Our Gospel reading this week, Mark 6:1-13, talks about Jesus preaching in his home town. But little happened because the people looked at Him and said, “You’re a hometown boy! What gives you the right to teach us about God?” They were offended by Him and He was amazed at their unbelief.
We have the same problem when we talk to our families and close friends about God. Why? It’s simple. We haven’t developed a reputation for knowing something about God. Instead, we have focused upon doing what other people do, emphasizing our service and our “niceness”. But we left out Christ and God.
As I said, my wife is the pastor at another church. So she was driving to the church back during the teacher’s strike and she noticed that the teachers were in a bit of danger because they were standing so close to the road. So she parks and walks over to pray with them.
As she gets there, the county superintendent was there. She introduced herself, and he asked, “A church! Did you bring us food?” “No,” she says, “I came to pray.”
Afterwards, praying alone back at the church, the Holy Spirit spoke to her. “You now see what we are to the world. We are NOT the spiritual leaders of this world. We are “meals on wheels”.”
My friends, a key reason the church has lost its relevance in this world is because we have chosen the easy way out. We have chosen to give people physical food rather than spiritual food, physical clothes instead of spiritual clothing, fuel for their cars instead of fuel for their souls. Many times, we don’t even do the work of meeting the people we give to – we donate and walk away. After all, donating money can make you happier! And furthermore, while our compassion ministries fill real holes in our communities, we have left out the most important part – Jesus Christ. Like the disciples in our reading, we were told to go out and speak to people about God, but we chose to stay at home.
Last week many of you told me about how many years you’d been coming to church. Many have been coming for decades. Now, I have another question for you.
How many adults have you personally led to make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ? How about in the last five years?
Folks, I understand we’ve had some growth here recently. But I fear we were like people who stood and watched as our previous pastors worked hard to build a one-story shed and then we called it a house. It is more difficult to build a multi-story building that will stand up through 100 mph winds, through powerful thunderstorms, through the winter snows, the spring rains, and the summer heat. A large, strong building requires a team effort, a group of men and women working together.
Beginning today, we are going to build a firm foundation under this building, we are going to build with steel supports, we are going to put bracing into the rafters and we are going to build a base which will allow this church to double or triple in size over the next five years while keeping the friendly atmosphere we have.
Last week I told you that I had lived in many places – WV, TN, NY, NJ, Atlanta, OH, and back here in Clarksburg. What I didn’t tell you was that I have attended and watched many more churches. I have talked with many church leaders as I taught at the district and conference level. And I’ve learned a few things.
Here’s a key difference between the churches that flicker briefly in the wind like a candle, and those that become roaring flames of the Holy Spirit, between the sheds of the Spirit and the great buildings of the Spirit:
In the shed churches, the responsibility for bringing people to Christ is the responsibility of the pastor, the outreach committee, the church, the program, the Conference, the advertising, the group. The problem with all of these is that when the pastor leaves, the outreach committee changes leadership, the church gets distracted, the program ends, the Conference changes focus, the advertising money dries up, the group disbands – the church drifts and slowly dies. As long as we depend upon a one or two or a handful of people, the church will remain small and vulnerable, able to be stamped out like a single candle burning alone.
In a solid, fast-growing church, there is a difference. Each person in the church realizes, after they have been attending for about 6 weeks or more, that bringing people to Christ is their personal responsibility, that a church doesn’t just have 1 or 2 people who do outreach, but explaining the Gospel is something everybody can and should do, that becoming a Christian isn’t just about learning things, but is about doing things, that Jesus wants everyone here to become a leader in our community because each baptized Christian has the Holy Spirit within us, and that means we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! By each of us learning how to lead people to Christ with the Holy Spirit, we will become Christians that are a danger to the evil in the world, for we can spread like dandelions, grow like bamboo, and support each other like a wildfire in a pile of dry leaves.
“Oh, no. He wants me to invite my friends to church again! And they won’t come!”
There’s that fear being a liar again! Notice that I said explaining the Gospel is our responsibility. I did NOT say to invite people to church!
We don’t get off that easy!
Let’s look at why people don’t come to church.
Some people will tell you it’s because of television. Some will tell you it’s because of soccer games on Sundays. Some will tell you it’s because people don’t care anymore. Others will tell you it’s because people work on Sundays.
Talking to people who don’t attend church, I have found that there is a simpler reason: The people who don’t come aren’t Christians!
Oh, I know that some truly Christian people would like to come, but their health or transportation or work keeps them away.
But for everyone like that, there are 4 or 5 who simply don’t believe that Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God, God in the flesh who walked on the earth.
Oh, they believe in the existence of a god. But they never talk about Christ. And that’s how you know they aren’t Christian.
In many of their cases, their grandparents went to church, and gave their teenage children a choice in whether to go or not. So that second generation chose not to attend.
When they became adults, those parents,the second generation, only went to church once or twice a year, or even less often.
And now we are into the third and fourth generation, and these young adults know nothing about Christianity except what Hollywood has told them.
We have the same problem when we talk to our families and close friends about God. Why? It’s simple. We haven’t developed a reputation for knowing something about God. Instead, we have focused upon doing what other people do, emphasizing our service and our “niceness”. But we left out Christ and God.
As I said, my wife is the pastor at another church. So she was driving to the church back during the teacher’s strike and she noticed that the teachers were in a bit of danger because they were standing so close to the road. So she parks and walks over to pray with them.
As she gets there, the county superintendent was there. She introduced herself, and he asked, “A church! Did you bring us food?” “No,” she says, “I came to pray.”
Afterwards, praying alone back at the church, the Holy Spirit spoke to her. “You now see what we are to the world. We are NOT the spiritual leaders of this world. We are “meals on wheels”.”
My friends, a key reason the church has lost its relevance in this world is because we have chosen the easy way out. We have chosen to give people physical food rather than spiritual food, physical clothes instead of spiritual clothing, fuel for their cars instead of fuel for their souls. Many times, we don’t even do the work of meeting the people we give to – we donate and walk away. After all, donating money can make you happier! And furthermore, while our compassion ministries fill real holes in our communities, we have left out the most important part – Jesus Christ. Like the disciples in our reading, we were told to go out and speak to people about God, but we chose to stay at home.
Last week many of you told me about how many years you’d been coming to church. Many have been coming for decades. Now, I have another question for you.
How many adults have you personally led to make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ? How about in the last five years?
Folks, I understand we’ve had some growth here recently. But I fear we were like people who stood and watched as our previous pastors worked hard to build a one-story shed and then we called it a house. It is more difficult to build a multi-story building that will stand up through 100 mph winds, through powerful thunderstorms, through the winter snows, the spring rains, and the summer heat. A large, strong building requires a team effort, a group of men and women working together.
Beginning today, we are going to build a firm foundation under this building, we are going to build with steel supports, we are going to put bracing into the rafters and we are going to build a base which will allow this church to double or triple in size over the next five years while keeping the friendly atmosphere we have.
Last week I told you that I had lived in many places – WV, TN, NY, NJ, Atlanta, OH, and back here in Clarksburg. What I didn’t tell you was that I have attended and watched many more churches. I have talked with many church leaders as I taught at the district and conference level. And I’ve learned a few things.
Here’s a key difference between the churches that flicker briefly in the wind like a candle, and those that become roaring flames of the Holy Spirit, between the sheds of the Spirit and the great buildings of the Spirit:
In the shed churches, the responsibility for bringing people to Christ is the responsibility of the pastor, the outreach committee, the church, the program, the Conference, the advertising, the group. The problem with all of these is that when the pastor leaves, the outreach committee changes leadership, the church gets distracted, the program ends, the Conference changes focus, the advertising money dries up, the group disbands – the church drifts and slowly dies. As long as we depend upon a one or two or a handful of people, the church will remain small and vulnerable, able to be stamped out like a single candle burning alone.
In a solid, fast-growing church, there is a difference. Each person in the church realizes, after they have been attending for about 6 weeks or more, that bringing people to Christ is their personal responsibility, that a church doesn’t just have 1 or 2 people who do outreach, but explaining the Gospel is something everybody can and should do, that becoming a Christian isn’t just about learning things, but is about doing things, that Jesus wants everyone here to become a leader in our community because each baptized Christian has the Holy Spirit within us, and that means we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! By each of us learning how to lead people to Christ with the Holy Spirit, we will become Christians that are a danger to the evil in the world, for we can spread like dandelions, grow like bamboo, and support each other like a wildfire in a pile of dry leaves.
“Oh, no. He wants me to invite my friends to church again! And they won’t come!”
There’s that fear being a liar again! Notice that I said explaining the Gospel is our responsibility. I did NOT say to invite people to church!
We don’t get off that easy!
Let’s look at why people don’t come to church.
Some people will tell you it’s because of television. Some will tell you it’s because of soccer games on Sundays. Some will tell you it’s because people don’t care anymore. Others will tell you it’s because people work on Sundays.
Talking to people who don’t attend church, I have found that there is a simpler reason: The people who don’t come aren’t Christians!
Oh, I know that some truly Christian people would like to come, but their health or transportation or work keeps them away.
But for everyone like that, there are 4 or 5 who simply don’t believe that Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God, God in the flesh who walked on the earth.
Oh, they believe in the existence of a god. But they never talk about Christ. And that’s how you know they aren’t Christian.
In many of their cases, their grandparents went to church, and gave their teenage children a choice in whether to go or not. So that second generation chose not to attend.
When they became adults, those parents,the second generation, only went to church once or twice a year, or even less often.
And now we are into the third and fourth generation, and these young adults know nothing about Christianity except what Hollywood has told them.
And to Hollywood, Christianity has a strict moral code, involves belief in a god, and has people who look down upon young peoples’ lifestyles and clothing. It is said that Christians will move away from people who aren’t dressed right or ask them to leave. Plus, those Christians sing dull songs and listen to boring lectures like everybody had to in high school.
And then we wonder why these young adults won’t come and sit in our services...
Folks, if you ask these young people what religion they are, the honest ones will say they really don’t have any, and most of the others will say they’re Christians, but the reality is that none of them have any real religion. They know they don't follow Islam and they're not Buddhists, they know they believe in a god’s existence, so they think they are Christians.
And then we wonder why these young adults won’t come and sit in our services...
Folks, if you ask these young people what religion they are, the honest ones will say they really don’t have any, and most of the others will say they’re Christians, but the reality is that none of them have any real religion. They know they don't follow Islam and they're not Buddhists, they know they believe in a god’s existence, so they think they are Christians.
But they aren’t Christians. They believe in a vague god they have created, who lets them do whatever they want, who makes them feel good, but that’s not Christianity, because we have a specific God named Jesus Christ or a three-part God the Father, God the Son who is Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit, and our God has a very definite personality with definite likes and dislikes.
So the real, deep reason these young adults don’t come to church is because they aren’t Christian. They believe God is an opinion, not a person. But the Christian God is very much a person – three persons with one divine Substance – God the Father, God the Son who is Jesus the Christ, and God the Holy Spirit.
So I ask you – why do we expect non-Christians to want to come to church? Everything about their soul makes them want to run from God. We know that they will come to God only when the Holy Spirit is working on them, so why do we expect them, people who are by definition in rebellion to God, to come into a building that is filled with God’s presence? After all, as a believing Christian, would you go into a building filled with a demonic presence?
So we have a job to do. It isn’t inviting non-Christians to church. It is much more than that, and there is some training involved, but not as much as you might think.
In Matthew 28:16-20, Scripture tells us, just before Christ returns to heaven. This is Jesus giving the Church it’s Mission!
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Let me break this out for you:
The eleven disciples, missing Judas the Traitor, go to Galilee and meet up with Jesus. Even then, after the Resurrection, some still doubted. It takes time to accept that God has actually walked on earth.
Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Now, I ask you – do you believe this? Do you believe that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth, including the authority to command your actions and words?
I do. If you believe this too, then the next verse is for you too. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” – the original Greek word ethnui means “people groups”. We are all commanded to make disciples of people. Disciples is sometimes translated as “students”, but it means much more.
Let’s assume I want to cook like one of those super cooks on television. I can order his or her recipe book online, getting the book, reading the recipe. That makes me a student of the Chef.
But for some reason, my dishes never quite turn out the same as the Chef’s recipes. So I track down the Chef and spend six months working in the Chef’s kitchen. And amazingly, my dishes begin to turn out the same way the Chef’s do, because I observe, practice, and do the same things the Chef does. That’s becoming a disciple. We have to become a student – but we have to also practice following the Chef.
So the real, deep reason these young adults don’t come to church is because they aren’t Christian. They believe God is an opinion, not a person. But the Christian God is very much a person – three persons with one divine Substance – God the Father, God the Son who is Jesus the Christ, and God the Holy Spirit.
So I ask you – why do we expect non-Christians to want to come to church? Everything about their soul makes them want to run from God. We know that they will come to God only when the Holy Spirit is working on them, so why do we expect them, people who are by definition in rebellion to God, to come into a building that is filled with God’s presence? After all, as a believing Christian, would you go into a building filled with a demonic presence?
So we have a job to do. It isn’t inviting non-Christians to church. It is much more than that, and there is some training involved, but not as much as you might think.
In Matthew 28:16-20, Scripture tells us, just before Christ returns to heaven. This is Jesus giving the Church it’s Mission!
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Let me break this out for you:
The eleven disciples, missing Judas the Traitor, go to Galilee and meet up with Jesus. Even then, after the Resurrection, some still doubted. It takes time to accept that God has actually walked on earth.
Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Now, I ask you – do you believe this? Do you believe that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth, including the authority to command your actions and words?
I do. If you believe this too, then the next verse is for you too. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” – the original Greek word ethnui means “people groups”. We are all commanded to make disciples of people. Disciples is sometimes translated as “students”, but it means much more.
Let’s assume I want to cook like one of those super cooks on television. I can order his or her recipe book online, getting the book, reading the recipe. That makes me a student of the Chef.
But for some reason, my dishes never quite turn out the same as the Chef’s recipes. So I track down the Chef and spend six months working in the Chef’s kitchen. And amazingly, my dishes begin to turn out the same way the Chef’s do, because I observe, practice, and do the same things the Chef does. That’s becoming a disciple. We have to become a student – but we have to also practice following the Chef.
Becoming a disciple-follower is much more than being a student or believing in the existence of the Chef.
Twice, Jesus tells us to believe in Him. Eighty times, Jesus tells us to follow Him.
Jesus told us that we are to make disciples - followers, and the only way to make disciples is first to become one ourselves, studying – and doing – what Jesus did.
After we make new disciples, Jesus tells us these disciples need baptized. You lead people to baptism and I’ll get them wet. Deal?
And then, we teach them to obey everything Jesus has commanded you. How do we know these commands? We find them in the Gospels, so we need to study the Gospels and practice these commands with other more experienced disciples. And then, Jesus will be with you till the end of the age.
Our task is not to invite people to church.
Our task is to become followers and then make new followers – disciples. And I’ll tell you something. It was only a few days after this that the leading disciples got their name changed.
They stopped being disciples – followers – and became apostles – "those who proclaim." That's when they began to make new disciples in earnest.
So I’m going to go back and ask you to consider if you’ve been doing what Jesus has asked of you.
Twice, Jesus tells us to believe in Him. Eighty times, Jesus tells us to follow Him.
Jesus told us that we are to make disciples - followers, and the only way to make disciples is first to become one ourselves, studying – and doing – what Jesus did.
After we make new disciples, Jesus tells us these disciples need baptized. You lead people to baptism and I’ll get them wet. Deal?
And then, we teach them to obey everything Jesus has commanded you. How do we know these commands? We find them in the Gospels, so we need to study the Gospels and practice these commands with other more experienced disciples. And then, Jesus will be with you till the end of the age.
Our task is not to invite people to church.
Our task is to become followers and then make new followers – disciples. And I’ll tell you something. It was only a few days after this that the leading disciples got their name changed.
They stopped being disciples – followers – and became apostles – "those who proclaim." That's when they began to make new disciples in earnest.
So I’m going to go back and ask you to consider if you’ve been doing what Jesus has asked of you.
Are you going to church or are you following Jesus?
In the last few years, how many people have you personally led to Christ, up to the point of declaring their desire to follow Christ and become baptized?
Next week, we’ll look at how the early church reached out and made disciples of everyone around them.
At our midweek studies, we’re going to go deep. We’re going to start the basic studies that help us explain the Gospel to someone who has never been exposed to church. See you at 7 pm Tuesday at Calvary, or 6:30 Wednesday at Mt Clare.
Until then or next week, let me suggest that you reread the last two chapters of the Matthew’s Gospel, and the first two chapters of the Book of Acts.
I’ll give you a preview: Praise God to a friend, neighbor, or family member this week.
Next week, we’ll look at how the early church reached out and made disciples of everyone around them.
At our midweek studies, we’re going to go deep. We’re going to start the basic studies that help us explain the Gospel to someone who has never been exposed to church. See you at 7 pm Tuesday at Calvary, or 6:30 Wednesday at Mt Clare.
Until then or next week, let me suggest that you reread the last two chapters of the Matthew’s Gospel, and the first two chapters of the Book of Acts.
I’ll give you a preview: Praise God to a friend, neighbor, or family member this week.
No comments:
Post a Comment