|
Last words
are important. Throughout human literature, people's final
words are significant to understanding the life of the person,
including Jesus of Nazareth, who has made more of an impact
on human history than any other. As a people seeking God,
Jesus' last words ought to be our first concern. It's almost
as if he's written a memo to us:
This
is my commission to you - in fact, you might even call it
a great commission. You are to go to all the people everywhere
and call them to become my disciples. You are to baptize
them and teach them to obey all that I have commanded you.
Don't
forget. I will be with you always to help you, even to the
end of the world. I will never leave you nor forsake you,
because I love you. Please don't forsake me.
With
all my love,
Jesus
Christ
What I'm
worried about is what our reply today might be ...
Your
proposal is both interesting and challenging; however, due
to a shortage of personnel, as well as several other financial
and personal considerations, we do not feel that we can
give proper emphasis to your challenge at this time.
A committee
has been appointed to study the feasibility of the plan.
We should have a report to bring to our congregation sometime
in the future. You may rest assured that we will give this
our careful consideration, and our board will be praying
for you and your efforts to find additional disciples.
We do
appreciate your offer to serve as a resource person, and
should we decide to undertake this project at some point
in the future, we'll get back to you.
Cordially,
The
Christians
How have
we responded to Christ's commissioning to go and make disciples?
Sometimes I think we Christians forget the magnitude of the
trust placed in us. We accept the message of the Christian
faith rather matter of factly. We give him an "eh - we'll
get back to you." We miss the central fact of our faith:
Christ changes lives! To know him is to walk from darkness
to light. To find him means to find meaning and purpose, with
the potential to make an eternal difference in the universe.
Receiving Christ doesn't make a Christian better than anyone
else. It simply makes them better than they were. It sounds
almost too good to be true, but that's exactly what happens
when we turn our wills over to the God of the universe and
his will. People, we cannot keep this to ourselves.
Faith
sharing matters. It's God's idea. Only God can call the Christian.
We can't just dream up that we're going to do this for God.
God has to call us. Jesus himself said (in John 6:44-45):
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me
draws him ... Everyone who listens to the Father and learns
from him comes to me." Until we realize that God himself
is calling us to share our faith, we will live in the spirit
of timidity. But we have good company.
Are we
like Jonah? God called Jonah to go to Ninevah, and Jonah went
the opposite way! It didn't help that he hated the Ninevites,
so he tried to ignore God and get away to Tarsus. When God
finally got Jonah turned around (and it took the world's first
air-conditioned, underwater submarine ride to get there),
Jonah was still reluctant to tell them God's message!
Or are
we Lazarus? Lazarus was the brother to Mary and Martha and
a friend of Jesus, and Lazarus was dead! He was in the tomb,
bound up by linen strips of cloth. Jesus had to call him ...
"Lazarus? ... Lazarus ... Lazarus, come out!" (Eddie
Fox tells of preaching the Lazarus story at a revival in Indiana,
when he finally shouted "Lazarus" the last time,
a voice from the basement called out "I'm comin'!"
The name of the custodian was Lazarus. Church was over.) We
have to wake people up to show them Jesus. After all, the
man broke up every funeral he ever attended! When Lazarus
came out, Jesus told the people: "Unbind him." We
need to let people unbind us, to open ourselves up to telling
His story.
Like Jonah,
we need to get over our attitude, our response to the world.
It might mean we won't look like the same church we have always
been, if those Ninevites listen. Like Lazarus, we need to
be unbound. You and I need to own our responsibility to Jesus
Christ, as his followers. And don't leave faith sharing just
up to the professionals, either. Let's give Bill a break!
Don't leave it up to me or Lisa or Rod. When churches do that,
it's like sending out the quarterback by himself to play against
the whole other team. He'll get clobbered.
There
are three ideas I want us to look at as we begin our series
on faith sharing.
First,
in order to share our faith, we must consider the Bible. Look
at what you hold in your hand. The entire Bible, from Genesis
through Revelation, is a missionary book about a missionary
God whose will and purpose it is to call and create a missionary
people. Let me repeat that. The entire Bible, from Genesis
through Revelation, is a missionary book about a missionary
God whose will and purpose it is to call and create a missionary
people. Ergo, you become a missionary. This doesn't necessarily
mean you move to Africa, although you could. There are plenty
of mission fields right here. You and I live in a mission
field. Where we live our lives is where God wants us to share
our faith.
Mission
is God's idea. It is God's unswerving purpose. We need to
familiarize ourselves with the Bible so we can learn how God
did mission. You'll note, without too much reading, that God
doesn't often call the ones who have all their acts together.
Nearly everyone God called upon to share their faith had feet
of clay. If you are feeling apprehensive about sharing your
faith, you may be right where God wants you. We'll talk more
about this in the next two weeks.
Second,
in order to share your faith, have the mind of Christ. Paul
wrote to the Philippians in 2:5: "Let the same mind be
in you that was in Christ Jesus ... " The mind of Christ
is not an accessory. It is essential. You don't need to have
a great mind, just the right mind. Having the mind of Christ
is the only thing that saves us from our own ambition. Having
the mind of Christ is the only thing that saves us from others'
wants. Having the mind of Christ lets you see people the way
God sees them, with compassion and mercy. The mind of Christ
lets you love the unlovable people, the strangers, the outcasts.
Listen to the rest of the passage: "Let the same mind
be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in
the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something
to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a
slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human
form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point
of death - even death on a cross." (Phil. 2:5-8)
Third,
in order to share our faith, we need to be surrendered daily
to God's Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God with us. Through
his Holy Spirit, He brings us together. Jesus gave his followers
the Holy Spirit to be a Counselor, a Comforter, and a Helper.
Thus we are never alone in faith sharing. But we can choose
to ignore the Spirit's nudging. God's Spirit is a source of
power, of blessing, and of gifts to live out his will, because
God knows we can't do it on our own. You may be thinking:
"I can't do that; I don't even know what you are talking
about." If that is you, then you are just where God wants
you. Simply seek God each day. God is much more interested
in your availability than your ability. Let me repeat
that. God is much more interested in your availability than
your ability.
As we
look at faith sharing, where are you? Will you commit to owning
your part in God's plan to reach out to someone who is lost?
We live in a land of broken dreams. Even some of those who
have huge successes within their fields are living broken
and powerless in their homes. The only dream some people have
is winning the lottery, or adding on to their house, or owning
a vacation home. We're the land where psychic readings and
horoscopes are big business. We're the land of the people
who saw following a UFO as the way to salvation. In this land
of broken dreams, can Christ count on you?
Instead
of leaving today saying to God, "We'll get back to you,"
let's take a moment to respond to what God is saying to us
today. There's someone you know who needs to hear the message
of salvation, the message of new life. They need to know someone
cares about them. In the front of your New Testament, write
their names down. Pray for them.
Or maybe
you need to respond to what you've heard this evening from
yourself. Jesus wants to unbind you. He's forgiven us. He
wants to raise you up again and make you whole.
|
