WEEKLY SERMON NOTES
Grander Vision Living
July 18, 2010
Introduction
Well, it’s true … today is the end of the four-week journey we’ve been on. But it’s also true that I’ve saved the best for last. I’m glad you’re all here … by the end of our time together, I think you will be too.
Three weeks ago, we began exploring a new paradigm for personal evangelism. We asked the question, what if evangelism really were as simple and straightforward as … what?
Yes, as a “walk across the room.” We were reminded of the single greatest gift we can offer the people around us, which is an introduction to their creator and lover of their souls, God himself.
We looked at what it means to “live in 3D”—anyone remember the first D?
Yep. Develop friendships. Followed by discovering stories and discerning appropriate next steps, right? These three things are what we can think about, pray about, and act on when we’re operating in the Zone of the Unknown. The 3D framework reminds us to take things slow with people, allowing the other person to be in the spotlight, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead.
We dove into the power of story, refreshing our understanding of how much weight our words carry … and of how critical it is that we steward God’s story and our own before-and-after faith stories well.
And today, our topic is “Grander Vision Living.” Which we’ll get to in a moment.
How do we—as individuals and as a congregation—keep this evangelistic fire burning in the coming days, weeks, months, years … so that instead of it being a one-time shot in the arm, this four-week experience can serve as a catalyst for significant life change … for meaningful mind shifts? For deep transformation of our habits as it pertains to personal evangelism?
What I hope to do today is to plant a seed in your soul that will take root and grow into an insatiable and undeniable desire to pursue this thing we’re calling the “Grander Vision” every day of your life. Sound good? All right, let’s dive in.
I want to start by taking you on a four-minute vacation. Anyone in need of a vacation around here?
Say that by some stroke of good fortune and a little imagination, you’re immediately transported to a tiny island in the Bahamas chain. Upon your arrival, you decide that what this day needs is a good snorkel.
Within twenty minutes, you find yourself all decked out in your mask and fins, your water socks and your swimsuit (which fits perfectly, ladies … this is your imaginary vacation, right?). The boat driver turns off the engine as you look for the exact spot where you’ll dive in.
Once in the water, you fall into a peaceful floating rhythm along the top of the beautiful deep, blue ocean. The sun is high; the scattered clouds have promised no rain. Bliss …
You’re there to snorkel, of course, but for now, you’re just relaxing on top of the water, taking in the serene, stunning cresting and falling of the gentle waves … the bright rays of sunshine bouncing off the ocean’s surface … a slice of peacefulness that quite frankly you’ve never known before.
So here’s my question for you: is there anything wrong with this picture? Really, I ask you. Is there anything wrong with this picture?
Of course not! There’s nothing wrong with this picture … you’ve somehow scored a free trip to the Bahamas; it’s a beautiful day; you’re hanging out uninterrupted in a calm ocean, the sun, waves, and clouds your only companions. Sounds pretty good to me!
But what if I were to tell you that just under the water’s surface—right below your present line of sight—you were missing out on an unbelievable universe of activity?
Okay, so back to your imaginary vacation. You finally muster the energy to position your mask around your eyes, cup your lips around your breathing tube, roll onto your belly, kick up your legs, and dip your face into the edge that separates the warmth of the sky from the cool water below. Ahhh … can you feel that?
Do you all feel as happy as I do right now?
As you take in your new surroundings, your mind hits you with questions: Where did all these fish come from? Why didn’t I feel them if they were this close to me all along? Is that a barracuda?! As you push back from the feisty creature, still trying to process the colors, the sights of this new world, you barrel into a huge school of blue and neon yellow angelfish. This is unreal.
You look off in the distance some and see two reef sharks sleeking along. A green moray darts by you, seemingly smiling as he passes by. The bright gold reef below you looks like it’s waving as its fingers reach up from the ocean floor. The ocean floor! I can see all the way down! Has the water been clear all this time … and I just didn’t know to look?
There’s a certain smell to your surroundings. Of saltwater. Of things alive. You pop back up, lifting your face above the water to take in the ocean’s surface again. The contrast is baffling. Strangely, above the surface, all is still. Calm. Tranquil. Surprisingly at ease.
You dip your head back under the water … activity … movement … challenge … vibrancy!
You pop your head back up … serene.
Back under … colorful complexity!
Back up … silent.
Back under … breathtaking commotion!
Back up … smooth.
Back under … awe-inspiring chaos!
So if you had to choose, which is the better view?
*****
Life … from a far different perspective … acknowledging that there’s much, much more to life than what appears on the surface. Living with what I’d like to call a “Grander Vision.” But what is this Grander Vision, anyway?
Well, since we’re already “at sea,” let’s see if a good, old-fashioned fish tale might shed some light on things.
Please turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 5. The format for today is pretty straightforward. First, I’d like to take a quick look at a story in this passage that’s familiar to many of you. After we spend a few minutes dissecting the story—perhaps from a point of view you haven’t considered before—I’d like to offer you two observations … and an exhortation. Sound fair enough?
verses 1–11 of Luke 5
Can you just imagine how elated Peter, James, and John were because of this gigantic catch of fish? They’d never seen a catch like this! I mean, their nets were bursting … the boat was sinking, it was so full of fish. They’d never had to call in reinforcements before, for crying out loud.
Quite a wonderful day for a few career fishermen, wouldn’t you say?
Let’s pick up the scene.
Jesus probably laughs as he tries unsuccessfully to get the guys’ attention in the midst of their exuberance. “Hey, guys! You think that was something? You think netting a bunch of scaly, underwater creatures was fun? Try thinking a grander thought for a second … Listen, how about multiplying the fun-factor you experienced in the last few minutes by about a thousand!
“Not that there’s anything wrong with catching fish. I know you’re trying to earn a living, and taking fish to market day in and day out in order to earn a few dollars is as good a way as any. But instead of netting a few dollars, just imagine landing a few destinies.
“That’s where the action is!”
Jesus’ eyes probably glistened with enthusiasm at this point, their attention spurring him on. “Peter. James. John,” Jesus said as he looked each of them in the eyes, “so far, you three have spent your days being fishermen. But what I’m inviting you to do—starting right here, right now—is to become fishers of men and women. Instead of investing your precious time and energy in catching six-inch fish, let’s go after the six-footers! I’m asking you to give up everything you have and everything you are for the sake of people’s souls. Come with me, and you’ll see what real living is all about!”
*****
Now I don’t know about you, but in my estimation, supernaturally filling some fishing nets is a fairly odd means of recruiting a few disciples. Interesting choice, given all the amazing strategies at Christ’s disposal.
But here’s what I think is even more interesting: I believe this “odd miracle” sets up one of the most critical aspects of Jesus’ teaching: the idea of small fish versus big fish.
Think about this with me. From the moment he arrived on the scene … all the way up until today, Jesus has been asking all sorts of people …not only career fishermen … but businessmen and businesswomen and stay-at-home moms or dads and bus drivers and presidents and actors and singers and writers and hairstylists and pro football players and professional chefs and retail managers and pilots and lawyers and teachers and preachers … and all the rest—this one question: Are you going to throw your one and only life into pursuing small fish, or will you risk tossing your nets out there in anticipation of catching the human-sized ones?
Are you going to dive headlong into the Grander Vision, or will you be the type who settles for the lesser one? Here’s the first observation I want to make.
I. Observation 1: The Priority Is People
Jesus desperately wanted three career fishermen … as well as the fine people of SALT … to understand that this life is all about people. In Grander Vision Living, the priority is always people. He wanted them—and us—to prioritize people above everything else that wants attention.
Prioritizing people. This is what so much of our four-week series has been about, as you’ll recall. Taking walks across rooms for people.
And so Jesus asks all of us who say we want to be walk-across-the-room people … Will you choose the Grander Vision in your situation?
It’s the big-fish opportunity that awaits us all:
You can catch fish … or become fishers of men and women.
You can be a successful businessperson … or get all over the business of redeeming lives.
You can be the top student … or focus your attention on studying people.
You can shine as a superstar salesman … or care more about letting your light shine in the lives of people all around you!
Matthew 5:16 - Jesus was clear about which was the better path. To paraphrase Matthew 5:16, he said, “Let your light shine before others in such a way that they may see your good works and then glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Let your light shine in such a way … Let me stop there. “In such a way” means that there must be more than one way, right?
I think what Jesus is saying is that we get to choose whether or not our “light” is going to impact people!
• Our light will either shine on people and point them toward the Father,
• Or we’ll keep our light to ourselves, and in essence deny the people we supposedly care
about a relationship with God.
“Make sure your light shines in such a way,” I think Jesus is saying, “that people can come to know my Father because of how you treat them. Because of how you respond to them. Because of how you embrace them. Because of how you prioritize them!”
I can almost hear God telling each one of us in this room …“You can catch fish … spend all your time netting some scaly, underwater creatures and taking them to market for a few dollars. It’s a perfectly acceptable occupation. But there’s another option! You can become fishers of men and women … concerning yourself not with dollars but with destinies!”
But why? I mean, what’s Jesus’ end game here? Why is he so convinced that living the Grander Vision really is the better option? Because, this is the way his kingdom gets built.
Jesus was saying to all of his followers—both then and now, “Please understand how important your priorities are. The stakes are way too high for you to put anything but people in your top spot. The way you treat people will serve either as a magnet that draws them to God … or a deterrent to them ever coming to know him.”
And whose light was Jesus talking about in the Matthew passage we looked at? “Let your light shine before others in such a way that they may see your good works and then glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Let your light shine. Not “your pastor’s” light. Not “your small group leader’s” light. Not “all your Christian friends’” lights. No, he says, your light. Meaning each one of us has a role to play.
Bill said, “If we would all do just the small thing we can do, we would touch a lot more lives.” Let it sink in for a moment that the way you can let your light shine is simply to do the small things that you can do for the watching, waiting world around you.
And when those of us who name the name of Christ start pulling our own weight, letting our lights shine in a way that lets the people around us know they matter, then kingdom stuff starts exploding in our world!
But that’s not all. Why is Jesus so convinced we should live the Grander Vision? Not only because this is the way the kingdom gets built, but also because this is the way our souls get satisfied.
When you and I take up residence in this vibrant, otherworldly life called the Grander Vision, we will never want to go back to floating on the smooth, silent, serene surface of the ocean again. We won’t get as excited about netting a few paltry perch as we once did. We won’t throw all of our energy toward amassing a few more dollars. Why? Because these things will no longer scratch the soul-level itch we feel.
Jesus knew that if you and I would build a lifestyle around accepting people, getting to know people, caring for people, serving people, listening to people, embracing people, befriending people, exposing people to spiritual things … prioritizing people, we would never crave our old ways again. Simple as that.
II. Observation 2: The Focus Is on Potential
Observation number two about Grander Vision Living is that the focus is always on potential. It didn’t seem to matter to Jesus that his soon-to-be disciples were teenaged boys whose first response to his commands was a little south of obedient. Remember when Jesus asked them to put the nets over the boat to catch some fish?
“But we’ve been fishing all night! And we’ve caught … nothing!” I think their insinuation was, “Hey, who do you think you are? We’re the experts here! We were the ones slugging it out all night at sea, working for all we are worth to net a few fish. We were the ones slaving away while you were sleeping … you know, counting sheep, creating sheep, whatever it is you do! And now you want us to listen to you about catching fish?!”
Okay, maybe my imagination gets the best of me, but you get the point. By anyone’s standards, these guys weren’t contending for any Disciple of the Year awards just yet. They weren’t the most obvious choices for primo-followers of the one and only Messiah. But Jesus saw what these guys could be like once they chose to live the Grander Vision.
This same ability to see past someone’s “no” or “never” and envision them submitting to Christ one day is what Bill was alluding to in the video we just watched.
To look past the self-centeredness … and see the potential for servant-hood
To look past the rebelliousness … and see the potential for righteousness
To look past the quick temper … and see the potential for kingdom-building
Aren’t you glad Christ did this with you? I know I am. Everybody has something that needs some shaping, a little refinement, a healthy dose of God’s perspective before they come to Christ, right? The key is to let God do his work in people’s lives and hearts instead of suiting up to become lifestyle referees for everyone we meet.
I hope we all approach people with the same radical inclusiveness, the same eye for potential that we are so grateful God had for us, remembering that he saw something so valuable in us that he was willing to take us in … right in the middle of our sinfulness. God has no “hate list.” Nor can we, if we want to be used to accomplish the work of the Holy Spirit.
*****
Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about. You’ll probably agree that Jesus’ eye for potential has been roving since long before you and I were around, right? In fact, in biblical times, Christ’s eye for potential was to blame for uprooting, upending, and utterly transforming the life of a guy named Levi … Levi or Matthew. Different names, same guy.
Do you remember this story? It’s found in Luke chapter five. Luke 5:27 says that Jesus went out one day, saw a tax collector sitting at his tax booth—someone obviously outside the family of faith—and told the guy, “Follow me.” Matthew’s comrades probably thought he’d lost his ever-lovin’ mind. Why on earth would a successful businessman leave his career and go after a homeless rabbi? But Matthew would soon discover what Jesus already knew: choosing the Grander Vision over lesser visions leads to wealth that the world only wishes it could offer.
“Follow me!” he said to a wide-eyed Matthew that afternoon. And in a flash, the unscrupulous tax collector left everything—including his open cash register—to pursue Christ.
What did following Jesus mean to Matthew? For starters, walking away from his business, his identity, his comfortable routine … not to mention his financial security.
But what else did it mean? It meant that Matthew would be prizing—and prioritizing—the people he once swindled. He’d be looking for the potential good in them, rather than the potential vulnerability that he could exploit. Tax-collectors weren’t the kindest, most respected lot in those days. Much would be shifting for young Matthew now that Christ was in his life … much more than even he could imagine!
In those early days as a disciple, though, Matthew probably wasn’t altogether sure what he’d gotten himself into. I’m definitely going to live the Grander Vision, he probably thought … now I just wish I could figure out what that means! Any of you relate?
I promised you something in addition to my two observations today. I promised you an exhortation. And here it is: start small!
III. The Exhortation: Start Small … but Start!
Like Matthew, you may be chomping at the bit to start living this Grander Vision life. You’re on board with the “people-priority” and “potential” pieces … you’re just a little perplexed about what’s supposed to happen in your life—today … right here and right now—as a result!
If Matthew were standing here instead of me, I think he’d say, “Yeah! I totally understand where you’re coming from! I felt exaaaaactly like you feel.”
Here was Matthew, a newly converted disciple of Jesus’ who had a deep, deep desire to expose his friends and family members to the acceptance and love, the purpose and hope, that he’d found in the person of Jesus Christ.
He hadn’t had time to go through the disciples’ official Evangelism 101 course. He was too new to have memorized the diagnostic questions, the success scripts, the handy formulas. But all of his old buddies were standing there in their tax-booths—the same spot where he used to work … just days ago, in fact!
Their lives would be so blessed by knowing Christ, but he had no idea how to get that introduction made. There he stood in his newfound Circle of Comfort … he saw them there in that once-familiar but now unknown zone … and something tugged at his heart …
Just then, he decided what to do. Friends, you won’t believe what he decided to do! Some of you know exactly where I’m going. Matthew decided to take a walk. He’d already cleared his plan with Jesus and the disciples. And what was the plan?
Keep in mind that Matthew was a brand-new Christ-follower. “Giving” wasn’t exactly a tax-collector’s natural-born instinct. He didn’t know any of the catchy worship choruses to sing. He didn’t have the prayer thing down pat yet. But there was one thing Matthew was good at: he was good at throwing parties!
Some of you are breathing a sigh of relief. An approach to evangelism that involves partying? For the first time in this entire four-week series, you finally have some hope!
It’s true: Matthew hatched a plan to do just that … he hatched a plan to throw a party. But not just any party. A party where he could stick his old tax-collecting buddies in a room with his new friends—the Christian ones—and just see if some of the good stuff might rub off on the ones who had yet to taste grace.
What if, instead of just hanging together, what if a few of my new friends actually take walks too—walks across my living room and stretch out a hand to my old buddies? Matthew thought. What if a couple of interesting conversations get started … maybe about what happened to their crazy buddy Matthew! And what if some seeds are planted in the minds and hearts of my friends … man, what if a few of those guys actually come to faith as a result of this one, simple party?! That would be amazing!
*****
As I read this fascinating story in Luke 5, here is what occurs to me: Matthew could have been utterly consumed by his own transformation just after he chose to follow Christ. He could have gotten so enamored with how much of his own life was changing for the better that he just left everyone else in his dust. He could have absolutely ditched his old friends and instead clung fiercely to his new ones.
Remember that all-too-familiar place we visited in week 1, the “Circle of Comfort?” But Matthew chose differently, didn’t he? He chose to prioritize people outside the family of God above all that … people who need an ounce of acceptance, a little Christian friendship, a taste of grace.
Matthew also chose to see the potential in his tax-collecting friends … the same way Jesus had miraculously spotted potential in him. I mean, really, who would have given Matthew half a chance of ever coming to faith in Christ? Probably made the front page of the Capernaum Chronicle.
You might sum it up this way: Matthew had a right view of his role in the lives of his friends. Matthew didn’t have his act all together. He didn’t have it all figured out. But one thing he did have: the hope of heaven. And that reality single-handedly compelled him to take action.
Matthew knew that God had saved him for a purpose … a purpose that included more than his own salvation. A purpose that included being salt and light in his world. A purpose that centered around living out a Grander Vision … by making people his priority and their potential his focus. A purpose that included getting all over the task of taking walks across rooms … because people were the only thing he’d be taking with him to heaven one day. Same holds true for us.
The speaker continued walking around the room, the audience now completely silent as he labeled everything in sight with red stickers. Bill watched the man’s hands declare the fate of the very best this world has to offer as those stickers made their way to the goods in front of everyone.
Temporary. Temporary. Temporary. Temporary. Temporary. Temporary. Temporary.
“There is only one thing in this room that is not temporary.” “There is only one thing that you can take with you into the next world.” “When you get to the end of your life and take in your last breath,” he said, “what do you want your life to have been about?”
He continued on in his thoughts: No earthly commodity is going to make it from this world into the next. Not land, not homes, not bank accounts, not titles, not achievements. Only souls.
Jesus Christ taught that every human being would be resurrected to spend an eternity in community with God in heaven or in isolation from God in hell. And because Jesus understood these eternal realities and believed them to the core of his being, he focused his attention on the only entity that would extend into the next reality: people.
I don’t know what the final assessment on my earthly life will be once I am gone, But I know this much: my quest while I am here is to seek people out and point them toward faith in God. I’ve tried enough approaches in my five decades of living to know that to invest yourself in anything other than people is to settle for pursuit of a Lesser Vision—that ugly, ensnaring trap of the temporal.
Closing
The invitation has been extended. Will you opt into Grander Vision Living, or will you settle for your lesser visions? Back to the imaginary vacations we all took earlier, I really don’t think Christ came, ministered, even died, for the sake of giving us a calm, tranquil, at-ease life. A “smooth, silent, serene” float-along existence on the water’s surface.
The way I understand things, he came to bring abundance … redemption … transformation … to anyone who would accept his way of living. He came to bring not tranquility, but utter upheaval to the world! It’s a beautiful upheaval to those of us who have been wrecked by grace, but it’s upheaval nevertheless, isn’t it?
Once you start walking with Christ, everything is fair game! His ways start infiltrating your ways. His thoughts get into the nooks and crannies of your thoughts. His desires ooze into your own heart’s desires. And from that moment on, you’re never, ever the same!
And this, is why we take walks across rooms … in order to share this beautiful upheaval with people who don’t yet have the hope of heaven. Who don’t yet have the assurance of abundance here on earth.
What a magnificent gift we get to give a waiting world! The gift of a relationship with the One who is like no other. The One who cast his own agenda aside in order to reach out to people on the beach, people on the side of the road. The One who saw faithful disciples in the dripping-wet, smelly clothes of a couple of fishermen. The One who saw a passionate follower in the booth of a wretched tax gatherer. The One who saw limitless spiritual opportunities in something as fun as a party!
*****
Don’t settle for just what you can see on the surface of your life. There is a whole, Spirit-led universe of activity going on all around you … that you can tap into right now … today!
Here’s my challenge to you: if you’re ready to dip your mask into the water and catch a glimpse of this exciting world—a world that is vibrant, alive, active, awe-inspiring—then do what Matthew did … why not throw a party? I’m dead serious.
As a congregation, I want each one of us to commit to throwing a “Matthew party” within the next thirty days. Let’s all agree to put a few of our Christ-following friends in a space with some of our unconvinced friends … and trust God with the results.
Now, let me give you a few tips as you wrap your brain around this idea …
First, keep it simple. Your “Matthew party” does not need to be elaborate or expensive.
Next, please do what makes sense for you to do … if you have a pool, consider a pool party. If you live near a park, consider an afternoon picnic. Think through what works in your environment.
Finally, whatever you do, get the ratio right! I need everyone’s attention here … please, please, please do not outnumber your unconvinced friends with your Christian friends. Be sure there are fewer Christ-followers at your “Matthew party” than nonbelievers … otherwise, your unbelieving friends will feel ganged up on … and once that happens, you will have an impossible time wooing them back again.
Here’s my promise to you: once you dig into people’s lives, trusting the Holy Spirit to navigate every turn, every maneuver—once you start living the Grander Vision—you will never go back to lesser fish and lesser visions again!
The Power of Story
July 11, 2010
Introduction
Good morning! Is everybody glad to be here? Is everybody awake? Is anybody awake? Good! Because we’re headed for a brain-bender starting out. Ready to roll?
Here’s how it will work. I will say a word or phrase, and then you just tell the person sitting next to you what comes to mind. A little word association for your Sunday morning. Your response can be anything, remember … anything that comes to mind. But the key is to go fast. You can’t give this a lot of thought. The idea is to capture your gut-instinct immediately after you hear what comes out of my mouth. Deal? All right, here’s the first word …
Mona, World Cup, Vacation, Diet, President, Born-again Christian
Wouldn’t it be interesting if we could electronically count all the words that floated throughout the room after “born-again Christian” flashed across the screen? Personally, I think the results would be fascinating.
Let’s take it a step further. What do you think would happen if we showed the same screen to a hundred people who are not Christians? If we said, “Do you know any born-again Christians? If so, what are they like … what do you think of them?”
We might get quite an earful, don’t you think? What if their perceptions included things like these:
“I’ve come across a few Christians, and the ones I know are … hmmm, how do I describe them … they’re just so … uptight … narrow … and rigid.”
Or …“I went to school with one once … he was pretty isolated. Kept to himself all the time.”
Or …“I don’t know any of them very well. They hang with their own type … certainly don’t rub shoulders with people like me.”
Or what about …“I know a born-again Christian … what a turnoff she is! I feel judged if I even inhale wrong. She’s so self-righteous, haughty … just absolutely egotistical.”
“Christians? Classic simpletons! They’re on perpetual crutches. You know what I mean … they throw their nice little Bible verses at the world’s most complex issues. Give me a break!”
*****
Now, please understand, I certainly hope those perceptions aren’t out there. But in the event that a few of them are, how about you and I figure out a way to stop the bleeding … to reverse the trends … to give the watching world something good to say about Christ-followers!
Guess why. Because God’s heart beats for pointing people to faith, remember? And while you and I are here on earth, we get to serve as his tool for getting that done!
Here’s what I wish.
I wish that whenever I struck up a casual conversation with people and asked them to tell me what they think of the Christ-followers they know, the first thought that would come to mind would be something like, “Hmmm … Christians? Can’t say it’s true for them all, but the ones I know are really full of integrity. That’s what distinguishes them - their integrity … and their moral courage.”
Or …“Christians? The ones I’ve come across are ridiculously filled with compassion. They’re just plain kind to people!”
Or …“Christians? They tell the truth … they shoot straight with you.”
“Christians? They have concern for the poor—no one cares for the poor like Christians do.”
“Christians? They’re humble people, they’re honest … they have this incredible inner strength.”
“Christians? They are radically inclusive of people, regardless of their background, their preferences, their lifestyle choices, you name it. It’s amazing!”
“Christians? They’re always taking walks across rooms. Whenever somebody needs a little encouragement or friendship, Christians are the first ones to make the move.”
But for all of them … that’s the type of press I wish were out there about us!
You know what I also wish? I wish people said … whenever Christ-followers talk about God, they are so clear! They are so unbelievably pumped up about him! And you should just hear them talk about their own faith journeys … they are always so humble … so interesting to listen to!
Now, can I ask you something? Is this what you wish for too?
*****
I hope your answer is yes. Because that is what we’re devoting our time to this week. If you’re ready to communicate like a walk-across-the-room person, then today’s message is for you! Basically, we’ll seek to answer these two questions:
• How do we talk about God in a way that’s full of clarity and passion?
• How do we convey our personal faith stories in a way that’s humble and interesting?
I. Point 1: Stories Are Powerful!
The power of story—and of words—is undeniable throughout the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. Can I flood your consciousness here for a moment with a few reminders of how supremely useful, how incomparably potent, how supernaturally empowered, words can be?
Ecclesiastes 6:11 says that when used sparsely … succinctly … words carry great meaning.
Psalm 119:130 says that words can actually give light. Words can give understanding to those who don’t yet understand.
Proverbs 12:18 says that although reckless words pierce like a sword, words from the tongue of the wise can actually bring healing!
Proverbs 17:27 says that when used with restraint, words prove you’re a person of knowledge!
Ecclesiastes 9:17 says that words you speak will be heeded when they are spoken quietly!
Proverbs 16:24 says that pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Isn’t that a great image?
Ecclesiastes 10:12 says that although a fool is consumed by his own lips, the words from a wise man’s mouth are … gracious.
Deuteronomy 32:2 says words can actually descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.
Words. - Humble words. Healing words. Wise words. Gentle words. Grace-filled words.
I wonder, are these the types of words you’re known for speaking? If your closest friends or the family members who actually live in the same house as you were polled anonymously about this, would they say that in the course of normal, everyday life, you can be counted on to speak words of encouragement and grace?
Let’s take this morning as an example. Think about the very last thing you said before you walked into this room today. Do you remember who you were talking to? Do you remember what you said?
Were the words you spoke life-giving and inspiring and grace-filled? Or were they, well … not?
Interesting, isn’t it, that God allows such power to inhabit our words? Whew. Astounding power. For good or for ill, right?
It seems to me that if we could find a way to use words for good in people’s lives—if we could be known for being clear and humble and succinct and relevant—then we might just frustrate the heck out of a few of those awful perceptions that exist about Christians.
You be your own judge, but in my opinion, there are two primary areas where effective, efficient words could exponentially improve perceptions about Christ-followers:
1. The first area revolves around how we talk about God … explaining who he is and what he has done.
2. The second revolves around how we talk about our personal experience with God … explaining the main thing he’s done in our lives.
What is God’s story? What is your story? And how can you get them both told well? (So well that your listeners walk away saying, “Now that I understood! That I enjoyed! That I crave in my own life!”)
That is what we’re tackling today! Sound good?
II. Point 2: God Has a Story. Learn to Tell It Well!
Last week, we discovered that after you decide to take a walk across a room, it’s important to focus on developing a friendship instead of saying your piece. It’s really important to discover the other person’s story instead of having your own agenda in the conversation. And it’s absolutely critical to listen for the Spirit’s guidance about appropriate next steps you might take to meet a need or two of the person you’re talking with.
I have an idea … want to know what it is? I have an idea that once you commit yourself to all that it means to becoming a walk-across-the-room person—engaging with people, living in 3D, the whole bit—God is going to blow open some doors, spiritually speaking. He is going to give you an opportunity to say a word for him or tell someone why you started walking with him to begin with. And in that moment, you will be so glad that you came to church today!
In that moment, you will feel yourself relax, your shoulders loosen a little, your sweaty palms dry up … and you will say, “Oh, man, is that what you want to talk about? What a ball we’re about to have if you’re willing to go there! I’ll make this brief, but basically, here’s how I understand this stuff to work …”
*****
God has a story. A powerful story. And your job—and mine—is to learn to tell it well.
Let’s test your current comfort level for telling it well, okay?
What would you say if someone in your current circle of influence were to come to you today and say this: “You know, Joe (assuming your name is Joe), we’ve been friends for a long time. And you’ve been really cool not to force your God-thing on me, even though you probably knew my life would be better if I’d give all that a chance. Well, anyway, things have … I guess you could say things have gone bad in my marriage, and my wife and I … well, we were talking about maybe trying out church … the God plan, you know. Sort of a last-ditch effort before we call it quits. I just wonder if … before I dive into anything huge … I just wonder if you could sort of explain the whole deal to me. What is it about God that so many people are attracted to? Is he really all that necessary in life?”
That, friends, is what we call, in sophisticated theological terms, a wide-open door.
Some of you aren’t too thrilled with that open door, I can tell. If in our little scenario here, your shoulders aren’t loosening, your sweaty palms aren’t drying up, please know that help is on the way.
There’s a tried-and-true way of explaining God’s story that you might consider committing to memory, if you haven’t done so already. It’s called “The Bridge”—many of you may be familiar with it. The Bridge is quite simple, really, but it is a powerful way to illustrate precisely what God—and his Son, Jesus Christ—did for humankind.
The next time you find yourself in a delicate conversation where the person you’re talking to really does want to understand who God is and what he has done, grab a piece of scratch paper, a napkin or whatever, and ask their permission to sketch out this bridge. It’s an image they won’t soon forget, I assure you. Here’s how it goes.
All right, for starters, we have to establish the reality of two beings: people and God. [Draw FC Image 1.] Between people and God is a great chasm—a division that exists because of people’s propensity to rebel against God’s way and go their own way instead. The Bible calls this “sin.”
FC Image 1]
The dilemma people face is that we want to get to God but know we can’t just leap over the chasm. So we try exerting human effort, hoping we can get the bridge built. [Build on picture; see FC image 2.] In the end, we realize that all the human effort in the world will never be enough to get us to the other side.
[FC Image 2]
But thankfully, God sympathized with our dilemma. And because he loved us so much, he intervened so that we would have a means of getting close to him. His solution was to choose his Son,
PPT Slide 13/John 5:24 text (overlay on bridge illustration)
If you remember nothing else about the bridge illustration, remember this: Christ came to earth to be our bridge, and whoever makes the decision to cross the bridge will live with God forever. The apostle John put it this way in John 5:24.
Well, to wrap up this idea, keep in mind that you may choose to commit a different illustration to mind, but please land on one, clear explanation of who God is and what he has done, so that when the time comes that someone sitting across from you poses the question, you’re 100 percent ready to give a thoughtful answer.
Whatever illustration you use, keep in mind the types of words we looked at earlier. Humble words. Healing words. Wise words. Gentle words. Grace-filled words.(Painting on the wall that Vivian painted)
Let your speech be well-seasoned with these things, friends. You are not responsible for transforming a human heart … that is the role of the Holy Spirit. Your role, when prompted to do so, is to open your mouth and give a tender, thoughtful, clear, and passionate understanding of who God is, of what he’s done for each person who ever has or ever will walk the planet. That’s all. Nothing more, nothing less.
III. You Have a Story. Learn to Tell It Well!
Let’s keep going.
Not only does God have a story, which is what we just looked at. But you have a story as well. A powerful story. And your job is to learn to tell it well!
Do you believe what I just said … that you have a powerful story to tell?
If you have come into relationship with God through his Son, Jesus Christ, then you have a wonderful, redemptive story to tell. Here’s why that’s true …
Regardless how old you were when you came to faith, hopefully you were different before Christ than you are after Christ invaded your world and beautifully wrecked it with things like grace and mercy and love.
Take the guy from Luke 5 who once had leprosy. Then and there the guy’s skin was smooth, the leprosy gone.
Can you imagine what that experience must have been like for that man? What do you think he told every, single person who would listen from that point forward?! “I was a leper. But then I met Christ! And now I’m healed … totally and completely healed.”
His self-talk was probably fascinating in the hours following Christ’s act of healing. “This is unbelievable! Just moments ago, my skin was so angry that it was literally … erupting. But now look at it! It’s clean. It’s smooth. It’s healed! Everything about me was rotting, moldy, diseased … but I’ve been recreated. It’s as if I were never sick! This is unreal. Absolutely unreal! Where did my hopelessness go? My helplessness? They vanished with my sores. They’re not here anymore. Jesus fixed all of that. I have hope! I want to live! I finally feel … whole.”
Do you see a before-and-after here?
I was sick. But now I’m well.
I was diseased. But now I’m healthy.
I was outcast. But now I’m accepted.
I was defiled … tainted. But now I’m good as new.
I was tarnished. But now I’m clean.
I was left for dead. But now I have … a future.
Who knows which aspect of the former-leper’s before-and-after was most compelling to him … who knows which facet he would have homed in on? He’d have to figure out his story for himself, right?
But here’s the point: for the vast majority of you sitting in this room, the same pattern is true for you. You also have a before …
And that’s about all people need to hear right out of the blocks … what you were like before you came to Christ. What the experience was like of embracing faith in him. And what you are like after that decision.
You’ll come across some great examples of well-told faith stories in your reading of Just Walk Across the Room this week, but let me just give you the “nut” of a few helpful before-and-afters.
“I was striving … but now I’m at peace.”
“I was self-destructive … but now I’m healthy.”
“Guilty, but now liberated.”
“Fear-stricken, but now confident.”
“Despairing, but now hopeful!”
Your own before-and-after doesn’t have to be more complicated than this, friends. It just has to be simple, humble, succinct … and true.
*****
Sounds pretty straightforward, right? I agree … it should be this easy to tell an effective before-and-after faith story. But if I’m being honest, I have to tell you that it’s quite possible for these stories we’re talking about to absolutely derail.
1.First, faith stories derail when a Christ-follower just won’t shut up. He oversupplies and just slaughters the demand. He goes on and on and on … and even after the listener sends all sorts of warning signals that disinterest and disdain have taken root, the storyteller obliviously keeps chatting away.
2. Second, faith stories derail when a Christ-follower is fuzzy about the story’s core theme. She gets all tangled up in a dozen story lines and leaves her listener frustrated, exhausted, and baffled.
3. Third, faith stories derail when a Christ-follower lays out a string of four-syllable Christian-insider words that no one outside the family of faith can understand. Well, here, have a listen for yourself …
4. Fourth—and finally—faith stories derail when … please hear me on this … your faith story will derail, blow up, and leave a trail of smoke a mile long if you play the superiority card. If you act like you have your act perfectly together and the listener is somehow inferior to you, you’re headed for the ditch … and fast, my friend.
[Press "Continue" button on current freeze-frame to play next clip.]
Okay, so here’s what we’re going to do as a congregation this week: we’re going to write our stories down, each and every one of us … our individual before-and-after faith story.
But wait, there’s more! If you were sitting here during that last portion of the message thinking, Wow. I wish I had somebody who would read my faith story and tell me if it hits the mark or not! … then this is your lucky day!
Because not only do you have the opportunity to write down your before-and-after faith story, but you also have the opportunity to email it to the address that’s coming up on the side screens … and receive a candid thumbs-up or thumbs-down, courtesy of yours truly! (And a small team of folks who have agreed to help me reply to all of you in a timely manner.)
How does that sound? Good? I thought you’d like it.
I probably don’t even need to say this, but we do have agreement here, don’t we? No “Hephzibahs” or “Beulahs” in your before-and-afters … no “look at me, I’m Super-Christian” … no eighteen-page renditions … deal?
We may not be able to reverse all of the negative perceptions that are out there about Christians, friends, but we can certainly do our part to ensure that as far as this congregation is concerned, we have our act together on the story front.
We can do our part to cause this community to say, “The Christians over there at [church’s name]? They know how to tell God’s story. And to hear them talk about what he’s done in their lives … it makes me want that type of thing for my own life!”
Let’s do the One whose name we bear proud as we work hard to hone and shape and sharpen our before-and-after stories, shall we? Send in your hundred-words-or-less - written in a clear, succinct, humble, simple manner, and have an open heart toward a little constructive criticism. Stay the course until your story is ready to face the world, and then go tell it confidently as often as God provides opportunity!
Living in 3D
July 4, 2010
I don’t know about you, but during the past week, with all these ideas in my head of “walking across rooms” and “entering zones of the unknown,” I found myself strangely preoccupied with people!
People at the store. People jogging on the sidewalk. People in cars stuck in traffic … just like me. People sitting in the restaurants I went to for lunch. All sorts of people. I’d look at them—really look at them—and go, “Okay, God … am I supposed to be feeling anything right now? Do you want me to do something here … maybe give them a taste of the single greatest gift thing?”
It was uncanny! Did you all experience this too?
Please know that we are in this together. Remember the real reason we’re doing this experience is so that we can all become walk-across-the-room people. That’s the reason! Because walk-across-the-room people are typically the ones who get to be used in pointing people to faith in God.
And the reason we want to point people to faith is because pointing people to faith is what God’s heart beats for. He gave his one and only Son to reach lost people, right? … To help lost people get found! And for those of you who really and truly desire to become more like Christ in your lives, I have some good news for you: you become most like him when you help him help lost people get found. Make sense?
With that goal in mind, let’s dive into this week’s content.
*****
Last week, if you recall, we left off with the exhortation to “just walk.” We said that if we wanted to get all over the task of giving people around us the single greatest gift we can give them—an introduction to the God who created them and loves them—then we will:
1. Be willing to enter the Zone of the Unknown … by voluntarily extricating ourselves from our Circles of Comfort and being open to engaging with someone who might need a touch from God;
2. Listen for the Spirit’s promptings … by choosing to rely on his guidance instead of our own;
3. Just walk … remembering that Jesus took a long, cosmic walk for us, right?
Today, I want to spend our brief moments together talking about what happens right after you decide to “just walk.” In other words, what should you be thinking about, praying about, and talking about in that Zone of the Unknown once you step foot into it? Because if you’re anything like me, agreeing to “walk” is one thing. But knowing what to do once you’ve reached the destination the person standing across the room from you?is quite another. I think these are valid questions for us all to ask:
After I make the decision to walk across a room …
What do I think about?
What do I pray about?
What on earth do I say??
*****
This week, we’re exploring what’s called “Living in 3D.” 3D Living is a framework for operating successfully in the Zone of the Unknown. It’s made up of three “D’s,” as you probably figured out. Ready for the first “D”?
I. Point 1: Develop Friendships
Walk-across-the-room people are those who live life in “3D”; first, they constantly look for ways to:
• Develop friendships
If we’re going to reflect God’s heart, as individuals and as a church, then we must be in continuous search mode. We’ve got to make a habit of searching for new friendships on the horizon. That is the heart of a true Christ-follower. When you operate this way—when you operate in continuous “search mode” … watching for ways to connect with people, looking for friendships in the making—I believe all of heaven holds its breath. Heaven wonders, Will you lean into the faith and courage that God has given you for this precise moment—the moment when you’re operating in the Zone of the Unknown? Will you extend a hand of friendship? Will you open wide your arms of acceptance?
Zacchaeus Luke 19:1-10
All of heaven watches … holds its breath … waits … and then exhales a shared sigh of relief—a joyous, celebrative sigh of relief—when you dig in and do the thing that God is asking you to do.
In that moment, the cheers that break out all across heaven are thunderous … utterly deafening cheers!
Now, this is the way it should be, mind you. This is the way things ought to operate day in, day out, in the lives of Christ-followers all across the globe … friendships getting formed left and right that eventually might lead to something spiritual unfolding.
Yes, this is the thing that we hope would play out with such frequency that the angels in heaven live in continual party-mode. But things don’t always work out this way, do they?
If you think about it, this whole thing is what makes the Circle of Comfort so comfortable. Almost all of us find it quite easy to love some people—maybe a spouse or our parents or our kids … our friends at work, our friends at church. We see them, and our initial reaction is love. We want to bless them. We crave time with them. We’re filled with joy when these people come to mind.
It’s true: almost every human being has a loving heart toward some people. But here’s what may not be so easy to admit. While almost every human being has a loving heart toward some people, almost every human being also has a secret list of people they just can’t stand.
It might be a business partner who took some of your money and broke up your partnership twenty years ago. It might be a spouse who walked out on you. It might be someone who wounded you with words. You might have reasons—really good reasons—for not liking a certain number of people. But you know what? It even gets more complex than that.
Some of us don’t like entire groups of people. Some people in this room get huffy when we’re surrounded by men and women who don’t vote the way we vote. Some of us become all constricted inside when we’re confronted with certain ethnic groups. Some of us are just plain disgusted with people who aren’t at our same socioeconomic level.
We don’t talk about this very often. Especially in mixed company. It’s uncomfortable, isn’t it? But it remains true: many of us have a “list” … and on that list are people we wish we could put on a ship headed permanently out to sea.
Ask me to love some people outside of my “circle,” and seemingly out of nowhere, a whole host of qualifiers and filters rise up out of me. “All right now, if you’re asking me to love some people outside of this circle, they better be nice, they better not hurt me, they better be safe, they better be stable, they better be deserving!”
Maybe I’m not alone here. Maybe you have your qualifiers too. Please, oh please, tell me you have your qualifiers! I don’t want to sit here in my sinfulness all alone! Call them the “better-be’s,” and they go something like this:
“They better be white, they better be brown, they better be pro-life, they better be liberal, they better be Democratic, they better be Republican, they better be young, they better be old, they better be single, they better be rich.”
Any of these ringing a bell? So, where do these qualifiers come from? What are these filters all about?
*****
Do you remember the parables Jesus describes in Luke 15? You know, the lost sheep … the lost coin … the lost son.
In Luke chapter 15, Jesus is seen in a marketplace setting having conversations with people who are not religious—people who are really far from his Father and who had made lots of mistakes, painted outside the lines, used terrible language, drank too much, cheated other folks out of their money … the list goes on and on.
He is interacting with them … talking, listening, just enjoying the fellowship. And as the scene plays out, we notice that the religious leaders—the scribes and the Pharisees—become a little upset. Actually, they think the whole deal is utterly scandalous because the people Jesus is interacting with are the exact people who are on their list!—these are the precise people the scribes and Pharisees hate! And Jesus of all people is hanging out with them!
Somewhere along the way, they had convinced themselves: “Surely God has a heart that looks like our hearts. He probably has insides like our insides. He has people who he loves, bestows blessings on, thinks good thoughts about, and answers prayer for. God has a certain number of people who he loves … but he also has a list of people who absolutely disgust him. He disdains them … and he’s just waiting for the chance to send them to hell.”
Soon enough, Jesus hears them grumbling about this. He sees their hearts and springs into action. He tells three of the most famous stories in Scripture, one right after the other. The first: a lost sheep. The second: a lost coin. The third: a wayward boy.
He starts with a big number, a big scale … he talks about a hundred sheep. But then, he narrows it down to ten coins. And then, to one son. Do you see his point taking shape?
You probably know the stories. There are a hundred sheep, and one dumb sheep just wanders away. He’s going to create all this hassle. The sheep just wanders off and gets itself lost. Then there are ten coins. One of them is misplaced. And then, there is a boy who asks for his inheritance from his father early, which in that society was like saying to his father, “You’re as good as dead, so I want my inheritance right now!” And what does he do once he has money in hand? He takes it out to a foreign land and blows it on wine, women, and song.
Anyway … three stories. Three very interesting stories.
I imagine that at least one of the Pharisees who heard the stories that day just couldn’t shake Jesus’ words. He wondered for days on end what those three stories were about. I picture him going away from that marketplace, his mind trailing off to the three stories. He heads to the campfire later that night, and as he’s sitting by the campfire, he keeps reviewing the stories, over and over and over again. He says, “Okay … there were three stories he told. The lost sheep, the lost coin, the wayward son—what did all that mean?” He goes, “Hey wait! In each of the three stories, something wound up missing. The sheep wound up missing. A coin wound up missing. A son wound up missing. Hmmm.”
Then I picture the Pharisee saying, “Wait a minute. Maybe it goes down another level. Whatever it was that was missing really mattered to somebody! The lost sheep really mattered to the shepherd. The lost coin was one of ten. The lady only had ten coins. She’d lost a tenth of her entire estate. The lost coin really mattered to the woman! And the wayward son, undoubtedly, really mattered to the father.”
So I picture this Pharisee sitting by the fire. He says, “Okay. So what does it mean? What does it mean?” All of a sudden, Kaboom! I can see the Pharisee going, “Oh no … oh no. Could it be that the Father’s heart is not at all like our heart? Could it be that what Jesus was saying is that the Father’s heart is indiscriminately loving? That what Jesus was saying is that those irreligious, immoral, profane individuals that he was talking to … was Jesus trying to say that they actually mattered to the Father—that they were on his love list?
“And could it be that Jesus was saying, ‘God the Father doesn’t even have a hate list’? Could it be that the love of the Father is so much love of another kind—love at such a higher and broader and wider level—that every man, woman, and child who has ever inhaled air on this planet is the object of his great affection? And maybe there’s not a single person who ever lived that God wanted to consign to hell?”
*****
Before you and I will agree to walk across a room and approach a perfect stranger, we’ll have to get past what’s inherent in many of our attitudes … this awful filter that says “Unless you pass my list of qualifiers … unless you somehow meet the standard that lives in my mind and heart, I refuse to reach out to you.”
My firm belief is that unless Christ-followers determine to get rid of this ugliness from their lives, they will never even enter the Zone of the Unknown. They will get all psyched up to get themselves out of their Circles of Comfort; they will decide with fierce conviction that they are going to walk across that room; they will finally receive a clear, indisputable prompting from the Holy Spirit; and then … they’ll freeze up.
Why? And when it’s all said and done, they’ll have screened out dozens of people they could have been taking walks across rooms for … all because those people didn’t “fit the mold” of who they normally would hang out with.
Developing friendships. This is where living in 3D must begin. Once you are willing to view every interaction as the first step in developing a new, God-honoring friendship, you will find that some pretty interesting doors swing wide open.
You will have unprecedented opportunity to discover people’s stories.
II. Point 2: Discover Stories
Walk-across-the-room people, remember, are people who live life in “3D”, constantly watching for ways to:
• Develop friendships … in order to
• Discover stories
The intertwining of these “D’s” is so critical for us to grasp. Your goal and mine should be to get involved in the lives of the people around us, developing friendships where we can so that we have an understanding for asking good questions about them. Then, once we truly understand their unique needs, we can try to help meet them, which we’ll look at more in our third “D.” It’s weird how once you take time to uncover another person’s story … once you are viewed as a trusted confidant … the other person just opens wide up about their heartfelt needs. This is the stuff God blesses, really and truly.
I just wonder … have you ever had a situation open up for Christ in your interactions with people? Have you ever taken the risk to probe someone’s story and then been absolutely floored by the doors that opened? I find that when I let the Holy Spirit lead … when I just stay focused on building trust (no matter how long it takes!), fantastic doors of opportunity swing wide open.
Some of you are looking at me with glassy eyes. You have no idea what I’m talking about, it’s been so long since you stepped outside your Circle of Comfort and engaged the people around you with arms of acceptance and friendship.
Some of you have a layer of dust over your soul an inch deep, and you say, “I can’t dust it off. I try … but I just can’t get it off! What’s the matter with me?” Here’s what’s the matter with you: you need to get a little dirt under your fingernails! Seriously … give it a try. Strike up a relationship with a lost person, start praying and trying to have a spiritual conversation …
… just to reconnect with the real world …
… just to get the spotlight off of you for a change …
… just to take an interest in someone who may be waiting for you to come along and
care …
… just to see what God might do.
Discovering stories. Of people far from God. With people who may be one prayer away from knowing the God you know. Be the one person in their world who takes a genuine interest in their story so that you will know how best to serve them … which leads us to our third “D.”
III. Point 3: Discern Next Steps
This is our third point. Walk-across-the-room people are people who live life in “3D”; they constantly look for ways to:
• Develop friendships
• Discover stories
• Discern appropriate next steps
Once you’ve risked walking across a room to stick out a hand of friendship and unearth what another person’s journey has been like so far, the very best thing you can do is lean way into the whisperings and nudgings of the Holy Spirit. During every single second of your conversation with the other person, simultaneously beg the Holy Spirit for direction. For guidance. For insight. For wisdom. For creative ideas. For appropriate next steps to take.
And I mean beg! Shamelessly beg if you must. But beg. Why? Because left to your own devices, you will ruin the whole thing. Ask me how I know.
Last week, you were asked to send a postcard or call the one person who took a walk for you—the person who was the most instrumental in pointing you to God. This week, I want us to dive a little deeper into the “little things” that helped us warm to the idea of submitting our lives to Christ.
We saw a story about Dave Tuesday night. Some things we saw: first, Bill really believed in Dave … isn’t that a great posture to have? He “saw something so valuable in Dave,” as he said—a good lesson for us. Do we see something valuable in everyone we meet?
Also, he immediately turned the relationship over to God. He said, “I wanted to be sure God was leading this thing, and that I was riding in the second position.” Is that critical or what? I think so.
All right, now to the “next steps” he took… What about simply asking about Dave’s week? Asking about his wife, Beth. Asking about his work. That simple step honored Dave. It made him feel accepted and cared for. It opened the door for further dialogue because Dave didn’t feel threatened or intimidated by the nature of the conversation. This is what is called a good “next step.” And Bill, because he was staying tuned into the Spirit … and tuned into Dave’s needs, was able to source that need. A very good “next step.”
Here’s one: how about Bill telling Dave that he was going to pray for him every day that week? There’s power in a commitment like that, friends. Another good “next step.”
Closing
There’s an interesting story in Mark chapter 3 about a man with a withered hand.
The text says that Jesus was preparing to teach in the temple one day when the Pharisees got an idea. They were upset with Jesus and so they started plotting for how they might catch him in the middle of a Sabbath infraction, quite a no-no in those days. You weren’t supposed to work at all on the Sabbath, remember? Which included, it seems, healing injured people.
The Pharisees drag this poor guy with a withered hand into the temple and then stand back to see if Jesus will take the bait. Jesus sees these religious leaders standing in front of him and just gets irate. The text from The Message paraphrase says he was angry and “furious at their hard-nosed religion.” He couldn’t believe that they were prizing their rigid laws above showing radical love to someone desperately in need of it.
Well, you can read this story for yourself this week, but essentially, Jesus makes no apologies as he asks the withered-hand man to step right up and receive his healing. He can’t not heal the guy. His whole cause is about healing people.
And if there’s one thing I want to leave you with today, it is this: You have the profound privilege of reaching the people around you with the same radical love and irrepressible acceptance that Jesus himself carried with him wherever he went.
The same radical love and irrepressible acceptance that was extended to you at some point along the way, if you are a follower of Christ. Just take a look at all of the evidence of it right here this morning.
All of us were withered in one way or another when people around us chose to take an appropriate “next step” or two and help move us an inch closer to God. Here’s what I want you to remember: in your day-to-day lives, there are withered parts all around you now, friends. People with withered hearts and withered minds and withered bodies. People with withered dreams and withered energy and withered hope. I just wonder if perhaps God will use you to help heal a few of those withered parts between now and when we meet again.
A new week is about to unfold in your life and in mine. And like all new weeks, we can choose to invest it in things that glorify and satisfy us … or we can choose to invest it in things that glorify and satisfy God. Here’s my challenge to you … my challenge to me.
This week, let’s commit to “living in 3D”:
• Developing friendships … with all sorts of people, withered in all sorts of ways
• Discovering stories … remembering to keep the focus on the other person
• Discerning next steps … letting the Spirit guide our every action
This week, let’s be spiritually alert to the Spirit’s promptings, asking him to lead us toward the people with whom we’re supposed to build bridges of friendship.
Your earnest request—“lead me, Holy Spirit”—may not lead you to wild encounters with estranged dads and alcoholic motorcycle racing buddies … or ringside observances of withered hands getting healed … but it might! Wherever it takes you, if you choose to be obedient to God’s leading, I think you’ll look back on this week and say, “This was a week well-lived.”
Let’s stand and pray together.
The Single Greatest Gift
June 27, 2010
Introduction
I’m glad that you are all here today! Because today, we are going to begin a four-week experience that is going to radically change the way you and I view that great category of Christianity called evangelism.
Evangelism. For some of you, just hearing that word sends a tremor of terror up your spine. You’re sitting there wondering if I’m going to make you come up here at some point and give a personal demonstration of how to share your faith with a nonbeliever.
If I’ve just described you … please relax.
I’d guess that this four-week experience will be unlike anything you’ve ever read, seen, heard, or walked through as it pertains to the topic of evangelism. Here’s why I say that. The type of evangelism we’ll be exploring involves:
• No formulas
• No scripts
• No quizzes, tests, or on-the-spot demands for huge chunks of memorized information Interested yet?
We’ll discover that evangelism can be as simple as taking a walk across a room. And taking a walk across a room is something we can all do, wouldn’t you agree?
Well … wouldn’t you?! Okay, I’ll explain the walk-across-the-room imagery in just a moment.
“If we would all do just the small thing that we can do, we would touch a lot more lives!”
If you’re a Christ-follower, isn’t this essentially what you want most … to touch the lives of the people you know—the people you love—who are living their lives far from God?
The “just walk across the room” metaphor that serves as the key concept for the study we’ll be doing together. And guess how it all began? You got it. With a walk across a room.
The single greatest gift Christ-followers can give to the people around them is an introduction to the God who created them, who loves them, and who has a purpose for their life. Nothing beats it—not monetary gains, not job opportunities, not recognition or accolades.
And when you boil it all down, this is what evangelism amounts to: constantly watching for ways to give this single greatest gift to someone living far from God.
Today, we begin the process of understanding how to get “usable” to God. I hope that’s something you desire … being utterly used up by God. And the first step in getting usable to God is being willing to extricate ourselves from our Circles of Comfort and stretch out a hand to a person who needs the hope we alone can offer.
Now, back to the walk-across-a-room idea. Let’s take a closer look at how this whole thing unfolded. What will it take in order for us to give this “single greatest gift” to someone we know?
I. Point 1: Enter the Zone of the Unknown
Here’s the question I want us all to ponder: what would happen if we were to take a few steps across a room? Is it possible that we could actually impact someone’s eternal destiny—perhaps even that of their family? That we could change the course of an entire family history by simply taking a few steps toward someone who may be heading for a Christless eternity?
Do you think that would be worth the risk of ten steps across the room?
Here’s a quote that should stop all of us in our tracks: “The day Christ-followers like you and me stop taking walks across rooms like this, the day we stay in our Circles of Comfort, refuse to make the walk, refuse to enter the Zone of the Unknown … the day Christ-followers like you and me stop doing that sort of stuff, it is lights out for the kingdom of God here on earth. It is the beginning of the end of redemptive history. It’s the slow defeat of the church—the bride of Christ. It’s the end of the dream of Christ that people on earth would come to know him.”
Please hear me on this: throughout this four-week experience, I want you to remember that one of the top priorities of the Holy Spirit in each of our lives is to turn every single person here—every single Christ-follower—into a walk-across-the-room kind of person. - Everyone.
Regardless of your age, regardless of your gender. Regardless of your color, your personality type, your respective spiritual gift mix, your experience in kingdom-building initiatives to this point.
Acts 1:8
If you’re a living, breathing Christ-follower, then the Spirit is asking you to walk. He’s asking me to walk. Friends, he’s asking us to make a difference in the lives of the people we see each and every day! At work. At school. In social settings. At the gym. At our kid’s basketball game. In the midst of our insane schedules. Wherever. Whenever.
It seems almost impossible to imagine, but there are people who have experienced the merciful forgiveness and soul-level cleansing of God in their lives and then somehow contract a bad case of “spiritual amnesia”—at that point, they simply forget how personal the cross of Christ is to them.
If you have made the choice to follow Christ—if you have found him to be truth, if you have found what the Bible says to be truth—then why would you—why would any of us—think that other people wouldn’t be interested in knowing about what we have discovered to be the most life-changing, heart-stimulating, eternity-altering relationship in our lives?
Friends, if you have been “wrecked by grace”—if you have been bowled over by God’s gift of new life, as I thankfully have—and if you want to live your life as an expression of love for the great God you know, then let’s crank up our boldness-meters and introduce as many people as possible to the God who wants desperately to enfold them with his grace!
John 14:6
All right, so in order to bestow this single greatest gift on someone living far from God, you first must be willing to enter the Zone of the Unknown, as we’ve established. But there’s more. Because unless you’ve got some supernatural power on your side, you could do more harm than good once you’re there, right?
II. Point 2: Listen for the Spirit’s Promptings
In order for us to be effective in the Zone of the Unknown, we must be led by the Spirit. We must listen to the Spirit’s promptings every step of the way.
Before you get the wrong idea about what this looks like, let me tell you that being available to the movement of the Holy Spirit doesn’t always work out the way you think it might. Sometimes we hear about these evangelist types of people who travel cross-country and on their way to the airport they lead everyone they come across to Christ—the cab driver, the gate agent, their flight attendants, the person held captive on the plane sitting next to them, the family across the aisle—the whole plane becomes a church before they land! Stories like that make us feel like we’ll never measure up or be successful at what God wants, don’t they?
Sometimes you see and you hear and you feel and you move … and then you go ahead and take the risk. And then other times, when it seems like maybe you should make a move things just don’t open up that way.
The key is this: fundamentally, being walk-across-the-room people means that we walk when the Spirit tells us to walk and we don’t walk when the Spirit says not to walk. That’s what makes this thing dynamic and mystical and out of your control … and out of mine. Frankly, it’s what keeps the edge and the adventure present in the Christian life.
In Matthew 5:13, Jesus said this about his followers:
So, as the verse says, you’ve got to have savor. You’ve got to have spiritual potency. But what else does salt need if it’s going to affect anything? It needs proximity. You’ve got to get salt on something if it’s going to affect it, true?
Think of it this way: I can be the strongest, most savory form of salt the world has ever seen. I can be the saltiest salt known to humankind … but I won’t make a hill of beans’ worth of impact unless I get up close to some people who need to be affected.
But here’s the underlying reality I want to remind you of: when we are relating right with Jesus Christ—when there is vitality and openness in our spirits to the promptings of his Spirit—here’s what happens:
You’ll find yourself standing in a Circle of Comfort as usual. But by the Spirit’s power, as you’re listening to the conversation at hand, you’ll be able to have one eye open and roving around the room to see if there is someone the Holy Spirit really wants you to see. You’ll be able to dial into the Spirit’s whispers—Are you trying to tell me something about what’s going on in this place? Is there someone you want me to go talk to?
Not all the time, but some of the time, by God’s grace, if you …
• Commit yourself to being “salty” in your world
• Get some proximity to people who need grace
• Listen for the Spirit’s promptings
Then you can make that turn each and every time … and with confidence tell him, “All right, I’ll walk. I want to know where this prompting will lead, God, and so I’ll go.”
Some of you have already experienced this firsthand. If you have, I think you’ll agree with what I’m about to say.
As Christ-followers take walks across rooms … as they explore the Zone of the Unknown … as they have initial conversations with people whose eternities are hanging in the balance and have zero clue how it is all going to turn out … as they strain to hear the murmurs of the Holy Spirit … as they frantically try to figure out what it all means …
Man, that’s living! That’s living your spiritual life at about the highest level you can live it!
What I hope you’ll discover in the next few weeks is that this experience is not about trying to get everyone to march to some new orders around the church. No, what this is really about is helping all of us become more aware of how the heart of God beats through us when we are operating in harmony with him.
This is something we can all do. This is something that every single person in this congregation can decide to do and can learn to do. You can be trained for this. You can be equipped for this. You can receive the pointers that will make you more effective.
But for what purpose? I mean, when you boil it all down, what’s the reason we want to get better about all of this stuff?
I’m so glad you asked …
III. Point 3: Just Walk!
There’s a passage in Romans 5:8 that is familiar to many of you. It’s coming up on the screens now. Will you read it with me?
And how was it, exactly, that Jesus Christ demonstrated the love of the Father? What was the radical move he made to prove to you and to me that he really does feel redemptive, grace-filled, unconditional love for each one of us?
Some of you know where this is going. He took a walk.
God says to us all today, “I am going to ask you to walk across the street; I am going to ask you to walk across a restaurant; I am going to ask you to walk across an office complex; I am going to ask you to walk across a cafeteria or locker room. I am going to ask you to take that walk, leave whatever Circle of Comfort you are in and take the walk, enter the unknown—and something really exciting is going to happen. That is what I want you to do.”
And that’s our third point: Just walk!
Why? Because Jesus “just walked” for you. For me. For us. And for every, single person inhabiting the planet today.
Do you believe that?
As you’ve probably surmised by now, this is why we’re devoting an entire month of our ministry calendar to these ideas. So that we can all get better about hearing the Spirit’s promptings, yes. But also so that we will start taking action with immediacy and a newfound sense of confidence … and in the process, that we will become more like Jesus! This is what our four-week experience is about.
But if you’ve read the story, then you know that despite all of the protocol violations, Jesus took the walk anyway. He left the Circle of Comfort. He reached out the hand, and he started the conversation with the woman he wasn’t supposed to have anything to do with.
Moreover, he lets the conversation evolve from the seemingly innocuous topic of drawing a cup of water from the well to something much deeper in nature … like “living water,” as he calls it—a term that catalyzes this woman eventually coming to faith.
Right there in a dusty well area in first-century Samaria.
The text says that she leaves her basin, runs into town, and drags half of her friends and neighbors out, telling them that they just have to come meet this guy who knew all about her sordid past but who accepted her and showed her something called … grace.
And for the next two days all of these wide-eyed folks hang around, just listening to Jesus teach. It says in the text that many people from the town crossed the line of faith and joined God’s family during that timeframe.
All because one man took a walk across a room—okay, a well area—to reach out to someone living far from God.
But here’s the picture I want to leave with you from this story: Imagine fifteen or twenty years later when all of the kids and grandkids of these people are sitting around enjoying the beauty of Christian community. They’re basking for a few minutes in the community, strength, wisdom … the guidance that God alone gives … the security of heaven.
Imagine that they begin to tell stories about where their faith journey began. One of them pipes up … “Hey, guys, where do you suppose we can trace our salvation back to … I mean, where did all of this start?”
Guess what the answer would be?
That’s right: you could trace their entire family’s salvation back to a measly patch of sand where Jesus left a group of twelve, with whom he no doubt enjoyed fellowship, telling them, “You stay in your circle and head into town … but I’m going to make the turn. Please excuse me. I will walk across this dusty well area and reach out a hand of fellowship. And I’ll just see what my Dad does.”
Once again, in essence, Jesus said, “Thanks, but I’ll just walk.”
Friends, please understand that I know how real life goes.
I know that, like the disciples, we can all be tempted into staying in our safe little circles. Just like those guys did, we too can make a habit of rushing off to our lunch appointments or business meetings or family gatherings instead of caring about the people standing right in front of us. But hopefully, the longer we hang around the person of Christ, the more our eyes will be pried open to seeing the things that he sees.
To seeing the people around us who need care, love, friendship, community … and hope.
Closing
As we close today, I want you to think about how you wound up in the kingdom. I want you to think about how some of your friends wound up in the kingdom. Almost every Christ-follower I know can think back on somebody—it might have been a mom or a dad, it might have been a coworker or a teacher, it might have been a friend or a neighbor—who walked across a room for them.
And so if you are a Christian, then someone probably took a risk for you along the way and did a little something that would interest you in the possibility of knowing the love of God and the opportunity to be freed from your sins.
If this is true for you, I imagine you have a pretty high respect level for that person—the person who “took a walk” to rescue you … the person who took the risk to approach you and hand you the single greatest gift you’d ever receive in your entire life.
I hope you will write a note of gratitude to the one who walked for you.
If you’re no longer in touch with that person for whatever reason, then please think of a person in your world who personifies all that it means to be a just-walk-across-the-room person. Write a note to them, encouraging them to continue fighting the good fight because their efforts will never be in vain.
Friends, the single greatest gift you and I can give to another human being is an introduction to the God who declared that his mission was to find every person who was lost … and to bring them home.
In the three weeks to come, as we talk about what it means to “just walk across the room,” here’s my fair warning to you all: we are going to get really practical! We will learn in detail how to excuse ourselves from our Circle of Comfort. We’ll learn to look across whatever room we are in and open our eyes and use our ears and discern if there is someone on the other side of the room that we ought to be paying attention to.
The Pride of Kids
June 20, 2010
Prov. 17:6
How can a man be the Pride of his kids? I believe it is by pursuing godliness. It is a matter of training.
Whose job is it to make you into a godly man? Is it your responsibility or is it God’s? We all understand the truth the Jesus paid the penalty for our sins on the cross and there is nothing we need to do or can do to deserve salvation. What we get confused about is that we are responsible for our growth and relationship with God.
As men God equipped us as men to take initiative, to protect and to provide for ourselves and others. We must also be committed to the goal of godliness. Any man can get married. Only a man committed to godliness will have what it takes to fulfill his marriage vows.
I Tim. 4:7-8
In Galatians 3:1-3 Paul gets on to the Galatians because of their approach to godliness.
Too many believers think the same way, they have to do it on their own. In Timothy we find that we can train ourselves like an athlete trains for his event. Let me give you an example.
Suppose you want to be a great basketball player. One day you get a letter from Michael Jordan inviting you to work out with him anytime you want at his house. He heard about your desire and wants to do what he can to help you.
You could sit down and write him a note thanking him for the offer, but that you think you can do it all on your own. If he has any coaching tips he wants to send, or some kind of training video, you would be happy to look it over, but you really don’t have time to go over to his house every day for your workout. Would you write a note like that? I don’t think so.
You would probably move to Chicago near Michael Jordan, get to his house an hour before the workout, and never miss a practice. This would be your chance to learn from the master, and you would not miss it for the world.
It would then be Michael’s job to transform you into the best basketball player you can be. He would get all the credit for changing you. Your job would be just to show up for practice.
In the same way we are to show up to the spiritual gym. Your workout begins in the Bible, then prayer, worship, and community.
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Here are three ways you can be the pride of your children…
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John 17:6
The world is full of sons and daughters who desperately need a father who is a spiritual leader. Is it possible your kids are among them? You can become a spiritual leader to your children by developing the characteristics that we see in Jesus as he taught his disciples for three years.
Even if you are not a father, or a mother, you will be able to lead others into the heart of God by following the example of Jesus.
You should be an…
I. Instructional Father
First, Jesus helped the disciples to know God.
Dads, this is your number one responsibility as a father. You need to help your children get to know God because eternity is in the balance: life or death, heaven or hell. It is your job to help make sure your kids are introduced to God.
Look at what Jesus says: John 17:6 "... they belonged to You." He's acknowledging that the disciples belonged to God. And reminding us that we don't own our kids. They belong to God. He loaned them to us for a period of time in which He wants you to parent them. Parenting, like all forms of leadership, is really about stewardship. You learn to say, 'God, I am the steward of these children, whom you put into my care and I will do what you need me to do to help them achieve their purpose."
Notice Jesus then says, "I showed what You were like to those You gave me." Jesus doesn't say, "I preached. I sermonized. I lectured so the disciples would know you." He says, "I showed." He led by example. This is one of the most sobering truths about being a parent. For right or wrong, for good or bad, whether you like it or not your children's idea of God is going to be largely determined by the kind of father you are. You may not like that. I may not like that, but it's the truth.
If you are an impatient and demanding father, they're going to think God is impatient and demanding. If you are distant and detached and never have time for your kids, they're going to think God is distant and detached from them. If you are inconsistent and unreliable, if you break your promises, they're going to think their heavenly Father is inconsistent and unreliable and breaks His promises.
What is God really like?
· God is caring.
· God is close and aware of the details.
· God is consistent.
· God is competent.
If my kids are going to grow up knowing God is caring, close, consistent, and competent, then I must be caring, close, consistent, and competent. I must care about my kids enough to show them what God is like and show how they can become like Christ.
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II. Generous Father
Luke 7:11-13
How much do I give to my children? I can give them too much money, but not too much time. I can give them too much stuff, but not too much love. I can give them too much responsibility, but not too much preparation. I can give them too much freedom, but not too much prayer. A generous dad is able to discern how much is enough for their child.
Each day a giving father prays about the needs of their son or daughter. What does my child need from me today? What are they asking of me with their words, body language, unspoken requests or bad behavior? Extroverted children are not shy to ask for too much, while introverted children need time and space to express their needs. Treat each one according to their unique requirements. A generous dad is able to give good gifts because he understands his child. Gifts are not to compensate for our guilt, but to express our love.
For example a good gift for a son may mean time away with dad at a sporting event, or a great adventure of hunting, fishing or hiking. However, your daughter’s gift motivation may revolve around time with her dad at daddy-daughter camp, a theatrical production or visiting the beach. Discerning dads structure good gifts around a block of quantity time.
Maybe you invest in your child with an every other week date night or father/son time. Ask them to pick the restaurant for dinner and/or the activity for entertainment. Your verbal and written words are a valuable gift at any age. Encourage their tender hearts, discipline their defiant hearts, affirm their humble hearts and chide their selfish hearts. Use birthdays, graduations, proms, ballgames, auditions and weddings to write them notes or letters of how proud you are to be their dad, and how much God loves them.
Lastly, give your kids good gifts because of how your heavenly Father has lavished His good gifts on you. Pay forward God’s gifts to you of love, patient, holiness, humility, hope and faith. The greatest gift of salvation in Christ Jesus is meant for you to receive and give to your child. There is no greater joy than to see your own child walking by faith.
Each day a giving father prays about the needs of their son or daughter. What does my child need from me today? What are they asking of me with their words, body language, unspoken requests or bad behavior? Extroverted children are not shy to ask for too much, while introverted children need time and space to express their needs. Treat each one according to their unique requirements. A generous dad is able to give good gifts because he understands his child. Gifts are not to compensate for our guilt, but to express our love.
For example a good gift for a son may mean time away with dad at a sporting event, or a great adventure of hunting, fishing or hiking. However, your daughter’s gift motivation may revolve around time with her dad at daddy-daughter camp, a theatrical production or visiting the beach. Discerning dads structure good gifts around a block of quantity time.
Maybe you invest in your child with an every other week date night or father/son time. Ask them to pick the restaurant for dinner and/or the activity for entertainment. Your verbal and written words are a valuable gift at any age. Encourage their tender hearts, discipline their defiant hearts, affirm their humble hearts and chide their selfish hearts. Use birthdays, graduations, proms, ballgames, auditions and weddings to write them notes or letters of how proud you are to be their dad, and how much God loves them.
Lastly, give your kids good gifts because of how your heavenly Father has lavished His good gifts on you. Pay forward God’s gifts to you of love, patient, holiness, humility, hope and faith. The greatest gift of salvation in Christ Jesus is meant for you to receive and give to your child. There is no greater joy than to see your own child walking by faith.
(3 John 1:4).
What good gift does my son or daughter need from me? How can I give them the free gift of grace?
What good gift does my son or daughter need from me? How can I give them the free gift of grace?
III. Affectionate Father
1 Thessalonians 2:11-12
Am I an affectionate father? Like the geyser “Old Faithful” do I spontaneously spew out love and affection over my children? Am I faithful to fill my daughter’s or son’s emotional tank with a warm embrace or a kiss on the head? Or, am I so caught up in my own career and needs that I have no emotional capacity to give them affection? Affection needs to be displayed.
A father with affection reflects his Heavenly Father’s affection for him. It is out of an overflow of being comforted and loved by Christ that redeemed fathers show affection to their children. When the Holy Spirit gives us a warm and secure hug, we can’t help but hug our children and grandchildren. Eternal affection translates into earthly affection.
(Deuteronomy 10:15).
Perhaps you have a routine of kissing and hugging your children each time you leave home and when you arrive home. There is no rushing out the door until you have made emotional deposits in your most valued relational account. Your child is your lock box of love waiting with a tender heart to be touched by their parents. Be the initiator of hugs and kisses.
When a child’s heart hurts from fear, rejection or physical harm, move closer with care and compassion. Listen with empathic ears and outstretched arms. Affectionate parents are up close and personal, while distant parents are unsympathetic and impersonal. Your seeds of affection reap a harvest of healthy adult children who want to come back home.
(Luke 15:20b).
A father with affection reflects his Heavenly Father’s affection for him. It is out of an overflow of being comforted and loved by Christ that redeemed fathers show affection to their children. When the Holy Spirit gives us a warm and secure hug, we can’t help but hug our children and grandchildren. Eternal affection translates into earthly affection.
(Deuteronomy 10:15).
Perhaps you have a routine of kissing and hugging your children each time you leave home and when you arrive home. There is no rushing out the door until you have made emotional deposits in your most valued relational account. Your child is your lock box of love waiting with a tender heart to be touched by their parents. Be the initiator of hugs and kisses.
When a child’s heart hurts from fear, rejection or physical harm, move closer with care and compassion. Listen with empathic ears and outstretched arms. Affectionate parents are up close and personal, while distant parents are unsympathetic and impersonal. Your seeds of affection reap a harvest of healthy adult children who want to come back home.
(Luke 15:20b).
THIS IS LEADING BY EXAMPLE.
Since He sets His affections on you—you set your affections on Almighty God. A parent—who is first loved by his heavenly Father—then has the capacity to love his children appropriately and fully. Adult children, who have experienced their parent’s affection, more easily show affection. So, seek affection from above and then apply it here below.
(Psalm 143:8).
Do I regularly receive affection from my heavenly Father? How can I intentionally be the most affectionate with my children?
Do I regularly receive affection from my heavenly Father? How can I intentionally be the most affectionate with my children?
CONCLUSION: Can you say that you do the following things?
· I often discuss things with my child.
· I praise my children for things they do well.
· I know what encourages my child.
· I am a good example to my children.
· I try not to vary much in the way I deal with my children.
· I read the scriptures with my children often.
· I express affection to my children.
· My child and I often do things together.
· I know what motivates my child.
· My children know what to expect from me.
· I pray with my children.
· I tell my children they are special to me.
· We have a family worship time in the home.
· I teach my children skills.
· I talk about spiritual things with my children.
· My child and I have fun together.
· I tell my children I am proud of them.
These questions are very revealing for dads and granddads like those of us in the ministry.
Father's Day Sunday can be awkward, but it can also be a lot of fun, because dads really do like to laugh at themselves. I am hopeful that Father's Day for you and your family will be very meaningful.
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(Prov. 17:6)
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Is God Getting Out of My Box
May 23, 2010
Matt. 17:1-6
Change is the word that describes our world better than any other. Especially over the last 150 years we have seen dramatic change. Publilius Syrus, was right when he wrote: “It is a bad plan that admits no modification.”
Some things must undergo drastic changes if we hope to stay on the cutting edge.
1. Population – 1850 population was 1 billion on the earth, 1930 (eight years later) 2 billion, 1960 (thirty years later) 3 billion. By the end of this century there will be about 7 billion. Completely different than it was 130 years ago.
2. Speed – 1800s a human could only go 20 MPH on a horse, 1880 the “streamline” passenger train ran at 100 MPH which was fearful and unheard of. Dec. 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, N. Carolina, a strange machine went airborne for 59 seconds. Today the Concorde plane can go over 1,000 MPH and manned space rockets go at speeds up to 16,000 MPH.
3. Books – Only a few books were published before the end of the 17th century-and then only a few hundred in the entire world. By the end of the 19th century, about 25,000 books per year were being released. Today? No less than 40,000 titles are produced annually around the world. Those are not all the books available; those are just the new ones!
Think about communication in the 1800s compared to now. We must hammer out new and fresh styles on the anvil of each generation, always guarding against being dated and institutionalized. This calls for creativity, originality and sensitivity to God.
Today, I want to talk to you about letting God out of YOUR box. Where is God leading you and this church. Is He able to do with us and through us what He wants to do or are we keeping Him within the BOX?
(Psalm 27:1)
How long has it been since a fresh understanding of Christ buckled your knees and emptied your lungs?
I. Who Is God?
A. He was God in the flesh. Jesus wanted his followers to see where he got his strength.
(Matthew 17:2)
B. Jesus was HOLY. Christ as his truest self.
(1 John 1:5; (Hebrews 7:26; Luke 9:31)
C. Jesus Is the “Beloved Son”
A man who smelled like a brewery flopped on a seat at a bus stop next to a priest. The man’s shirt was stained, clothes unkempt, and a half empty bottle of wine was sticking out of his torn coat pocket. He opened his newspaper and began reading. Needless to say, the priest became uncomfortable at the smell and appearance of his seatmate.
After a few minutes the disheveled guy turned to the priest and asked, "Say, Father, what causes arthritis?"
In his annoyed state, the priest retorted, "Mister, it’s caused by loose living, being with cheap women, too much alcohol and a contempt for your fellow man."
"Well I’ll be...." the drunk muttered, returning to his paper.
The priest, realizing the error of his comment, apologized. "I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to be so rude. How long have you had arthritis?"
"I don’t, Reverend. I was just reading here that the Pope does."
Just like this priest, too often we can make assumptions about people that can be completely wrong. What is worse though, is that too often we can make assumptions about God that can be completely wrong. We conservative evangelicals are very prone to doing this. We try to squeeze the creator God with all his awesome characteristics into a box or into a set of creeds or theological explanations which we can comprehend or handle with our feeble little finite minds. In so doing, we put limits on what we will allow God to do in us and more seriously, we try to limit what God is allowed to do in other people.
After a few minutes the disheveled guy turned to the priest and asked, "Say, Father, what causes arthritis?"
In his annoyed state, the priest retorted, "Mister, it’s caused by loose living, being with cheap women, too much alcohol and a contempt for your fellow man."
"Well I’ll be...." the drunk muttered, returning to his paper.
The priest, realizing the error of his comment, apologized. "I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to be so rude. How long have you had arthritis?"
"I don’t, Reverend. I was just reading here that the Pope does."
Just like this priest, too often we can make assumptions about people that can be completely wrong. What is worse though, is that too often we can make assumptions about God that can be completely wrong. We conservative evangelicals are very prone to doing this. We try to squeeze the creator God with all his awesome characteristics into a box or into a set of creeds or theological explanations which we can comprehend or handle with our feeble little finite minds. In so doing, we put limits on what we will allow God to do in us and more seriously, we try to limit what God is allowed to do in other people.
Jesus was not just a great man. We need to take Jesus out of the box of “great men of history.”
“Jesus is not ‘a’ son or even ‘the best of all sons.’ He is the ‘beloved son.’ ‘Beloved’ means ‘priceless’ and ‘unique.’”
(Matthew 17:5)
We will never be able to understand or see Christ in His universal greatness until we get to heaven. Then we will spend eternity getting to know him and love Him.
(Matthew 17:6)
II. A Holy, Healthy Fear
(Psalm 27:1)
What size box have we constructed for Jesus? What restrictions are we putting on Him here today? Many churches put restrictions on what things God can do. We want the Holy Spirit to work, but only if He promises to keep within these boundaries. We don’t want to be challenged too much else we’ll become uncomfortable. If He can just restrict his operation to within the lives of people we choose, that would be very much appreciated.
But I’ve got some news for you. The Box that we make for Jesus will never be big enough to contain the plans that God has for His Son. Whatever box, I try to force Jesus into is limited to my viewpoint and my experience and the same is true for your box. We need to let Jesus out of our box and give Him freedom to challenge us as He sees fit. To work His perfect purposes as He desires. To reach those he wants to. To use us as he longs to.
But I’ve got some news for you. The Box that we make for Jesus will never be big enough to contain the plans that God has for His Son. Whatever box, I try to force Jesus into is limited to my viewpoint and my experience and the same is true for your box. We need to let Jesus out of our box and give Him freedom to challenge us as He sees fit. To work His perfect purposes as He desires. To reach those he wants to. To use us as he longs to.
Unfortunately, the Jews didn’t get it. They were so infuriated that Jesus dared to burst out from their box, that they sought to kill Him. They dragged Christ up to the top of a cliff and were about to throw Him off. But this was not in God’s plan. It was not time for Jesus to die and so he parted the angry crowd and went on his way, never to return to Nazareth His home town. How do you feel when Jesus bursts from the box you have nicely constructed for Him. Do you feel indignant, angry, frustrated. Why? Can’t we see that Jesus is bigger than any limitations we could impose on Him. Can’t we see that He wants to do amazing things – much bigger than we had ever hoped or dreamed. Do you have a box you are keeping Jesus in today? Are you willing to let Jesus out of the Box today? Allow Him to work freely without any restraints and conditions? I hope that we choose to willingly give permission for Jesus to work outside our Boxes, before he feels the need to rip them to shreds before our very eyes. Let’s not be indignant at what Jesus came to do, but see the enormity of his mission and ours in this town.
Most of our fears are poisonous, but this fear is different.
“From a biblical perspective, there is nothing neurotic about fearing God. The neurotic thing is not to be afraid, or to be afraid of the wrong thing. That is why God chooses to be known to us, so that we may stop being afraid of the wrong thing. When God is fully revealed and we ‘get it’, then we experience the conversion of our fear. . . . ‘Fear of the Lord’ is the deeply sane recognition that we are not God.”
As awe of Jesus expands, fears of life diminish.
“A big God translates into big courage.”
III. We Need to Know the Transfigured Christ
Jesus blew the sides out of the disciples’ preconceptions; may he blow the sides out of yours too.
I want to look at a passage in Luke’s Gospel, where a group of people who know Jesus very well tried to stuff Him into their box. The problem was, that Jesus’ purpose and his whole ministry was way too big to be contained in any box dreamed up by the thoughts of mere men. And so unfortunately, he burst out of the box, ripping it to shreds in the process. The people who had created this box for Jesus didn’t like this very much as now Jesus was uncontained and they didn’t quite know how to understand Him or his ministry.
Luke 4:14-30
He says.
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, (that is all from Is 61:1) to release the oppressed, (That is from Is 58:6) to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (That is from Is 61:2)
Jesus here is challenging the box that the Jews had created for the Messiah. Their Box restricted the Messiah’s ministry to Israel. It reserved the Messiah’s victories for the Jews alone. It did not have room for the Gentiles in that box. But Jesus’ ministry was far bigger than this box they had created. Jesus’ ministry was for the benefit of all people – not just the Jews. His ministry of salvation was for all nations. The Jews had got it wrong, God’s purposes in choosing them was not to save them in isolation, but so that they could be his instruments by which he would bring salvation to the whole world. His plans and his purposes was to save Jews and Gentiles.
The Box the Jews in Nazareth had for Jesus, was just not big enough to contain the plans God had for Jesus and so Jesus burst out of it – ripping it apart at the seams.
IV. Letting God Out of the Box
Mark 8:31-8:38
A god ought to be big enough to scare you! But many people hold in their mind’s eye the picture of a god they can handle. We want a small god who isn’t scary, but who keeps us healthy and wealthy; and it helps if this god is small enough to keep in a box.
Peter wanted that kind of god; he wanted a god he could understand – a god that fit his plans. Jesus wasn’t like that at all, and it troubled the big fisherman!
As much as Peter understood Christ’s divinity, he was still as dumb as a post when it came to keeping his ears open and his mouth disengaged. In one brief paragraph Peter displays monumental faith in declaring Jesus as “the Christ” and the epitome of unbelief as one who would rebuke God. Brilliant and bumbler was the fisherman apostle-to-be. Peter was fine with the Messiah title; the cross was just a little too “out of the box” – just a little too radical and too big for Peter’s imagination! His god had to be smaller – able to fit in a box.
Jesus didn’t let Peter dangle – he called him “Satan” or adversary (8:33). He told him his mind wasn’t the least bit spiritual in this matter.
Now, with that as context, what did Jesus do with the moment? He gave an invitation!
THE INVITATION OF CHRIST
34He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
This verse contains three conditions of becoming a disciple or follower of Jesus.
1. Follow Voluntarily
Salvation is offered, and it is offered freely; it is not automatic for every human being. If you “want” to be his follower…that is a condition – it is your decision; Jesus will not load you up on the next Gospel bus. Each account of Jesus calling someone to follow indicated an offer, never a command.
A voluntary following presupposes that the opposite is also a possibility – that some choose to not follow. Those who choose so are called “the lost”. Not everyone to whom Jesus offered his hand of friendship accepted. The rich young ruler went away from Jesus and the supposition is that he was lost. Judas began to follow, but was lost. Following or not following is a personal decision. This is the “entry-level” of Christianity. For those who choose voluntarily to follow, there is a second condition:
2. Follow Empty-Handed
…let them deny themselves
To deny self is to put all of my yesterdays, today and tomorrow to the side in favor of being obedient to the leading of Jesus Christ. Jesus was probably speaking to almost exclusively a Jewish crowd. They would have heard and understood Jesus to be talking about the process of proselytizing, or becoming a convert to Judaism. When a Gentile wanted to convert to Judaism he had to renounce all his previous beliefs and separate himself from past friendships and acquaintances, even family. He had to promise to never turn back. He was then considered “newborn,” a person of new life.
This is the kind of “God-out-of-the-box” that Peter worried about. He had ideas about the kind of Messiah he wanted. Jesus was demanding that we “trash” the old thinking and just follow him like our Gospel song, nothing in my hand I bring; simply to thy cross I cling.
Follow voluntarily, follow empty-handed, and then a third condition for following Jesus:
3. Follow as HE Leads
…take up their cross and follow me.
Here’s Jesus’ lead – take up your cross.
Peter had made an important connection with heaven in recognizing the divinity of Jesus. He’d made the incredible blunder of thinking he would change Jesus’ mind about the cross. But Jesus laid-out for them the ONE CONSISTENT DEMAND OF DISCIPLESHIP - IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW JESUS YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW JESUS!
Jesus is not interested in leaders; He needs disciples who will give up their lives. Are you willing? Are you really willing to step up and offer your life in exchange for His? That’s what it means to have a God who isn’t small and in a box. Following a God like that is a big decision!
A god ought to be big enough to scare you! But many people hold in their mind’s eye the picture of a god they can handle. We want a small god who isn’t scary, but who keeps us healthy and wealthy; and it helps if this god is small enough to keep in a box.
Peter wanted that kind of god; he wanted a god he could understand – a god that fit his plans. Jesus wasn’t like that at all, and it troubled the big fisherman!
As much as Peter understood Christ’s divinity, he was still as dumb as a post when it came to keeping his ears open and his mouth disengaged. In one brief paragraph Peter displays monumental faith in declaring Jesus as “the Christ” and the epitome of unbelief as one who would rebuke God. Brilliant and bumbler was the fisherman apostle-to-be. Peter was fine with the Messiah title; the cross was just a little too “out of the box” – just a little too radical and too big for Peter’s imagination! His god had to be smaller – able to fit in a box.
Jesus didn’t let Peter dangle – he called him “Satan” or adversary (8:33). He told him his mind wasn’t the least bit spiritual in this matter.
Now, with that as context, what did Jesus do with the moment? He gave an invitation!
THE INVITATION OF CHRIST
34He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
This verse contains three conditions of becoming a disciple or follower of Jesus.
1. Follow Voluntarily
Salvation is offered, and it is offered freely; it is not automatic for every human being. If you “want” to be his follower…that is a condition – it is your decision; Jesus will not load you up on the next Gospel bus. Each account of Jesus calling someone to follow indicated an offer, never a command.
A voluntary following presupposes that the opposite is also a possibility – that some choose to not follow. Those who choose so are called “the lost”. Not everyone to whom Jesus offered his hand of friendship accepted. The rich young ruler went away from Jesus and the supposition is that he was lost. Judas began to follow, but was lost. Following or not following is a personal decision. This is the “entry-level” of Christianity. For those who choose voluntarily to follow, there is a second condition:
2. Follow Empty-Handed
…let them deny themselves
To deny self is to put all of my yesterdays, today and tomorrow to the side in favor of being obedient to the leading of Jesus Christ. Jesus was probably speaking to almost exclusively a Jewish crowd. They would have heard and understood Jesus to be talking about the process of proselytizing, or becoming a convert to Judaism. When a Gentile wanted to convert to Judaism he had to renounce all his previous beliefs and separate himself from past friendships and acquaintances, even family. He had to promise to never turn back. He was then considered “newborn,” a person of new life.
This is the kind of “God-out-of-the-box” that Peter worried about. He had ideas about the kind of Messiah he wanted. Jesus was demanding that we “trash” the old thinking and just follow him like our Gospel song, nothing in my hand I bring; simply to thy cross I cling.
Follow voluntarily, follow empty-handed, and then a third condition for following Jesus:
3. Follow as HE Leads
…take up their cross and follow me.
Here’s Jesus’ lead – take up your cross.
Peter had made an important connection with heaven in recognizing the divinity of Jesus. He’d made the incredible blunder of thinking he would change Jesus’ mind about the cross. But Jesus laid-out for them the ONE CONSISTENT DEMAND OF DISCIPLESHIP - IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW JESUS YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW JESUS!
Jesus is not interested in leaders; He needs disciples who will give up their lives. Are you willing? Are you really willing to step up and offer your life in exchange for His? That’s what it means to have a God who isn’t small and in a box. Following a God like that is a big decision!