerry put out the help-wanted sign for children's church again. That's just a sacrifice of time, a sacrifice of missing part of the worship service and the message. In the Old Testament, when sacrificing an animal according to God's law, a priest would kill the animal, cut it into pieces, and place it on the altar. The sacrifice was important. But even in the Old Testament, God made it clear that obedience from the heart was much more important. So let's look at a couple of examples or other verses that demonstrate that. I'm going to go to the two verses out of the Old Testament then to make these connections. Psalm 40, verse 6 is the first one that we're going to have. David writes, Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced. Burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. So the religious ritual of David's day involved the sacrifice in animals in the tabernacle. David says that these acts were meaningless unless done for the right reasons. Today we might make rituals of going to church, taking communion. We are taking communion today, or paying our tithes. There might be other examples. And what this verse is really referring to is that these actions are empty if our reasons for doing them are selfish. God doesn't want these sacrifices and offerings without an attitude of devotion to Him. I think Pastor says that more eloquently than I do about the point in the service where we talk about giving. Giving or tithing to the church or to other charities or entities has to be done with the right heart and the right heart reason. The prophet Samuel told Saul to obey is better than sacrifice. And we'll get to that verse in just a minute. But it's really about making sure that you give God the obedience and lifelong service that He desires from you. So we'll go to 1 Samuel, that's their second reference back, 1 Samuel 15, verse 22, to see what it says about the obedience of our hearts. Why do we sacrifice or serve the Lord? 1 Samuel 15, 22, but Samuel replies, Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and heed better than the fat of rams. So was Samuel saying that sacrifice was unimportant? No. He was urging Saul to look at his reasons for making the sacrifice, rather than the sacrifice itself. If a person's heart was not truly repentant or they did not truly love God, the act of sacrifice was a hollow ritual. Religious ceremonies or rituals are empty unless they are performed with an attitude of love and obedience. So again, when I mention rituals, it's you know not some of the off the wall or things that had been done in the Old Testament. It's just as simple as attending church or taking communion. Saying the Lord's Prayer. Being religious, going to church, serving on a ministry team, giving to a charity, it's just not enough unless we're doing these out of devotion and obedience to God. I think that's what he's saying here, referring to these verses. And so these are the first of several places in the Bible where the theme of obeying is better than sacrificing, where that's stated. Again, do we think that Samuel was saying sacrifice was not important? No, he was really looking at the reasons, the reasons why, rather than sacrifice itself. The sacrifice is or was a ritual between a person and God with some physical demonstration. And we're gonna partake in that today with communion, where we do a ritual and a tangible one in our hand, uh, but we take time to pause and reflect in our hearts during that. So if a person's heart is not repentant or they did not truly love God, the sacrifice was hollow, and ceremonies are empty unless they're performed with an attitude of love and obedience. So think about other ceremonies, a wedding or a funeral. They don't mean much unless they're done with an attitude of love, obedience, and caringness, right? So God has good, pleasing, and perfect plans for us, his children. He wants us to be transformed people with renewed minds, living to honor and obey him. And here's just one small example of where he brings that forward. And all because he wants the best for us, and because he gave his son to make our new lives possible. And because of that, we should joyfully give of ourselves as living sacrifices for his service. So this may take the form of spending time in the Bible study or devotions, volunteering time to help with the further the kingdom, Sunday school, weekly Bible studies, sharing the good news of the gospel for those that need to hear it that may have come across your path. Those are just a few examples. You could probably think of some of your own, of your own. And what kind of so one of my questions is to challenge you to think about what examples of sacrifice you can think about in your life. And maybe another way to ask that is how how can you glorify God each day in the life that you walk? I believe Pastor mentioned this a couple weeks ago because it resonated with me. How can I glorify God each day in what I do? At work, around town, with family and friends. Another part of the core verse is Christians are called not to conform any longer to the pattern of this world. A very big challenge that we face each and every day. The pattern of this world with its behavior and customs that are usually selfish and often corrupting. They don't really match up well to what God's provided in the Bible. I was driving back on Highway 169 last night in the fog, coming down past the Walmart turn or the Mountain Iron High School or school there. And normally you're up a little bit, you can see the glow of lights in Virginia. Last night the fog was so thick it was just dark. And I thought this morning that that was an interesting, I really thought, well, part of Virginia's electricity power is out. This can't be the fog. But it was the fog as soon as I made my way further along. Dairy Queen was all lit up, handing up, you know, passing out good treats to everybody, and the stoplights were working. Electricity was all on. It's just the fog had clouded all of that light. The pattern of this fallen world can cloud the light of our Lord. Many Christians wisely decide to that this worldly behavior is off limits to them. Provide some boundaries, maybe excludes it as much as they can. And our refusal to conform to this world's values must go deeper than just excluding, keep it away from me. Those behaviors and customs that must be firmly planted in our minds, because it will creep back in. Because the verse is also mentioned, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. It is possible to avoid most worldly customs and still be have the feelings of proud, covetousness, selfish, stubborn, and arrogance. We're fallen people, we can still experience that, even if we've shut out the outside world. Only when we call on the Holy Spirit to renew us and re-educate us and redirect our minds can we truly be and stay transformed. Here I'm going to reference to Romans 8, verse 5. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what the flesh desires. But those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. Look at that, I finally figured out that I can look at the screen back there instead of my notes for this part. As Christians, we have a large responsibility to be Christ's representatives here on earth. I've heard other pastors talk about, I think Pastor Chris even as we are Christ's ambassadors on earth. That's a pretty important role. We are directed to be humble, gentle, patient, understanding, and peaceful. And we should ask a question of ourselves: do others around you see Christ in you? As followers of Christ, our words need to be honest and our actions need to reflect integrity. Speaking the truth in love is not always easy or pleasant, but it is necessary. Truth must be presented in love and not used as a club, a club, you know, hit over the head. What do people see when they look at you or your words and deeds? Are you a reflection of Christ? We should ask ourselves that. Do I speak harshly in challenging situations? Or do I bring kindness? Do I join the pack when the group is going and going on about this or that or the other? Or do I choose to avoid or try to redirect the conversation? Do you look for common ground, or do you stand your ground? The let's pause here to remember the forgiveness of sin through Christ that we that's available freely to us all. So when Romans 3, 22 is where I'm gonna go, just to remind us of that. 22 through 26. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by. His grace, through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement through the shedding of his blood to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished. He did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. So Paul gives us wonderful news in these passages, doesn't he? There's a way to be declared not guilty by trusting Jesus to take away our sins. Trusting means putting our confidence in Christ to forgive our sins, to make us right with God, and to empower us to live the way He taught us. So God's solution is available to all of us, regardless of our background or past behavior. And even though we didn't deserve it. God wants us to offer ourselves, not animals, as living sacrifices, daily laying aside our own desires to follow Him, putting all our energy and resources at His disposal, and trusting Him to guide us. We do this out of gratitude that our sins have been forgiven. Therefore, we must let the gospel transform our lives. This is easy to say, but really tough to do. There is so much in life that can distract us, isn't there? Having to work, to earn a living wage, taking care of a family and the responsibilities and care that comes with that. Making sure that groceries are in the cabinet and meals are prepared. Maintaining the homes we live in or the vehicles we drive. And let's also, you know, I'm not gonna not I'm gonna mention the instant access to information that we have in the palm of our hand with these devices. Some of it good, a lot of it not so good. It's a two-edged sword, the access that we have to technology. It's made our lives better. Medical advances have done so much to take care of health ailments. But there's also the dark side. And it's a daily struggle that we all face to stay in his word and to not conform to the fallen world. But let's remember God doesn't expect perfection. He knows that we're gonna fall short, but he does want us to make an effort. If we really wonder whether we, if we stumble and fall and we're worried about that, I guess we can just go back to remember that we didn't deserve Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, that gift of eternal life, but he gave it anyway. Life application. So, how does this apply to our lives? I always like to circle back to this. How can we practically apply the concept of our personal responsibility in Christ? Well, we can spend time in prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to help guide our day and our emotions. Can we avoid or deflect the feelings of pride or selfishness or arrogance or jealousy that may come up and replace them with support, sharing, helpfulness, caring? Those are just some examples. But prayer can help, keep us centered. We can allocate time each day to the reading of the Bible and a daily devotion. Again, easy to say, tough to do. Even for, I know that you know the even the retired folks in the group have busy schedules too. It's not just us that are working. But taking even a little bit of time will keep you centered in God's Word and allow the Holy Spirit to work in you and to renew you. Carefully consider what you surround yourself with. The examples I thought of was music and movies. Are you listening to music that glorifies God or something that doesn't? What types of movies do you watch? And what does that say from a God perspective? Do you stay away from the extreme and maintain a balance just in those two mediums? It's tricky, I know. I mean, many of us, you know, you might listen to the Christian music station all the time, but it's not that there isn't other good music out there. I mean, Benny Goodman and uh Frank Sinatra, right? I mean, I'm not that old, but evaluate the amount of time that you can give of yourself. And is it glorifying God by helping build up the Lord's kingdom? I thought about this a little bit more, and you have to find what is best for you. We're actually all at different stages of life. Some retired with kids off on their own, others with little kids at the house. Raising godly children is a is probably the greatest sacrifice that anyone can make. And spending time with them and bringing them into God's Word. So sacrifice doesn't look the same for everybody. That's just what I'm saying. And we all have to just look at that ourselves. Three more. Seek out brothers and sisters in Christ for prayer and support. Prayer groups can be a powerful way to stay centered on the Lord and keep your ear open to the Holy Spirit. I know that the women's prayer group at this church puts the men to shame. They're praying all the time. For each other, for all of us. And it's a wonderful thing. Be prepared that you'll be noticed. If you were living your life as a sacrifice to God, other people will notice something different. It might be obvious, it might not. And this could be a door to sharing the gospel, it could also be a challenge. For those that don't like it, you just have to be ready. And expect that you will not be following the mainstream and prepare for the challenges that that will bring. You're not going to be the pattern of the world, because that pattern has gotten more and more tilted, out of shape, just in the last 30, 40, 50 years, and away from how God is directing us in the Bible to live our lives. Christ gave us a great gift of eternal life. With it comes great responsibility. Where can you sacrifice and glorify the Lord? And together we can encourage each other and build up this church. Christ's church, not just this church, but Christ's church as a whole. Let's pray together. Dear Lord, we just thank you for the words of direction and guidance provided in the Bible, and for today's subject of personal responsibility in Christ as living sacrifice. I pray that you can help each one of us discern where we need to sacrifice for you, Lord, and that you will keep us on your path and guard us from becoming conformed to the world. We know that we are Christ's ambassadors, and we pray that the path forward for each one of us that you'll help guide us and that your glory will be realized through that. And we give thanks and praise for all that you've done and what you provide.