(Ladder 49 clip)
Men, are you ready to serve your God? I’d like to challenge the men of this congregation to “step-up” in their calling as Father’s and Husbands, sons and grandsons—to take up the challenge to be Christian men. We’ve shirked our responsibility to our society, our families, our wives and our church for too long and it’s time we became what God made us to be. It’s not sexist or patriarchial for men to follow Jesus Christ and he is calling us all to action just as much as that bell called those firemen to action in the movie. Consider this your wake-up call. This calling is just as important—except that sharing God’s love has the chance of saving a person not just from fire in their house, but from seeing their very lives going up in flames.
Every day, soldiers, policemen and firefighters are called upon and sent out to risk their lives for the sake of serving and saving people . . . are we, as Christians, so different? Women will say they love a man in uniform, but it’s what that uniform represents that truly inspires them. Is your walk with Christ inspiring to your wife? To the women in your life? Or is it embarrassing. If you want to live a life with purpose, follow Jesus to the sick and dying, to the homeless and hopeless. There is an old 1981 Marine Core commercial that focuses on honor, courage and commitment—that’s exactly what Jesus is calling us to as Christian men today. Jesus wants you, as a man, to be all that you can be for the sake of God’s glory.
I pray that God will speak to the ladies through these words as well, but I believe that God intends this message specifically to mobilize, inspire and challenge men to become more than what we have become. I do not mean any disrespect, but this church, and Christian churches as a whole in this world, have become kinda like women’s clubs where the vast majority of guys sit on the sidelines and help move tables every once in awhile. That’s NOT the picture we see in the Bible of how God uses men to spread His kingdom on this earth. And this isn’t just a result of women’s liberation or something like that—yes, women have stepped up to the plate (Hallelujah!) but that doesn’t mean men must step away. God created us to be partners, men and women together, in the home, in society and in the church.
Unfortunately, what is happening does not reflect God’s design for us. Here are some statistics taken from the website churchformen.com:
•The typical U.S. Congregation draws an adult crowd that’s 61% female, 39% male.
•On any given Sunday there are 13 million more adult women than men in America’s churches.
•This Sunday almost 25 percent of married, churchgoing women will worship without their husbands.
•Midweek activities often draw 70 to 80 percent female participants.
•Over 70 percent of the boys who are being raised in church will abandon it during their teens and twenties. Many of these boys will never return.
And yet, church involvement is the most important predictor of marital stability and happiness. It’s also correlated with less depression, more self-esteem and greater family and marital happiness. Religious participation leads men to become more engaged husbands and fathers and teens with religious fathers are more likely to say they enjoy spending time with dad and that they admire him. More than 90 percent of American men believe in God, and five out of six call themselves Christians. But only one out of six attend church on a given Sunday. The average man accepts the reality of Jesus Christ, but fails to see any value in going to church. We’ve lost the sense of honor, courage and commitment demanded from us as Christian men.
In the book and movie, the Lord of the Rings, Aragorn is the son of the king who is destined for the throne of Gondor but he has given up his destiny to travel the world as a ranger without a home. He is afraid to take up his calling and lead his people against the forces of darkness because he knows that within his heart there is sin and within his bloodlines there is a history of failure. His ancestor is the one who had fallen into temptation and allowed the forces of darkness to continue unchecked in the world. Finally, at the end of the trilogy, Aragorn fulfills his destiny. He takes the risk and accepts his rightful call to fight against evil once and for all.
Men, you are also the sons of a King—you are children of God—the king above all kings. You are also in the direct lineage of one who failed miserably, the first human being—Adam—who disobeyed God and allowed sin to creep into this world. You too have the seeds of sin lurking within your bloodlines. But you are also called, by God, to take the risk and step up to the challenge of a life as His son—to fulfill your destiny.
You are called today to repent—to admit that you have not lived up to your calling as a child of God. You have been sitting on the sidelines of life, letting others do the work you were called to do. You were called to be a partner with your wives and grandmothers and children. You were called to be a part of this body of Christ but you have let your fears get in the way. We are all called to lay our sins at the feet of Jesus, men and women . . . now hear this, By God’s authority, I declare unto you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Now, stand up, forgiven, and ready to take hold of your gear and follow your Lord into battle in this world with the honor, courage and commitment expected of you. Amen!
Part 2
Men, where is your focus? You work hard, right? You wake up early and work all day. If you are retired, you may finally be enjoying some of the fruits of your labor, but I’d still bet most of you still work as hard as your body allows. Why? Is it just because guys like to work? Well, that’s not exactly the reason I think. According to the book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, we find out that while women gain a sense of value from the quality of their relationships with others, men gain value from the their work and accomplishments. That means that we feel good about ourselves after a job is well done.
But if that is the case, how can we feel like we are growing in our faith as Christians? We are told that we CAN’T be saved by our works—that we are made right in God’s eyes by faith alone. But then how does a man grow in his walk with God? If it’s about a relationship and not work? Does God expect us, as men, to have long conversations with him in prayer each night before bed? Well, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind, but do most of the men you know have long conversations with anybody on a regular basis? Does God expect men to read long theological books about growing spiritually even though a lot of men don’t even like reading?!
Look at what the apostle Peter does in today’s story about him in the book of Acts. Peter and John were going up to the temple to pray when they saw a man who was crippled from birth being carried. The man asked them for money. This is what Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up and the man became strong.” Did Peter do this? Was this Peter’s great work of faith? No. Peter says, “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man who m you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him.” Through faith in Jesus Christ, Peter had the privilege of doing work with God. God doesn’t call us away from work, but encourages us to work with him—trusting him as our leader. “For it is God at work in you to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Saint Paul would say later.
Simon Peter was a fisherman. The disciple Matthew was a tax collector. Over and over again in scripture, we hear that the people who followed Jesus were normal, ordinary people. God didn’t ask these men to stop working, grab a cup of chamomile tea, sit by the fire with a chicken soup for the Christian soul book and pour out their hearts to him in order to build a relationship. God challenged these men to follow him, become a part of his team and stay close to him so that He might work through them. The rulers and elders of the people saw this change in these men according to Acts, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” If you’ve ever wanted to be a real hero to your world, to yourself and to your family—become a part of God’s team. Don’t trust in your own ability to work hard, trust in God’s ability to do his work through you. To lead you into work that means something on an eternal scale.
Part 3
Guys, God is not just leading you into a church with cushy plush seats, fresh flowers on the altar and cute banners hanging from the rafters to sit for an hour a week. If that’s all you think the Christian life is about no wonder you’re bored. He’s calling you to fight—to fight battles with demons, disease and death in the name of Jesus Christ. And he’s not calling you to do this on your own, he knows that you CAN’T fight this battle by yourself.
I love football. I love playing it and I love following it. I used to play a lot of football video games when I was younger too, especially the Madden football series. One of the things I remember vividly is that, no matter how hard I tried to get an amazing running back and a great quarterback, if I shriked my responsibility to put a reasonable offensive line in front of them, some average defensive player on the other side would destroy my best play in an instant. Every part of a team is important or else it can’t achieve its goal.
You, as a Christian man, are a very important player in this church. If you’re just
sitting on the sidelines or tuned out throughout most of the week, the Devil will keep blitzing and stuffing every play we make to move God’s kingdom forward to the goal. You may not feel comfortable or knowledgable enough to do the work of the church. You may not understand how to talk about your faith in front of other people or that kind of thing. But God takes ordinary men like you and I and can do extraordinary things with us as long as we put our trust in him and follow his leadership. I was never a quarterback . . . I was just a lineman. But every time we scored a touchdown, I felt like I had accomplished something. I had done my job to the best of my ability. I had stepped up to the challenge.
God is calling all of you as Christian men to step up to a new challenge. And to accomplish God’s goals, you need to stop trusting in your own abilities, your own dreams and your own plans and start believing in God’s power to work through you. You ask being asked, today, to follow God out onto the battlefield of life, with your faith in Jesus for your shield and God’s Word as your sword. Your faith might be a little flabby, your biblical literacy might be a little rusty, but God promises to do his work through you if you are ready to follow him as your king. This week, take up the challenge. With your wife, with your children, with your co-workers and here at church. When you hear God calling you to fight on his behalf—follow the call. He is faithful and he will do it. Amen.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Sermon for June 12th (Pentecost)
What happened on Pentecost? The Holy Spirit that Jesus promised would come, came and filled the disciples with power to do God’s ministry. What happened on Pentecost that’s not happening today? What changed? God hasn’t changed. He is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow the Bible says. But something has changed, hasn’t it. You can see it in the church—in how the church works today compared to how it seemed to work back when the book of Acts was written.
The book of Acts talks about a church that was led by the Holy Spirit. The spirit is falling all over the place and the new Christians are just running around to catch up with it. The spirit is falling on believers, filling them with power and creating all kinds of new believers moment by moment. Pentecost is the day we celebrate the birth of the church, but something has changed, hasn’t it. And this church isn’t the church we read about in the book of Acts.
This summer, we are going to go through many stories written about in the book of Acts. It’s a great book to read through to find out how God works in this world. The Holy Spirit is still working and is here among us as God promised. So then, why do we celebrate Pentecost like it was some long-ago holiday that is over. Pentecost wasn’t a one time event—it was the start of something new. So what changed? What happened to that church that God started?
Jesus promised his disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. (That’s Pentecost—the event. But then Jesus goes on to say.) You will be my witnesses. Those tongues of fire weren’t mean to just be blown out at the end of the night. They were meant to start a fire that would spread across the world and be burning to a blaze still today. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he promised the disciples that the Holy Spirit would come at just the right time for their ministry. They were waiting. They were expecting God to do something amazing. Has God changed? Is that what’s different today from back then? Or, have we changed? Have we just stopped expecting the supernatural? Have we stopped waiting on God and just tried to do it ourselves? Or, worse of all, have you stopped doing anything at all?
Pentecost was the birth of the Christian church and we’ve made it into a memorial service. All about an event long ago instead of celebrating a radical explosion of God’s power that is still working today. At Pentecost God showed us that the Christian life was going to be a way of life. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would lead us into all truth—not just for one day—but for the rest of history.
When I was little, I was a very friendly little boy. When I would enter the grocery store my mom said she would lose me as I went running off, but she was never worried. She’d just stop and listen and pretty soon she’d hear this loud high-pitched voice saying, “Will you be my friend.” A few moments later I’d come running back, “I have a new friend named whatever.” Well, I don’t remember most of those friends I made even though I called them my friend. But I have three best friends, Tom, Andy and Don who have acted like my friends since High School. They listened to me complain about tough teachers and always asked me how my dates went. They didn’t lose track of me even when I stopped calling when I went off to college and they’ve stuck by me through some really weird phases when I tried to “walk through walls” and ate a “green pea only diet”. Being a friend is about a way of life, not a title. Being a Christian is the same.
But when most people talk about being a Christian, they refer to their baptism, or their confirmation, or their day of being born again or whatever when it’s really much more about trusting in God’s mercy on a daily basis and living according to his commands. Being a Christian isn’t about receiving a title at a one-time event, but having a constant relationship with God. Pentecost isn’t about a one-time even that happened long ago either; It’s about how God started working in this world once Jesus ascended into heaven. And even though we’ve stopped acting like that Acts church, God has not changed. He is still working, but we seem to have changed our expectations.
After Jesus’ ascensionhe disciples were afraid. They were Jesus’ followers, but they didn’t want anyone to know. They were told to wait for God to give them “power” scripture says. And then, all of a sudden, they couldn’t hide who they were anymore. They were speaking in tongues, in all these different languages, and there were these tongues of fire all over the place. They couldn’t hide it anymore and so they found the freedom to start speaking about all that Jesus had done. Now that the Holy Spirit was in them, they knew that being a Christian meant an entirely new and different life from any they had experienced before. Is that how you think about your faith? Is your life different because you are a Christian? If not, why not?
Examples: Vibram 5-fingers. Jesus T-shirt. We think that the disciples had it easy or something. Like speaking about Jesus would be harder today than it was for them. Are you kidding? They risked death from their government for speaking about their faith, there were no churches like we have today, the number of other Christians they might know were few and far between and, yet, because the Holy Spirit had come on Pentecost they knew that they were never alone. Something changed for them forever. They were empowered by God to speak and they trusted him to speak through them. They knew that they now had the power and freedom to do things they had never dreamed of before. They had waited and now God had fulfilled his promise.
God hasn’t changed. The Holy Spirit is here and has been filling believers ever since Pentecost. It wasn’t just a one time event. The apostle Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit three separate times in the book of Acts alone to strengthen him for various works God had led him to do. What if you expected the Holy Spirit to speak through you and to work through you? What if you couldn’t hide your faith? If you have a relationship with Jesus Christ, then you’ve received the gift of the Holy spirit. If God has changed your life it’s time to live like it.
On the mission trip to Texas, as I was walking through Wal-Mart one afternoon, I realized a couple of things. First, I thought to myself. “Nobody knows me here. I could just bring up my faith at any random moment and maybe make a difference in somebody’s life. I was just so ready and willing and open to share that I felt God’s power just bursting at the seams saying, “Go for it! Try it! Let it fly!” And then I realized something: Nothing had changed. I was still the same person. Same God. No new knowledge or anything. But I had this sense of purpose and freedom, “I was on a mission trip!”—you know—that this was why I was here. Then I thought, “I don’t have to be in Texas! I’m just as free to do this in Fontanelle!” Guys! You don’t have to go to Texas either! You have been empowered by the Holy Spirit right here! In Greenfield, Bridgewater and Fontanelle! Pentecost happened so that you might believe the Holy Spirit is active still today.
I just watched the Wizard of Oz with my kids the other day. In that movie, the scarecrow is a looking for a brain, the tin man wants a heart and the cowardly lion wants some courage. Dorothy wants a way home. They are seeking the wizard of Oz to get these things. But, in the end, they realize that they’ve had them all the time. I wonder how many times we pray that God would do something miraculous, to give us the power of the Holy Spirit to change the world, to change our lives or to change our communities. God must be amazed at our blindness. He can just point to Pentecost and say, “you’ve had it all along.” If you believe in me, my Holy Spirit is in you. Take it out for a spin. You are free! Use it. Follow me!
To receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, you simply need a relationship with God. Not just the title of Christian, but an ongoing relationship. Do you daily place your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Do you repent of your sins and trust in his salvation to save you? Then your wait is over. The Holy Spirit has already come. You may not have realized it before, but you are plugged into the most massive power source in the universe. You are free to let God lead you this next week and show you how his spirit works. God has not changed. He is living and active. See what might happen.
But what if you don’t have a relationship with God? Maybe you call yourself a Christian, maybe you don’t. Maybe you’ve gone through the motions of being born again in college, or been confirmed in Junior High, but never, honestly, had a real and personal relationship with God that you can remember. Maybe today is the day when something will change for you. Maybe you’ve come to church before, but don’t really believe that salvation truly occurs only through faith in Jesus Christ. Maybe today God is changing your heart. For you, today maybe be the day of Pentecost. Confess your sins before God. Lay them at his feet and trust in his promise of forgiveness alone. And then start expecting God’s Holy Spirit to make his home with you. Filling you with the strength to speak and the power to serve in ways only God can imagine. And if God has truly changed your life, don’t leave your faith at home or in the closet like a pair of crazy looking red shoes. Expect God to make your life look different. Amen.
The book of Acts talks about a church that was led by the Holy Spirit. The spirit is falling all over the place and the new Christians are just running around to catch up with it. The spirit is falling on believers, filling them with power and creating all kinds of new believers moment by moment. Pentecost is the day we celebrate the birth of the church, but something has changed, hasn’t it. And this church isn’t the church we read about in the book of Acts.
This summer, we are going to go through many stories written about in the book of Acts. It’s a great book to read through to find out how God works in this world. The Holy Spirit is still working and is here among us as God promised. So then, why do we celebrate Pentecost like it was some long-ago holiday that is over. Pentecost wasn’t a one time event—it was the start of something new. So what changed? What happened to that church that God started?
Jesus promised his disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. (That’s Pentecost—the event. But then Jesus goes on to say.) You will be my witnesses. Those tongues of fire weren’t mean to just be blown out at the end of the night. They were meant to start a fire that would spread across the world and be burning to a blaze still today. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he promised the disciples that the Holy Spirit would come at just the right time for their ministry. They were waiting. They were expecting God to do something amazing. Has God changed? Is that what’s different today from back then? Or, have we changed? Have we just stopped expecting the supernatural? Have we stopped waiting on God and just tried to do it ourselves? Or, worse of all, have you stopped doing anything at all?
Pentecost was the birth of the Christian church and we’ve made it into a memorial service. All about an event long ago instead of celebrating a radical explosion of God’s power that is still working today. At Pentecost God showed us that the Christian life was going to be a way of life. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would lead us into all truth—not just for one day—but for the rest of history.
When I was little, I was a very friendly little boy. When I would enter the grocery store my mom said she would lose me as I went running off, but she was never worried. She’d just stop and listen and pretty soon she’d hear this loud high-pitched voice saying, “Will you be my friend.” A few moments later I’d come running back, “I have a new friend named whatever.” Well, I don’t remember most of those friends I made even though I called them my friend. But I have three best friends, Tom, Andy and Don who have acted like my friends since High School. They listened to me complain about tough teachers and always asked me how my dates went. They didn’t lose track of me even when I stopped calling when I went off to college and they’ve stuck by me through some really weird phases when I tried to “walk through walls” and ate a “green pea only diet”. Being a friend is about a way of life, not a title. Being a Christian is the same.
But when most people talk about being a Christian, they refer to their baptism, or their confirmation, or their day of being born again or whatever when it’s really much more about trusting in God’s mercy on a daily basis and living according to his commands. Being a Christian isn’t about receiving a title at a one-time event, but having a constant relationship with God. Pentecost isn’t about a one-time even that happened long ago either; It’s about how God started working in this world once Jesus ascended into heaven. And even though we’ve stopped acting like that Acts church, God has not changed. He is still working, but we seem to have changed our expectations.
After Jesus’ ascensionhe disciples were afraid. They were Jesus’ followers, but they didn’t want anyone to know. They were told to wait for God to give them “power” scripture says. And then, all of a sudden, they couldn’t hide who they were anymore. They were speaking in tongues, in all these different languages, and there were these tongues of fire all over the place. They couldn’t hide it anymore and so they found the freedom to start speaking about all that Jesus had done. Now that the Holy Spirit was in them, they knew that being a Christian meant an entirely new and different life from any they had experienced before. Is that how you think about your faith? Is your life different because you are a Christian? If not, why not?
Examples: Vibram 5-fingers. Jesus T-shirt. We think that the disciples had it easy or something. Like speaking about Jesus would be harder today than it was for them. Are you kidding? They risked death from their government for speaking about their faith, there were no churches like we have today, the number of other Christians they might know were few and far between and, yet, because the Holy Spirit had come on Pentecost they knew that they were never alone. Something changed for them forever. They were empowered by God to speak and they trusted him to speak through them. They knew that they now had the power and freedom to do things they had never dreamed of before. They had waited and now God had fulfilled his promise.
God hasn’t changed. The Holy Spirit is here and has been filling believers ever since Pentecost. It wasn’t just a one time event. The apostle Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit three separate times in the book of Acts alone to strengthen him for various works God had led him to do. What if you expected the Holy Spirit to speak through you and to work through you? What if you couldn’t hide your faith? If you have a relationship with Jesus Christ, then you’ve received the gift of the Holy spirit. If God has changed your life it’s time to live like it.
On the mission trip to Texas, as I was walking through Wal-Mart one afternoon, I realized a couple of things. First, I thought to myself. “Nobody knows me here. I could just bring up my faith at any random moment and maybe make a difference in somebody’s life. I was just so ready and willing and open to share that I felt God’s power just bursting at the seams saying, “Go for it! Try it! Let it fly!” And then I realized something: Nothing had changed. I was still the same person. Same God. No new knowledge or anything. But I had this sense of purpose and freedom, “I was on a mission trip!”—you know—that this was why I was here. Then I thought, “I don’t have to be in Texas! I’m just as free to do this in Fontanelle!” Guys! You don’t have to go to Texas either! You have been empowered by the Holy Spirit right here! In Greenfield, Bridgewater and Fontanelle! Pentecost happened so that you might believe the Holy Spirit is active still today.
I just watched the Wizard of Oz with my kids the other day. In that movie, the scarecrow is a looking for a brain, the tin man wants a heart and the cowardly lion wants some courage. Dorothy wants a way home. They are seeking the wizard of Oz to get these things. But, in the end, they realize that they’ve had them all the time. I wonder how many times we pray that God would do something miraculous, to give us the power of the Holy Spirit to change the world, to change our lives or to change our communities. God must be amazed at our blindness. He can just point to Pentecost and say, “you’ve had it all along.” If you believe in me, my Holy Spirit is in you. Take it out for a spin. You are free! Use it. Follow me!
To receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, you simply need a relationship with God. Not just the title of Christian, but an ongoing relationship. Do you daily place your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Do you repent of your sins and trust in his salvation to save you? Then your wait is over. The Holy Spirit has already come. You may not have realized it before, but you are plugged into the most massive power source in the universe. You are free to let God lead you this next week and show you how his spirit works. God has not changed. He is living and active. See what might happen.
But what if you don’t have a relationship with God? Maybe you call yourself a Christian, maybe you don’t. Maybe you’ve gone through the motions of being born again in college, or been confirmed in Junior High, but never, honestly, had a real and personal relationship with God that you can remember. Maybe today is the day when something will change for you. Maybe you’ve come to church before, but don’t really believe that salvation truly occurs only through faith in Jesus Christ. Maybe today God is changing your heart. For you, today maybe be the day of Pentecost. Confess your sins before God. Lay them at his feet and trust in his promise of forgiveness alone. And then start expecting God’s Holy Spirit to make his home with you. Filling you with the strength to speak and the power to serve in ways only God can imagine. And if God has truly changed your life, don’t leave your faith at home or in the closet like a pair of crazy looking red shoes. Expect God to make your life look different. Amen.
Sermon for June 5th (Jesus and the Ascension)
Where is Jesus? My kids ask me this question a lot, but don’t you ever wonder as well? Is he in heaven? Is he on Earth? Is it both? If he’s here, why can’t we see him? If Jesus is up in heaven, why do we still say that Jesus is “with us”? If God is everywhere, and we believe that Jesus is also God, is Jesus everywhere too? Why was Jesus taken up into heaven? What was the purpose of that? If you’ve ever wanted the answers to those questions, then today’s your lucky day because today we are talking about Jesus’ ascension.
What does ascension mean? The ascension of Jesus refers to the time when Jesus Christ, in his body, was taken up into heaven after his resurrection. Let’s read what scripture has to say about this great event. First Acts chapter 1, “Jesus said, ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. After Jesus said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.” Luke 24 says it this way, “When Jesus had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.”
I am often asked the question, “Where is Jesus?” It’s not just a question that the kids ask, it’s on everybody’s mind when struggles come into our lives. Where is God? When I was younger, I often thought that life would be easier if I could see God, if I could touch Jesus or point to him and say, “There he is! Now you can believe, right?” But God knew much better than we do about how hearts and minds work.
Imagine the shock the disciples felt when their Lord and Savior, the one who had died and rose from the dead ascended up into heaven. I mean, death is such an enemy because it takes our loved ones from us. Can you imagine if you had lost a loved one and then had them raised from the dead only to have them taken from you again! Jesus wasn’t just taken from the disciples once, but twice. The second time was at the ascension. When Jesus was taken up into heaven, the disciples probably felt a lot of confusion and loss. Why did this happen? What now? They were expecting Jesus to lead the one into the end of the world, but he leaves them to simply be his witnesses. Why?
In order to answer this question, we need to think of this not simply from our own human perspective, but from God’s perspective. We, as humans, tend to hold on really tightly to the belief that “seeing is believing”. If I only SAW Jesus, met the man in real life, saw a couple of miracles, THEN I could believe without a shadow of a doubt. I mean, admit it, haven’t you thought that very thought before. We believe that the whole world would be Christians if they just met Jesus. But the truth actually turned out differently.
What happened when people met Jesus? They hardened their hearts. They asked him to leave. They persecuted him. They had him crucified. They came to see the miracles he did, but no number of miracles ever seemed to convince them. Why? Because seeing, actually, isn’t believing. According to Hebrews chapter 11, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” And Jesus never said that people were saved because they met him; he said they were saved because they believed in him. This really is an important distinction to make.
When Kristy, my wife, was pregnant with our first child, Sophia, I read to her every night while she was still in the womb. Now, that might not seem like that big of a deal, but I started long before Sophia ever had ears and, actually, I started pretty much right as soon as we saw the plus sign on the First Response pregnancy test. Why? Because while I had never seen that little baby, while I knew that she couldn’t even really hear me, I loved her. I didn’t need to see her. In fact, if I had never seen her, I would have still loved her. Faith is a lot like love.
Seeing isn’t believing. God sent His son Jesus to earth in the flesh to shower the world with love and healing and acceptance and the truth, but he was met with hate and unbelief. This is part of the reason why the ascension happened: because the work of salvation was finished. Jesus had died and was raised in order to make us right in God’s eyes. Romans 5:19 says, “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man [Jesus] the many will be made righteous.” But, now, now was the time to share the good news of faith and faith comes through hearing, Paul says in Romans. Seeing isn’t believing, but faith comes through hearing. Jesus sends out his disciples to be witnesses to the truth of what had happened.
Do you understand this? Meeting Jesus does not save you. Coming to church does not save you either as far as that goes. Trusting in Jesus saves you, however ,without ever seeing his face. Believing that Jesus Christ died on a cross for your sins and forgives you saves you without ever stepping into a church. Jesus Christ came as a human being for a purpose: to die and be raised from the dead. He was raised—get this—he was raised so that we might have something to witness to today. Salvation isn’t a matter of science, it is a matter of faith. You have an opportunity to witness to what Jesus did so that others might fall in love with their Savior.
But there is more to the ascension that simply this. The second reason it happened was so that we might believe something else. When Jesus was walking around with Peter, James and John there was no doubt about where he was. If you wanted to see him, you had to find the disciples and there he was. But, because Jesus was truly God, we also know something else: because God is everywhere Jesus must have been everywhere too; however, as long as Jesus was walking with his disciples, there is no way anyone could have believed that.
How can you say that “Jesus is with you” when you are talking to your daughter over the phone? Because of the ascension. How can you believe that Jesus is here in Fontanelle just as much as in Greenfield? The ascension. We think that it would be easier to believe in Jesus if we could see him . . . but we are wrong. The only way to trust in Jesus as a Savior. The only way to believe he is truly God is if he ascended into heaven.
Where is Jesus? Where is Jesus now? That’s our final misunderstanding, but it is very important. We often say that “Jesus is with you.” But we really believe that’s he somewhere up in heaven. A man named Zwingli argued that there couldn’t be any way Jesus could be in heaven and down on Earth at the same time. And he would be right, or at least, we couldn’t believe any differently if Jesus had not ascended.
But when Jesus ascended into heaven, he gave you the opportunity to have faith. Not faith in a person, but faith in God. Who can be in heaven and on earth at the same time. Who can be in every town at the same time. Who could die 2000 years ago and still walk at your side today. Where is Jesus? On the right hand of God. Where is Jesus? Right here. Right now. With you. Amen.
What does ascension mean? The ascension of Jesus refers to the time when Jesus Christ, in his body, was taken up into heaven after his resurrection. Let’s read what scripture has to say about this great event. First Acts chapter 1, “Jesus said, ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. After Jesus said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.” Luke 24 says it this way, “When Jesus had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.”
I am often asked the question, “Where is Jesus?” It’s not just a question that the kids ask, it’s on everybody’s mind when struggles come into our lives. Where is God? When I was younger, I often thought that life would be easier if I could see God, if I could touch Jesus or point to him and say, “There he is! Now you can believe, right?” But God knew much better than we do about how hearts and minds work.
Imagine the shock the disciples felt when their Lord and Savior, the one who had died and rose from the dead ascended up into heaven. I mean, death is such an enemy because it takes our loved ones from us. Can you imagine if you had lost a loved one and then had them raised from the dead only to have them taken from you again! Jesus wasn’t just taken from the disciples once, but twice. The second time was at the ascension. When Jesus was taken up into heaven, the disciples probably felt a lot of confusion and loss. Why did this happen? What now? They were expecting Jesus to lead the one into the end of the world, but he leaves them to simply be his witnesses. Why?
In order to answer this question, we need to think of this not simply from our own human perspective, but from God’s perspective. We, as humans, tend to hold on really tightly to the belief that “seeing is believing”. If I only SAW Jesus, met the man in real life, saw a couple of miracles, THEN I could believe without a shadow of a doubt. I mean, admit it, haven’t you thought that very thought before. We believe that the whole world would be Christians if they just met Jesus. But the truth actually turned out differently.
What happened when people met Jesus? They hardened their hearts. They asked him to leave. They persecuted him. They had him crucified. They came to see the miracles he did, but no number of miracles ever seemed to convince them. Why? Because seeing, actually, isn’t believing. According to Hebrews chapter 11, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” And Jesus never said that people were saved because they met him; he said they were saved because they believed in him. This really is an important distinction to make.
When Kristy, my wife, was pregnant with our first child, Sophia, I read to her every night while she was still in the womb. Now, that might not seem like that big of a deal, but I started long before Sophia ever had ears and, actually, I started pretty much right as soon as we saw the plus sign on the First Response pregnancy test. Why? Because while I had never seen that little baby, while I knew that she couldn’t even really hear me, I loved her. I didn’t need to see her. In fact, if I had never seen her, I would have still loved her. Faith is a lot like love.
Seeing isn’t believing. God sent His son Jesus to earth in the flesh to shower the world with love and healing and acceptance and the truth, but he was met with hate and unbelief. This is part of the reason why the ascension happened: because the work of salvation was finished. Jesus had died and was raised in order to make us right in God’s eyes. Romans 5:19 says, “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man [Jesus] the many will be made righteous.” But, now, now was the time to share the good news of faith and faith comes through hearing, Paul says in Romans. Seeing isn’t believing, but faith comes through hearing. Jesus sends out his disciples to be witnesses to the truth of what had happened.
Do you understand this? Meeting Jesus does not save you. Coming to church does not save you either as far as that goes. Trusting in Jesus saves you, however ,without ever seeing his face. Believing that Jesus Christ died on a cross for your sins and forgives you saves you without ever stepping into a church. Jesus Christ came as a human being for a purpose: to die and be raised from the dead. He was raised—get this—he was raised so that we might have something to witness to today. Salvation isn’t a matter of science, it is a matter of faith. You have an opportunity to witness to what Jesus did so that others might fall in love with their Savior.
But there is more to the ascension that simply this. The second reason it happened was so that we might believe something else. When Jesus was walking around with Peter, James and John there was no doubt about where he was. If you wanted to see him, you had to find the disciples and there he was. But, because Jesus was truly God, we also know something else: because God is everywhere Jesus must have been everywhere too; however, as long as Jesus was walking with his disciples, there is no way anyone could have believed that.
How can you say that “Jesus is with you” when you are talking to your daughter over the phone? Because of the ascension. How can you believe that Jesus is here in Fontanelle just as much as in Greenfield? The ascension. We think that it would be easier to believe in Jesus if we could see him . . . but we are wrong. The only way to trust in Jesus as a Savior. The only way to believe he is truly God is if he ascended into heaven.
Where is Jesus? Where is Jesus now? That’s our final misunderstanding, but it is very important. We often say that “Jesus is with you.” But we really believe that’s he somewhere up in heaven. A man named Zwingli argued that there couldn’t be any way Jesus could be in heaven and down on Earth at the same time. And he would be right, or at least, we couldn’t believe any differently if Jesus had not ascended.
But when Jesus ascended into heaven, he gave you the opportunity to have faith. Not faith in a person, but faith in God. Who can be in heaven and on earth at the same time. Who can be in every town at the same time. Who could die 2000 years ago and still walk at your side today. Where is Jesus? On the right hand of God. Where is Jesus? Right here. Right now. With you. Amen.
Sermon for May 29th (Church Unity)
A ship cruising far off the shipping lanes in the South Pacific notices a signal fire on an uncharted island. The captain puts a boat over the side and the crew goes to investigate.
They find a shipwreck survivor alone on the tropic island. He is shaggy, unshaven, and nearly naked except for a scrap of cloth around his waist. The survivor is overjoyed at seeing his rescuers. “I’ve prayed and prayed that someone would come but no one ever saw my signal fire before. I’ve been stranded alone on this island for seven years”.
The captain asked, “How have you survived”?
The shipwrecked man told about eating berries and bananas and coconuts, about catching crabs in the lagoon, about rubbing sticks together to make fire.
As the man showed the ship crew around his primitive camp, the Captain noticed three huts made of sticks woven together and thatched with palm fronds. “What are these,” he asked.
The shipwrecked man pointed to the larger grass hut and said, “I build this one to live in so I could be warm and dry during the tropical rains every afternoon”.
“What about that one,” the captain asked.
“O, I wanted a special place to worship and pray; that’s my church”.
“What’s the third hut for”?
“Well, a couple of years ago there was a squabble and the church split”.
Today I’m going to speak about church unity. But in order to understand this topic, I’d like to focus first on another similar type of relationship: marriage.
At wedding ceremonies, I often refer to a scripture passage from Genesis which talks about a man and a woman becoming “one flesh”, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” It’s what marriage is all about. We promise to be partners with one another even when everything else falls by the wayside including friends, money and even health. And it doesn’t get any more “one flesh” than a baby who has his mother’s eyes and his daddy’s chin. But, the funny this is, that even though we become “one flesh” at marriage we aren’t really “one” just like that! You don’t blink your eyes and suddenly feel in tune with one another’s interests and habits. So, unfortunately, even though God promises that we will be “one flesh” so often we find that we are very different.
In today’s reading, Jesus makes a different promise. This time it isn’t about two people, but about many—an entire community of believers. Jesus prays to God his Father, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one.” This promise is meant as much for the disciples as for Christians today who accept Jesus’ teaching, and believe that Jesus is truly one with God. However, we’ve got the same problem, don’t we? God says that “the two shall become one flesh” , but we often see just the opposite: estrangement, abuse, separation and divorce. And even though Jesus prays that God would protect his disciples “so that they may be one as we are one”, today we see hundreds of denominations and factions within churches.
So what is it that we are misunderstanding? I’ve found some interesting quotes that I think get to the point of our misunderstandings on both marriage and church unity.
Here’s the first one:“Marriage is when a man and woman become as one; the trouble starts when they try to decide which one.” That’s how discussions go about church unity as well sometimes. Sure we can do ministry together, as long as you do it MY way. Another big issue between couples and between churches is that we forget that these relationships need constant attention. Mignon McLoughlin explains this in another funny quote, “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” This is true for our church family as well. We are required to love each other again and again always in new and different ways and to not take each other for granted.
I often explain to couples that in many ways they are already married before they ever say the vows. They are already committed to one another or else they wouldn’t agree to promise it in the first place. They are in love or else they wouldn’t be wanting to get married. But, at a wedding, we pray that God blesses them to continue to be committed and love one another. When Jesus prayed that the Christian community might” be one” as Jesus and His Father are one he wasn’t asking that they achieve some type of unity, but that they continue in the unity they already have. I don’t worry about people getting divorced at the wedding, it’s after that when things start going downhill. When the disciples were walking around with the bridegroom, Jesus, their priorities were all the right place, they were unified around Jesus and His Word. It wasn’t until after Jesus ascended that problems began. Jesus prays that they would “continue to be one” after he left the world. Just like we pray that a couple might “continue to be one” after they get hitched at a wedding.
If we expect every Christian in the world, or even in this church, to always like each other we will be disappointed. It is our shared commitment to Jesus that binds us together. That’s true as well for the the unity-the one flesh-of marriage. It isn’t simply based on love or else every marriage would be doomed at some incredibly important points in their lifetime. The philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, “Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing; a confusion of the real with the ideal never goes unpunished.” And couples are often punished with unhappiness, frustration and hopelessness when the love they believe makes them “one” with their spouse suddenly feels distant. Joseph Campbell said, “When you make a sacrifice in marriage, you're sacrificing not to each other but to unity in a relationship.” And even that unity comes, finally, from our commitment to forgive as Jesus forgives us.
This is where I have a great deal of trouble with how most Christians talk about “church unity”. As long as you accept Jesus’ teaching, believe that Jesus is truly God and believe in Him it doesn’t matter what your denominational affiliation is: we are one. We might do things differently, just as a married couple might, but we are committed to the same relationship. The unity of the church is based on our commitment to a relationship with Jesus, not on what we see with our eyes. Just like the unity in a marriage is based on a commitment to a relationship to our spouse, not on what we might see or feel on a particular day.
How can we become “one” church in this world or even “one” in our little church in Fontanelle? We commit ourselves to a relationship with Jesus. Not to a feeling or a set of circumstances, but to a promise. Why is Jesus so important? Because we are all, finally, unified by one thing. All of our churches. All of our marriages. What is the one thing? Our brokenness. Our sinfulness. This is why we get together in the first place—to share our joys and sorrows. To forgive and be forgiven by another human being. And this is what we share as Christians: our need for a Savior, for forgiveness, for Jesus. If you have come today for forgiveness. If you have come broken and in need for a Savior. Then we have found unity as a church. And by God’s authority, I declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
They find a shipwreck survivor alone on the tropic island. He is shaggy, unshaven, and nearly naked except for a scrap of cloth around his waist. The survivor is overjoyed at seeing his rescuers. “I’ve prayed and prayed that someone would come but no one ever saw my signal fire before. I’ve been stranded alone on this island for seven years”.
The captain asked, “How have you survived”?
The shipwrecked man told about eating berries and bananas and coconuts, about catching crabs in the lagoon, about rubbing sticks together to make fire.
As the man showed the ship crew around his primitive camp, the Captain noticed three huts made of sticks woven together and thatched with palm fronds. “What are these,” he asked.
The shipwrecked man pointed to the larger grass hut and said, “I build this one to live in so I could be warm and dry during the tropical rains every afternoon”.
“What about that one,” the captain asked.
“O, I wanted a special place to worship and pray; that’s my church”.
“What’s the third hut for”?
“Well, a couple of years ago there was a squabble and the church split”.
Today I’m going to speak about church unity. But in order to understand this topic, I’d like to focus first on another similar type of relationship: marriage.
At wedding ceremonies, I often refer to a scripture passage from Genesis which talks about a man and a woman becoming “one flesh”, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” It’s what marriage is all about. We promise to be partners with one another even when everything else falls by the wayside including friends, money and even health. And it doesn’t get any more “one flesh” than a baby who has his mother’s eyes and his daddy’s chin. But, the funny this is, that even though we become “one flesh” at marriage we aren’t really “one” just like that! You don’t blink your eyes and suddenly feel in tune with one another’s interests and habits. So, unfortunately, even though God promises that we will be “one flesh” so often we find that we are very different.
In today’s reading, Jesus makes a different promise. This time it isn’t about two people, but about many—an entire community of believers. Jesus prays to God his Father, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one.” This promise is meant as much for the disciples as for Christians today who accept Jesus’ teaching, and believe that Jesus is truly one with God. However, we’ve got the same problem, don’t we? God says that “the two shall become one flesh” , but we often see just the opposite: estrangement, abuse, separation and divorce. And even though Jesus prays that God would protect his disciples “so that they may be one as we are one”, today we see hundreds of denominations and factions within churches.
So what is it that we are misunderstanding? I’ve found some interesting quotes that I think get to the point of our misunderstandings on both marriage and church unity.
Here’s the first one:“Marriage is when a man and woman become as one; the trouble starts when they try to decide which one.” That’s how discussions go about church unity as well sometimes. Sure we can do ministry together, as long as you do it MY way. Another big issue between couples and between churches is that we forget that these relationships need constant attention. Mignon McLoughlin explains this in another funny quote, “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” This is true for our church family as well. We are required to love each other again and again always in new and different ways and to not take each other for granted.
I often explain to couples that in many ways they are already married before they ever say the vows. They are already committed to one another or else they wouldn’t agree to promise it in the first place. They are in love or else they wouldn’t be wanting to get married. But, at a wedding, we pray that God blesses them to continue to be committed and love one another. When Jesus prayed that the Christian community might” be one” as Jesus and His Father are one he wasn’t asking that they achieve some type of unity, but that they continue in the unity they already have. I don’t worry about people getting divorced at the wedding, it’s after that when things start going downhill. When the disciples were walking around with the bridegroom, Jesus, their priorities were all the right place, they were unified around Jesus and His Word. It wasn’t until after Jesus ascended that problems began. Jesus prays that they would “continue to be one” after he left the world. Just like we pray that a couple might “continue to be one” after they get hitched at a wedding.
If we expect every Christian in the world, or even in this church, to always like each other we will be disappointed. It is our shared commitment to Jesus that binds us together. That’s true as well for the the unity-the one flesh-of marriage. It isn’t simply based on love or else every marriage would be doomed at some incredibly important points in their lifetime. The philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, “Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing; a confusion of the real with the ideal never goes unpunished.” And couples are often punished with unhappiness, frustration and hopelessness when the love they believe makes them “one” with their spouse suddenly feels distant. Joseph Campbell said, “When you make a sacrifice in marriage, you're sacrificing not to each other but to unity in a relationship.” And even that unity comes, finally, from our commitment to forgive as Jesus forgives us.
This is where I have a great deal of trouble with how most Christians talk about “church unity”. As long as you accept Jesus’ teaching, believe that Jesus is truly God and believe in Him it doesn’t matter what your denominational affiliation is: we are one. We might do things differently, just as a married couple might, but we are committed to the same relationship. The unity of the church is based on our commitment to a relationship with Jesus, not on what we see with our eyes. Just like the unity in a marriage is based on a commitment to a relationship to our spouse, not on what we might see or feel on a particular day.
How can we become “one” church in this world or even “one” in our little church in Fontanelle? We commit ourselves to a relationship with Jesus. Not to a feeling or a set of circumstances, but to a promise. Why is Jesus so important? Because we are all, finally, unified by one thing. All of our churches. All of our marriages. What is the one thing? Our brokenness. Our sinfulness. This is why we get together in the first place—to share our joys and sorrows. To forgive and be forgiven by another human being. And this is what we share as Christians: our need for a Savior, for forgiveness, for Jesus. If you have come today for forgiveness. If you have come broken and in need for a Savior. Then we have found unity as a church. And by God’s authority, I declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sermon for May 22nd (To be Sent Out)
“And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” What would that mean if you heard it. Could you believe it? That all peoples—all peoples—would be blessed through you. You! How could that happen? Through you of all people. Well, to find that out, you need to know first how it happened once to a man named Abraham.
“The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Can you imagine God saying that to you? How do you think most people would respond, No thanks! NO thanks God! I have a home already, here. I WANT to live here. Just 299 more mortgage payments and this place is mine . . . ALL mine! No seriously, I can’t even leave for the weekend without my husband practically killing our children through neglect. And HE wouldn’t want to go even if I did. And where exactly would you take us? I mean, if you are going to fly us to Hawaii for a couple of weeks we might be able to work things out, but I’m not going to Kentucky. Nu-uh. Not down to hickville! I don’t have a gun and I’ve got all my teeth, I can’t move to Kentucky.” What would your excuse be? And what would the effect be? What about all those peoples on earth? God called Abram to leave his country in order to be a blessing to people he had never met. If he hadn’t of left, would you be here today? If God calls you and I and if we don’t go, what does that mean for the world?
(Trader video)
Let’s be honest: If God is calling us, we are going to have to trade something. That’s the definition of sacrifice and, as Christians, we are called to sacrifice. What do you think Jesus meant when he said, “If you want to be my followers, deny yourselves, take up your cross and follow me.” ? That’s not what his disciples were planning on. That wasn’t the future that they had in mind. They were being asked to trade in their lives, their future, their goals and their security for something else. In Philippians we read, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.” Jesus traded divine immortality for a human life of suffering, crucifixion and death. And when Jesus died on the cross, God the Father traded his wrath for forgiveness and unconditional love. What would you trade for a life of eternity with Jesus? What would you trade to give that hope of eternity to someone else?
I see a day when our community at Emmanuel is full of traders as that video put it. People who are trading in what this world sees as important for part of the vision of what God sees as important. People who are focused on “Coming in to be sent out”. Last week, I talked with you about what coming in means. It means that we aren’t just stepping into a church, we are stepping into a new kind of culture—where we expect to be confronted and inspired by God’s Word, where we care about each other in a radical new way and where we look forward to being empowered to go back out and serve our families, our communities and the entire world. But these three points are only the building blocks for our true purpose. We don’t just “come in”. We come in to be sent out. That’s what today is about.
The moment we walk into this place, we need to know—we need to know and not be confused about this important fact: this church is not our final destination. Our goal is NOT to build a bigger and better church organization here in Fontanelle. You might question me on that statement, but I hope that you’ll keep listening and catch a glimpse of what I’m talking about. When we walk into this room, we are standing in a type of Grand Central Station where God daily calls us to get on board and follow him somewhere for someone. That’s because as much as he loves you, he also loves the world and is calling on you to tell them, to show them, to experience God’s power with them, “How are they to hear, without a preacher?” Well, the answer to that rhetorical question is: they won’t hear without a preacher. They won’t be fed without a meal. They won’t believe in Jesus if they’ve never met him. You were blessed by God to be a blessing for others. We are called in to be sent out. But we always make excuses.
(Expert Video)
How many excuses do we make about not using the gifts God has given us saying, “I don’t know what to say.” Or “I’m not an expert.” Yeah, you’re not an expert. That’s why God is calling you. Saint paul says in 2nd Corinthians, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that his all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” Do you understand what that verse is saying? If you were an expert, it wouldn’t work as well! God wants to use you the way you are.
In a book printed in 1987 entitled The Inviting Church, they studied new visitors to churches and why they came. Here are the results: 2% came due to advertising. 6% because of pastoral invitation. 6% because of some type of evangelistic campaign. And 86% came because a friend or relative invited them. Wow! Do you know what that means!? It means that you are the best evangelists this church has, not me, because—and get this—because you are NOT experts! How’s THAT for shaking up our way of thinking. So then, what’s my job? When it comes to evangelism, I am called to empower you to do what God is calling you to do—not to make you experts, but to teach you the basics, give you the freedom to make mistakes and motivate you to go out and do it, to try it and to trust in God every step of the way.
You have been called into this church to be sent out. We are made Christians so that we can make Christians. Some of you might talk someone into it, but most of you will LOVE someone into it. I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again: The fruit of an apple tree is not an apple—the fruit of an apple tree is another apple tree. The fruit of a Christian is another Christian. The fruit of a church is another church. Grandparents, you understand this. What is more fulfilling? Being a parent or watching your child become a parent? That’s when you know whether you’ve done a good job or not. You’ll only find so much meaning by coming and listening and singing each week at church. But your life will be changed when you realize that you’ve been listening and singing this whole time for the sake of making a difference in someone else’s life.
What will that look like? Well,sharing your faith doesn’t simply mean telling others about Jesus like he was some answer on an catechism exam. I believe that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah and became the atoning sacrifice so that I might be justified by faith alone. Trasnlation please? Think about it. That’s what gets people so freaked out. People don’t want to hear what you think you know about God. I think God is real because the Bible says so. Or my mommy told me to believe it. Most people around here know all about the Bible, but they don’t care! They want to hear about how you know God is real. Why do you have faith? What have you experienced in your life that makes him believable for you? And then invite them to come to the place where they can experience the power of the Holy Spirit as well. Through the songs, through a healing service, through the sermon, through community, through a bible study, through a service project. Let’s look at one more video:
Video (The church and the racetrack)
Emmanuel can be a life-changing community if we just catch this: God didn’t bless you with the gift of salvation so that you could sit at church and feel better about yourselves. God’s heart yearns to save the lost and, if you believe in Jesus Christ already, you are no longer the lost! Instead, God wants to give you a new heart and a new spirit—a heart like His own. So that you will yearn to love and save the lost just like him! In Fontanelle? Yes. In Greenfield, Bridgewater, Maseena? Yeah. In Japan? Yeah. In Texas? Yeah. And to all the ends of the earth.
I believe that we, as Emmanuel Lutheran Church, have been called here for a purpose. I believe that you are all here today for a reason. You were called in here to be sent out. If you feel that this vision is not just mine, but God’s vision for this church, then I’m excited to start seeing what God does with this community. I know that a vision statement or a couple of sermons won’t really make the difference, but if you see this vision with your own eyes and feel it with your own heart, then we’ll start seeing it happen. You’ll start thinking differently, acting differently, giving differently—living out your faith with passion! I pray that through today’s service, God blesses you with the knowledge of God’s forgiveness, with inspiration and with healing. But, just like Abram, He blesses you so that you might become a blessing to others. You have been called here to be sent out. So get ready. When he calls, what will your answer be?
“The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Can you imagine God saying that to you? How do you think most people would respond, No thanks! NO thanks God! I have a home already, here. I WANT to live here. Just 299 more mortgage payments and this place is mine . . . ALL mine! No seriously, I can’t even leave for the weekend without my husband practically killing our children through neglect. And HE wouldn’t want to go even if I did. And where exactly would you take us? I mean, if you are going to fly us to Hawaii for a couple of weeks we might be able to work things out, but I’m not going to Kentucky. Nu-uh. Not down to hickville! I don’t have a gun and I’ve got all my teeth, I can’t move to Kentucky.” What would your excuse be? And what would the effect be? What about all those peoples on earth? God called Abram to leave his country in order to be a blessing to people he had never met. If he hadn’t of left, would you be here today? If God calls you and I and if we don’t go, what does that mean for the world?
(Trader video)
Let’s be honest: If God is calling us, we are going to have to trade something. That’s the definition of sacrifice and, as Christians, we are called to sacrifice. What do you think Jesus meant when he said, “If you want to be my followers, deny yourselves, take up your cross and follow me.” ? That’s not what his disciples were planning on. That wasn’t the future that they had in mind. They were being asked to trade in their lives, their future, their goals and their security for something else. In Philippians we read, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.” Jesus traded divine immortality for a human life of suffering, crucifixion and death. And when Jesus died on the cross, God the Father traded his wrath for forgiveness and unconditional love. What would you trade for a life of eternity with Jesus? What would you trade to give that hope of eternity to someone else?
I see a day when our community at Emmanuel is full of traders as that video put it. People who are trading in what this world sees as important for part of the vision of what God sees as important. People who are focused on “Coming in to be sent out”. Last week, I talked with you about what coming in means. It means that we aren’t just stepping into a church, we are stepping into a new kind of culture—where we expect to be confronted and inspired by God’s Word, where we care about each other in a radical new way and where we look forward to being empowered to go back out and serve our families, our communities and the entire world. But these three points are only the building blocks for our true purpose. We don’t just “come in”. We come in to be sent out. That’s what today is about.
The moment we walk into this place, we need to know—we need to know and not be confused about this important fact: this church is not our final destination. Our goal is NOT to build a bigger and better church organization here in Fontanelle. You might question me on that statement, but I hope that you’ll keep listening and catch a glimpse of what I’m talking about. When we walk into this room, we are standing in a type of Grand Central Station where God daily calls us to get on board and follow him somewhere for someone. That’s because as much as he loves you, he also loves the world and is calling on you to tell them, to show them, to experience God’s power with them, “How are they to hear, without a preacher?” Well, the answer to that rhetorical question is: they won’t hear without a preacher. They won’t be fed without a meal. They won’t believe in Jesus if they’ve never met him. You were blessed by God to be a blessing for others. We are called in to be sent out. But we always make excuses.
(Expert Video)
How many excuses do we make about not using the gifts God has given us saying, “I don’t know what to say.” Or “I’m not an expert.” Yeah, you’re not an expert. That’s why God is calling you. Saint paul says in 2nd Corinthians, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that his all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” Do you understand what that verse is saying? If you were an expert, it wouldn’t work as well! God wants to use you the way you are.
In a book printed in 1987 entitled The Inviting Church, they studied new visitors to churches and why they came. Here are the results: 2% came due to advertising. 6% because of pastoral invitation. 6% because of some type of evangelistic campaign. And 86% came because a friend or relative invited them. Wow! Do you know what that means!? It means that you are the best evangelists this church has, not me, because—and get this—because you are NOT experts! How’s THAT for shaking up our way of thinking. So then, what’s my job? When it comes to evangelism, I am called to empower you to do what God is calling you to do—not to make you experts, but to teach you the basics, give you the freedom to make mistakes and motivate you to go out and do it, to try it and to trust in God every step of the way.
You have been called into this church to be sent out. We are made Christians so that we can make Christians. Some of you might talk someone into it, but most of you will LOVE someone into it. I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again: The fruit of an apple tree is not an apple—the fruit of an apple tree is another apple tree. The fruit of a Christian is another Christian. The fruit of a church is another church. Grandparents, you understand this. What is more fulfilling? Being a parent or watching your child become a parent? That’s when you know whether you’ve done a good job or not. You’ll only find so much meaning by coming and listening and singing each week at church. But your life will be changed when you realize that you’ve been listening and singing this whole time for the sake of making a difference in someone else’s life.
What will that look like? Well,sharing your faith doesn’t simply mean telling others about Jesus like he was some answer on an catechism exam. I believe that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah and became the atoning sacrifice so that I might be justified by faith alone. Trasnlation please? Think about it. That’s what gets people so freaked out. People don’t want to hear what you think you know about God. I think God is real because the Bible says so. Or my mommy told me to believe it. Most people around here know all about the Bible, but they don’t care! They want to hear about how you know God is real. Why do you have faith? What have you experienced in your life that makes him believable for you? And then invite them to come to the place where they can experience the power of the Holy Spirit as well. Through the songs, through a healing service, through the sermon, through community, through a bible study, through a service project. Let’s look at one more video:
Video (The church and the racetrack)
Emmanuel can be a life-changing community if we just catch this: God didn’t bless you with the gift of salvation so that you could sit at church and feel better about yourselves. God’s heart yearns to save the lost and, if you believe in Jesus Christ already, you are no longer the lost! Instead, God wants to give you a new heart and a new spirit—a heart like His own. So that you will yearn to love and save the lost just like him! In Fontanelle? Yes. In Greenfield, Bridgewater, Maseena? Yeah. In Japan? Yeah. In Texas? Yeah. And to all the ends of the earth.
I believe that we, as Emmanuel Lutheran Church, have been called here for a purpose. I believe that you are all here today for a reason. You were called in here to be sent out. If you feel that this vision is not just mine, but God’s vision for this church, then I’m excited to start seeing what God does with this community. I know that a vision statement or a couple of sermons won’t really make the difference, but if you see this vision with your own eyes and feel it with your own heart, then we’ll start seeing it happen. You’ll start thinking differently, acting differently, giving differently—living out your faith with passion! I pray that through today’s service, God blesses you with the knowledge of God’s forgiveness, with inspiration and with healing. But, just like Abram, He blesses you so that you might become a blessing to others. You have been called here to be sent out. So get ready. When he calls, what will your answer be?
Sermon for May 15th (Coming in)
About ten months ago, I presented for you a vision for what the ministries at Emmanuel might look like one day. I’ve spoken about it in various ministry team meetings and talked about it a lot back at the end of last summer, but it’s time to revisit this vision and find out if what I see God doing one day in this community is what you see God doing one day in this community. I see a day when Emmanuel is a place where people are coming in to be sent out. Now what does that mean?
I encourage you, as you are listening, to ask yourselves, “Does the Bible truly support this vision? Does God really want his people to do what this vision calls them to do?” I believe that this vision is grounded in the Bible (or else I would have never brought it up in the first place); however, in order for it to not simply be “my vision” but “our vision” or the “church’s vision” or “Emmanuel’s vision” you as the congregation need to be able to see it as much as I do. This week I’ll be focusing on what it means to be a congregation that “comes in” and why it should matter to you.
Coming in. A year ago, I felt that there were three separate reasons why we need to “come in” as a church community. First, we come in to be inspired and reconnected to God’s Word. Second, we come in to get inspired and reconnected to God’s people. Finally, we come in to be empowered to serve.
I recently read an article in the Fremont tribune that was really interesting. It read, "When the United States Secret Service in Washington trains bank tellers to deal with counterfeit money, they don't teach them to identify all the thousands of different ways to fake a $20, $50 or $100 bill. They teach you how to know for absolute certain that you're dealing with the real thing. You just become immersed in real United States currency." “That way, when tellers are flipping through lots of bills, they know when they touch a bill that doesn't feel quite right. They may not be able to immediately identify some new, crafty way of counterfeiting money. They just know something's wrong. And nine times out of 10, when a counterfeit bill is detected, it's because the teller felt it first.”
The article quoted a pastor who had used this example to make a point about our need to be reconnected to God’s Word, "You need to understand this word [the Bible], verse by verse, chapter by chapter, precept by precept ... and one of the ways to know it is to study it as an individual, as a couple, as a family, as a small group and as a church.” The point is that we need to come together as a community around Jesus, around God’s Word, in order that we can tell the “real thing” from counterfeit in this world. If you are not “coming in” and hearing God’s Word often, you’ll be much more likely to fall for a fake without realizing it. Coming in through Jesus—the gate—is necessary for our church.
Jesus said, “I am the gate.” You come into this place for Jesus and through Jesus. The church should be a place where God’s Word is front and center. Where you can be assured, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that even if everything else changed, you would be confronted with the Bible every time you came. In the book of 1st Timothy, Paul says that Timothy, as a church leader, should devote himself to the public reading of scripture, to preaching and to teaching. In the first letter to the Corinthians Paul says, “When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.” Martin Luther said that the church should be a “mouth house” where the gospel is preached in its truth and purity. I see a day when everything that happens in this place, whether it be a worship service or a ministry team meeting, is filled with the reading and hearing of scripture whether through a devotion, a time of learning or simply singing. We’d never just be “doing business”. We’d be here to reconnect with God. Do you want that for your church? Do you believe God wants that for this church?
We need to be reconnected to God’s word in this community, but we also need to be inspired and reconnected to other people as well. Many argue that they are “spiritual” and not “religious”. But if what you mean by that is that you only find your inspiration and connection to God by yourself in your garden, you are missing something that God wants you to find.
In the tenth chapter of Hebrews we read this, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” We are called the body of Christ because there are many members. If we believe we can live our lives on our own, separate from the rest of the community, the body of Christ doesn’t work well. There are times when members are cut off for some reason and that affects everyone as much as a person would be affected if their leg was amputated. But a person has trouble even just walking if their foot is all there but just asleep. There are hundreds of baptized members in our faith community that are missing every week. Think about how difficult it is to function as a church body when so many of our members are “asleep”, literally, in their beds on Sundays rather than worshipping God with us. We need to focus not just on having a community but being a community.
What brings you to church every week? The sermons? That’s probably not it. Are you just pumped up to pray in these comfortable pews of ours? No. I’d bet that you look forward to seeing someone, or maybe many people. I spoke to a man once who explained that he came to church because he liked to see other fathers, just like him, Christian men, who struggled with work, with their kids, with their faith, but still found a way to keep doing it. Knowing that there were other men like that each week gave him the strength to keep doing what he had to do until next Sunday.
Hearing biblical stories about how God works is inspirational, but hearing stories about how God worked in someone’s life last week can be life changing. Knowing that God is a God of compassion is nice, but having a person actual come and comfort you in your sickness or grief is what really makes a difference. I see a day when this church is a place where all people feel welcome of course, but even more importantly, where you feel cared for and loved. Where people come because they want to be a part of community that does that. Wouldn’t you want to be part of a church like that? Would you be willing to find ways to make that happen here?
Finally, we are called in to be empowered to serve. Saint Paul says in 1st Corinthians that, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” We come into this place to learn how to serve others. To be equipped to deal with stress and sadness in our lives. To be blessed so that we may be a blessing. But we can’t just send you all out into the battle without equipping you with the proper protection and gear. We have to “come in” before we can be “sent out. If you haven’t learned the story of Jesus and what His story means to you, you can be told all day to “Go tell it on the mountain” but you won’t know what to say.
The problem is that we’ve often forgotten this empowerment part. We understand that we need to come in and hear God’s Word. We even might enjoy reconnecting with family and friends, but we so often take the knowledge we’ve learned here, or the comfort we’ve received here, and think that we just need to put that stuff in our back pocket for a rainy day. But you are not receiving this gifts for yourselves. These gifts are for someone else.
I used to do a lot of weightlifting in junior high and high school, but at some point I realized there was a problem. I’d go up and lift weights and check myself out in the mirror and say, “Wow! Lookin good!” But then, when it was time to play football or something, I never felt like I was that strong. I didn’t find out until later that while I was preparing myself to be a bodybuilder, I wasn’t empowering myself to be a football player. That would have involved different exercises and using different muscles in different ways. That’s probably why they call some people “musclebound”. They look good, but when it comes to actually “using” those muscles, they are sometimes very weak. How many of you have come here to church your whole lives but feel “weak” when it comes to sharing your faith? How could we make this church a place where people felt strong when they left; like they had learned something that they could share and wanted to share with someone else.
I see a day when Emmanuel is a place where people are coming in to be sent out. Coming in is the first step, but without this first step we won’t be going anywhere. Do you see a day when you come to church not just to sit and listen, but to come and be changed by God’s Word? Do you see a day when you are here not just to see friends, but to make friends with people you’ve never met? My prayer, is that “coming in” to Emmanuel becomes the highlight of your week. Where you come to be motivated, comforted, strengthened, encouraged and empowered to live out your faith. Where you came not just because you were a Christian, but because you wanted to find out how to be a Christian.
If you see this day coming, as I do, if you believe God wants this for our
community, as I believe he does, perhaps this is no longer just a vision I see, perhaps it is our shared vision for Emmanuel. Coming in is just the beginning. This next week, imagine what God would start doing here if we were focused on His Word, intentional about caring for our community and empowered to serve. I believe that He wouldn’t want us to just keep to ourselves. He would send us out. Where would God take us? How would he use your gifts? What would be the impact this church might have within God’s kingdom? Why have you “come in” today?
I encourage you, as you are listening, to ask yourselves, “Does the Bible truly support this vision? Does God really want his people to do what this vision calls them to do?” I believe that this vision is grounded in the Bible (or else I would have never brought it up in the first place); however, in order for it to not simply be “my vision” but “our vision” or the “church’s vision” or “Emmanuel’s vision” you as the congregation need to be able to see it as much as I do. This week I’ll be focusing on what it means to be a congregation that “comes in” and why it should matter to you.
Coming in. A year ago, I felt that there were three separate reasons why we need to “come in” as a church community. First, we come in to be inspired and reconnected to God’s Word. Second, we come in to get inspired and reconnected to God’s people. Finally, we come in to be empowered to serve.
I recently read an article in the Fremont tribune that was really interesting. It read, "When the United States Secret Service in Washington trains bank tellers to deal with counterfeit money, they don't teach them to identify all the thousands of different ways to fake a $20, $50 or $100 bill. They teach you how to know for absolute certain that you're dealing with the real thing. You just become immersed in real United States currency." “That way, when tellers are flipping through lots of bills, they know when they touch a bill that doesn't feel quite right. They may not be able to immediately identify some new, crafty way of counterfeiting money. They just know something's wrong. And nine times out of 10, when a counterfeit bill is detected, it's because the teller felt it first.”
The article quoted a pastor who had used this example to make a point about our need to be reconnected to God’s Word, "You need to understand this word [the Bible], verse by verse, chapter by chapter, precept by precept ... and one of the ways to know it is to study it as an individual, as a couple, as a family, as a small group and as a church.” The point is that we need to come together as a community around Jesus, around God’s Word, in order that we can tell the “real thing” from counterfeit in this world. If you are not “coming in” and hearing God’s Word often, you’ll be much more likely to fall for a fake without realizing it. Coming in through Jesus—the gate—is necessary for our church.
Jesus said, “I am the gate.” You come into this place for Jesus and through Jesus. The church should be a place where God’s Word is front and center. Where you can be assured, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that even if everything else changed, you would be confronted with the Bible every time you came. In the book of 1st Timothy, Paul says that Timothy, as a church leader, should devote himself to the public reading of scripture, to preaching and to teaching. In the first letter to the Corinthians Paul says, “When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.” Martin Luther said that the church should be a “mouth house” where the gospel is preached in its truth and purity. I see a day when everything that happens in this place, whether it be a worship service or a ministry team meeting, is filled with the reading and hearing of scripture whether through a devotion, a time of learning or simply singing. We’d never just be “doing business”. We’d be here to reconnect with God. Do you want that for your church? Do you believe God wants that for this church?
We need to be reconnected to God’s word in this community, but we also need to be inspired and reconnected to other people as well. Many argue that they are “spiritual” and not “religious”. But if what you mean by that is that you only find your inspiration and connection to God by yourself in your garden, you are missing something that God wants you to find.
In the tenth chapter of Hebrews we read this, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” We are called the body of Christ because there are many members. If we believe we can live our lives on our own, separate from the rest of the community, the body of Christ doesn’t work well. There are times when members are cut off for some reason and that affects everyone as much as a person would be affected if their leg was amputated. But a person has trouble even just walking if their foot is all there but just asleep. There are hundreds of baptized members in our faith community that are missing every week. Think about how difficult it is to function as a church body when so many of our members are “asleep”, literally, in their beds on Sundays rather than worshipping God with us. We need to focus not just on having a community but being a community.
What brings you to church every week? The sermons? That’s probably not it. Are you just pumped up to pray in these comfortable pews of ours? No. I’d bet that you look forward to seeing someone, or maybe many people. I spoke to a man once who explained that he came to church because he liked to see other fathers, just like him, Christian men, who struggled with work, with their kids, with their faith, but still found a way to keep doing it. Knowing that there were other men like that each week gave him the strength to keep doing what he had to do until next Sunday.
Hearing biblical stories about how God works is inspirational, but hearing stories about how God worked in someone’s life last week can be life changing. Knowing that God is a God of compassion is nice, but having a person actual come and comfort you in your sickness or grief is what really makes a difference. I see a day when this church is a place where all people feel welcome of course, but even more importantly, where you feel cared for and loved. Where people come because they want to be a part of community that does that. Wouldn’t you want to be part of a church like that? Would you be willing to find ways to make that happen here?
Finally, we are called in to be empowered to serve. Saint Paul says in 1st Corinthians that, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” We come into this place to learn how to serve others. To be equipped to deal with stress and sadness in our lives. To be blessed so that we may be a blessing. But we can’t just send you all out into the battle without equipping you with the proper protection and gear. We have to “come in” before we can be “sent out. If you haven’t learned the story of Jesus and what His story means to you, you can be told all day to “Go tell it on the mountain” but you won’t know what to say.
The problem is that we’ve often forgotten this empowerment part. We understand that we need to come in and hear God’s Word. We even might enjoy reconnecting with family and friends, but we so often take the knowledge we’ve learned here, or the comfort we’ve received here, and think that we just need to put that stuff in our back pocket for a rainy day. But you are not receiving this gifts for yourselves. These gifts are for someone else.
I used to do a lot of weightlifting in junior high and high school, but at some point I realized there was a problem. I’d go up and lift weights and check myself out in the mirror and say, “Wow! Lookin good!” But then, when it was time to play football or something, I never felt like I was that strong. I didn’t find out until later that while I was preparing myself to be a bodybuilder, I wasn’t empowering myself to be a football player. That would have involved different exercises and using different muscles in different ways. That’s probably why they call some people “musclebound”. They look good, but when it comes to actually “using” those muscles, they are sometimes very weak. How many of you have come here to church your whole lives but feel “weak” when it comes to sharing your faith? How could we make this church a place where people felt strong when they left; like they had learned something that they could share and wanted to share with someone else.
I see a day when Emmanuel is a place where people are coming in to be sent out. Coming in is the first step, but without this first step we won’t be going anywhere. Do you see a day when you come to church not just to sit and listen, but to come and be changed by God’s Word? Do you see a day when you are here not just to see friends, but to make friends with people you’ve never met? My prayer, is that “coming in” to Emmanuel becomes the highlight of your week. Where you come to be motivated, comforted, strengthened, encouraged and empowered to live out your faith. Where you came not just because you were a Christian, but because you wanted to find out how to be a Christian.
If you see this day coming, as I do, if you believe God wants this for our
community, as I believe he does, perhaps this is no longer just a vision I see, perhaps it is our shared vision for Emmanuel. Coming in is just the beginning. This next week, imagine what God would start doing here if we were focused on His Word, intentional about caring for our community and empowered to serve. I believe that He wouldn’t want us to just keep to ourselves. He would send us out. Where would God take us? How would he use your gifts? What would be the impact this church might have within God’s kingdom? Why have you “come in” today?
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