Sunday, February 26, 2012

Go!

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” -- Matthew 28:19

Today is the first Sunday of Lent. Did you decide to give up anything as part of your journey toward Easter? Maybe you decided to do something instead? Have you grown reflective? Or do you even care?

This morning we heard a wonderful talk from Dr. Mike Hoppe, an associate pastor at Covenant United Methodist Church in Dothan. It was on missions, fittingly I might add, since that is what he does throughout the year.

I don’t suppose anyone could talk of missions and outreach without referring to the last words of Jesus before He ascended to Heaven. We’ve come to know it as the Great Commission. It was Jesus’ instructions to the Apostles and to all of us. We’d prefer not to remember that last part because it is a call to action. It’s so much easier to let others do the action while we sit on our comfortable pews and cheer them on.

“Go” is one of those words we associate with the color green at traffic lights. We don’t think of it as a call to action but it is. Jesus didn’t say to sit. He didn’t say to pray about it. He didn’t even say to send someone else. He said to “go” and He meant you and me.

Naturally, not everyone can travel overseas. But we can all do something in the sphere of life. It might be a worker in the nursing home. It could be our neighbor or co-worker. Maybe it’s the bank teller or store clerk. We can all reach out to those we encounter in our daily lives and tell them the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Does this mean we have a ready excuse to not go on or support missions outside our sphere? Not a chance. Look back at the Scripture. Jesus said “all nations.” That doesn’t mean all nations in the Northern Hemisphere. It doesn’t mean only people who look like us. It means everyone.

Hoppe gave some interesting statistics. We now have 7 billion people living on our planet. Of those, 2.3 billion say they are Christians. That leaves 4.7 billion who aren’t Christians. Only .7 billion of those have access to or have heard of Jesus and just aren’t interested. That leaves 2 billion people in the world who have no access to the Gospel. They not only don’t know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, they don’t even know His name. That is just so sad.

The book of Revelation tells us that one day we will all stand before the Lamb, a crowd “from every nation and tribe and people and language.” (Revelation 7:9) Not just people like us. Because God willed that all people would have the opportunity to know Him and live forever with Him.

So take a moment today to reach out to someone who is lost, someone who may not have heard, someone who needs a Savior and a King. Jesus called us all to go and make disciples. What are you waiting for?

Sunday, November 13, 2011

What Is Your Story?

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

-- Matthew 28:18-20

Talking about Jesus with people who aren’t Christians can be pretty scary. No one wants to be rejected and, honestly, bringing up Jesus to nonbelievers is like asking to be rejected. Yet it is what Jesus told us to do.

So how do you talk with someone about Jesus? Well, the first step is considering your own story. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Sometimes it is. Most times it’s just not something we really think about. But how can we talk with someone who doesn’t know Jesus about faith when we’ve never really thought about how our own faith emerged?

Consider a few questions:

Have you always known Jesus? Did you grow up in church and your salvation was just assumed from the beginning?

Did you come to know Jesus later in life? When? Where? How?

Who is Jesus to you? I’m not talking about throwing out a few scriptures, such as John 3:16. I’m asking about your personal relationship with Jesus. Who is Jesus to you as you go through your daily life?

Why is knowing Jesus important? The easy answer is to gain forgiveness and eternal life with God. The more difficult answer goes back to your daily walk. None of us live lives free from pain and disappointment, from anger and displeasure. How does Jesus impact a life filled with things we’d rather not face?

Do you see where I’m going with these questions? You need to know and be able to articulate what your faith means to you before you can really share it with someone else. Your personal story is what draws people in and makes them want to know Jesus.

So think about these questions. Write down your story. There’s no right or wrong in this. Everyone’s story is unique. But when you figure out how Jesus came to be your Lord and Savior, then you’ll have the starting point to sharing your faith with others

Monday, April 25, 2011

The Great Commission

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” -- Matthew 28:16-20

It is the day after the Sunday Easter service. I don’t know about how things were at your church, but we almost ran out of space. Volunteers kept setting up chairs until finally there were no more chairs and standing room only. Some of the extra folks were visitors there to celebrate Christ’s Resurrection with their families and friends. Others were the sporadic Christians who generally show up at Easter, Christmas and maybe once or twice more throughout the year, if they feel like it.

Those folks have gone home and on about their business, confident of their place. For the rest of us, those who love Jesus 365 days a year, it’s time to get busy. Jesus gave His disciples -- and His followers like you and me -- clear directions of what we’re to do. He did not say anything about taking a few weeks off to think about it.

We are to go and tell everyone about Jesus. We are to preach the good news of salvation. We are to love others with our actions as well as our words. We are to show others what Jesus looks like by letting them see Jesus in us.

We don’t have to do it alone. Clearly Jesus tells us He is with us. He’ll help us, guide us, walk with us on this journey. But it is a journey we must take.

I think sometimes we hesitate because we don’t know quite where to begin or what to say. The answer? Begin where you are and get out of the way so the Holy Spirit can give you words to say and actions to do. Following Jesus isn’t always about faraway mission trips or giving a huge amount of money. Oh, it can mean those things for some people. But for most of us it’s about doing what we can, where we can, where we are.

So get busy. There are so many people who truly don’t know Jesus and what He has done for all of us. Tell them. Show them. Love them. Do what Jesus called you and me to do.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

He meant You Too

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"

-- Matthew 28:19

This is Missions Weekend at church. Nothing overly fancy about it. Special speakers will talk about their work, trying to educate those of us who take religious freedom for granted. They'll no doubt remind us again that not everyone in the world owns a Bible or even knows the name of Jesus Christ.

Some folks already are grumbling and complaining. Their Sunday morning worship schedule has been disrupted. They don't want to hear about people in other countries, about poverty or needs or spreading the gospel outside of this area. They frankly don't care if anyone else gets into heaven besides them and their loved ones.

Of course, they don't want to hear about Jesus' command that we are to go to all the nations and spread the gospel. They'll tell you quick that there are plenty of people right here that need a good dose of Jesus in their lives. Not that they're doing anything about it. That's the preacher's job. It's so ridiculous that it would be comical if it wasn't so sad.

It really doesn't matter if you're serving as a missionary in another country or if you're witnessing to your next door neighbor. All Christians are called to tell others about Jesus. The words in the Bible aren't a suggestion. They're a command. And not just for preachers or those who feel called to serve Jesus fulltime. Jesus clearly wanted everyone to go forth and tell the whole world about Him.

So we'll devote one weekend of the year to emphasize missions. And if Jesus Christ truly is our Lord and Savior, we'll spend the rest of the year following His command to "make disciples of all nations."

Sunday, September 19, 2010

He Is With Us

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -- Philippians 4:6-7

Why do we pray? We want to talk with God. Maybe we really want to talk to God. We want to tell Him what we want. Maybe we want something that seems important, like a job promotion. We could want something that is important, like the life of someone we love. Mostly we seek protection and strength and guidance. All things He willing gives -- in His time and in His way.

It's difficult to accept "no." But sometimes that is the answer He gives to our prayer requests. We don't understand. We agonize and scream at the unfairness of it all. We want to cast blame except how can we blame the very One who loves us most? We know there is good to come, even when we can't see it right now.

We pray for God's will to be done but do we mean it? We think we do. We know that God knows best. We know He loves us. We know that. Really. But sometimes it feels all messed up when He denies us something we want so badly. Like the life of someone we love.

Then we remember that God never promised to give us everything we want. He never promised to spare us from pain and loss. He never promised to shield us from this world's struggles.

He did promise to be with us always. He promised to love us and strengthen us and grant us His peace as we go through life's trials. "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20b) And that is why we pray.