Walk Across The Room, # 2 - Living in 3D – 3.18.07

 This week I’ve been reading the book The Naked Christian by Craig Borlase.  If you wonder what the title means, the subtitle says:  “Taking off religion to find true relationship.”  This young writer gave me some wonderful insights into evangelism which I’ll be drawing upon today as we move into the second lesson in this series on evangelism called “Just walk…”  Last week we laid the foundation by saying that our part in sharing the good news often begins with something as simple as walking across a room, introducing ourselves and beginning a genuine friendship.

            There are two ideas I want us to hold up in our minds as we begin. Both are essential truths about evangelism (sharing the good news). 

            1.  People really do need Jesus.  Jesus died for everyone.  All roads do not lead to God, and all religions are NOT equally valid paths to God.  Jesus said in John 14:6 - I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  The apostles declared in Acts 4:12 - Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.  Those are exclusive truth-claims and they render logically meaningless the idea that there are many paths to God.

            2.  People are more than simply targets for Christian mission.  If we reduce them to that in our evangelism, if we treat salvation as a simple transaction where we give them a message (the “brain dump” Bill Hybels talks about) and they either accept or refuse it, we remove from the Good News the essential element of loving relationship that Jesus

            Let’s begin with Jesus.  Let’s look at four brief stories (suggested by Borlase) about Jesus that illustrate his style of sharing the Good News…

            1.  From Matthew 16:13-17 - 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

            14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

            15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

            16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

            How did Peter know that?  The next verse tells us:

            17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

            Yes, the Father revealed this truth to Peter.  But I don’t think we’re meant to think that it came to Peter as a vision from heaven, a dream disconnected from real-life experience.  The fact is, by this time Peter had seen the evidence from Jesus’ life that revealed his character and identity.  He had seen Jesus heal the sick people that were brought to him.  In fact, sometimes the demand was so great (as in Matthew 4) that Jesus stopped and set up shop and let people come and be healed.  And Peter had heard the Sermon on the Mount, and he probably thought, like a lot of folks did:  “Who is this guy, who teaches with such authority, not like our rabbis?” 

Peter had been there that time when they were all in a boat and a storm came up that threatened to swamp their craft, and they woke Jesus who had bee sleeping – SLEEPING – through the storm, and Peter had seen Jesus rebuke the storm and calm it down.  He had seen Jesus raise the dead, and he had seen Jesus weep over the death of John the Baptist and he had seen Jesus (during another storm) walk on water. He had seen Jesus feed the 5,000 and then he had seen him feed the 4,000.  He had heard Jesus teach the parable of the sower and the one about the mustard seed.  He had seen Jesus pray (often) and he had seen him draw strength from the Father.  Peter had seen Jesus in a hundred situations that we have no knowledge of from recorded Scripture.

And so, when they got past the small talk and the opinions of the masses, Peter could see that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God.  True, others saw the same evidence and didn’t get it.  The Father had indeed revealed it to Peter.  But not in a vacuum.  The life Jesus lived spoke loudly.

Now, I think about my life, and ask you to think about yours, and let’s wonder:  If the question ever came up, “Who are you, really?” and we got past the jokes and clichés, would people say:  “Well I’ll tell you one thing.  He wasn’t like everyone else you meet.  He didn’t live for possessions or pleasures.  She had a way of keeping things in perspective – good things, bad things, all things.  She forgave more than it made sense.  He served when there was no glory in it, or any benefit for him.” 

Who do you say that I am?  Who do THEY say that YOU are?  If God wants to reveal to them that you are a follower of Jesus, is there a base of evidence to support it?

2.  From Luke 8:40-48 - 40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.

This had to be a thrill for Jesus, at least for the human part of him.  Recognition from a religious official, one of the leaders of the very people of God Jesus came to save.  Speaking from my own sense of ambition, if some big-time preacher from Louisville or some editor from Cincinnati suddenly recognized my work and requested my presence, I’d be so anxious to go to him that I’d probably step on everyone in my path to get there.  And to be surrounded by a crowd, a posse, would make it all the better.  And Jesus almost DID have to step on people to go with Jairus because it says that…

As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

            LK 8:45 "Who touched me?" Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you."

I’ve always found that passage funny.  Who touched me?  Probably every one of a dozen people pushing and shoving each other around him.  But like a child with icing all over her face who says that SHE didn’t get into the cake, they all denied it.  Then Peter says:  “Come on, Lord.  EVERYBODY touched you.  I think I elbowed you in the ribs.  How could you ask such a thing?”

            46 But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me."

            47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."

            In my desire to run with my adoring throng to the home of the big man, the ruler of the synagogue, would I have stopped for a sick peasant woman?  Borlase:  “When everything is going well for us, when it seems like everyone rates us and wants to give us a little pat on the back, are we inflating our own ego or looking out for the loveless?...Are we listening to those who tell us how great we are or aware of how desperate the need is around us?” (p. 74)

            3.  From John 2:1-11 - 1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." I’m sure you understand too that in their culture, running out of wine would be a terrible embarrassment for the father of the bride, one that his town wouldn’t soon let him forget.

            4 "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come."  That sounds like a rejection to me, but Mary didn’t hear it as such.  Mothers can be very persistent. J 

            5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

            6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

            7 Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.

            8 Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."

They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

            11 This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

            A couple of things here.  First, who got to see this miracle?  Not the master of the banquet or the guests, which certainly would have heightened Jesus’ honor (but ruined the point of saving the father from embarrassment).  The disciples saw it.  And the servants, the invisible people, the ones of little account.  In a present day America, it might have been aliens (illegal or legal), people who don’t seem to matter, who seem to be interchangeable to the ones who do not know them.  These servants got to see the miracle and take part in it.

            Second, these containers.  Jesus didn’t just grab any bucket he could find laying around. He was going to make this new wine in the old jars that they used for ritual purification, for washing their hands and bodies in order to be clean before the Lord.  Powerful symbol here.  Those jars weren’t going to be needed anymore.  Jesus had a new way of cleansing people, one that ran much deeper inside, and that new wine has to remind us of the communion cup which reminds us of the blood which cleanses us.

            But the main thing is this:  You’re at a party.  A family get-together, or the office Christmas party, or a business lunch or dinner out with friends or even a church potluck.  Do you go off duty?  Kinda figure that this is YOUR time to ignore needs and treat people as servants, or ignore problems or someone’s embarrassment, or dirty work?  When your life speaks in such gatherings, what does it say? 

            Every Sunday noon all across America, Christians head out from their churches everywhere to witness in restaurants, and from what I hear, our witness stinks.  The Sunday after church crowd is the rudest, most-demanding, most-critical bunch ever to leave a 2% tip.  (But after all, many of us haven’t learned to figure a 10% tithe to God, so how can we figure 15% for someone who waits on us?)  In these gatherings, Borlase asks:  “…(D)o we remember who we are?  Are people having a better time because we are there?  Are we jostling for position at the top table or happily there with those lower down the chain?  Are we…ready and able to show His love and compassion in all manner of unusual ways?”  (pp. 73-74)

            4.  From John 19:25-27 - 25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

            Suffering exposes character.  When I’m in pain, emotional or physical, I want to treat others poorly and then lean on suffering as my excuse.  This bit of tenderness by Jesus from the cross is a testimony for the ages about who he really is.  In his agony, he looked out for his mother.

            There is another vital part of my witness and yours that cannot be found in the life of Jesus, and that is where I testify to my faith by offering a sincere apology to others when I let them down or hurt them.  As important as it is to live well in front of others and to do good at all times, the fact is, we fail at this.  We may not admit it, but God knows it and people around us know it.  We make a huge mistake if we think that living a Christ-like witness in front of unbelieving parents or friends or classmates means never failing to live up to our faith because then when we inevitably fail, we have to excuse it or cover it up.  That’s why I think we all need a regular class on how to not only repent, but apologize and ask forgiveness of people and make amends.  Few things can set you apart from most people (in a good way) like a humble apology, a willingness to own up to your sins.  And I mean ESPECIALLY to those who are, in a sense, under your authority – your kids, wait staff, employees, cashiers…but not just to them, to anyone.   

            Now with that foundation, let me talk briefly about the three points from Bill Hybels about living in 3D.  If we take the example of Jesus and realize that our life itself needs to be authentically Christian, then we’re ready to talk about an intentional strategy of reaching out to people.  When Hybels says to live in 3D, he’s referring to three steps in our relationships that all start with the letter ‘D’.

            1.  Develop friendships.

            2.  Discover stories.

            3.  Discern next steps.

             1.  Develop friendships.   Jesus in Matthew 5:13-16 - 13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

            14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

            Do I believe in hell? Do I believe that people who reject Christ will go there?  Do I believe that peoples’ lives here and now will be more meaningful with Christ?  I certainly do.   And yet without some kind of plan to get the salt out there or to let the light shine, maybe I really don’t believe.  Among the best of plans is simply to make friends with people that God puts in my path.  That’s the idea of “just walk across the room”. 

            But here’s the problem, as Hybels states it in his book Just Walk…  “…after a Christ-follower makes a faith decision, contact with people outside the Christian faith actually decreases…at the hour just before they meet God face-to-face, they are at their all-time evangelistic low” (p. 62). 

            The answer is to intentionally adopt a new way of looking at the world.  As we’ve seen today in the examples from Jesus’ life, wherever you are, you’re a potential witness simply by how you treat people.  In a small community like ours, this is especially true because so many people know who you are and if you go to church (and where).  But we have to go beyond that and find ways to actually be in situations where we interact with people who probably don’t know Christ.  For some of you, going to college gives you that opportunity.  For some of you, your best opportunity is to interact more deeply with the people you work with, maybe on a social level if possible.  For some of you, it’s what you do for fun that could allow you to build friendships with people who need the Lord.  If you fish or ride four-wheelers or paint or make pottery, would it be possible to open up your circle to include a potential friend or two or more who aren’t saved?  If you’re a musician, what does it mean to play your music for God?  I used to think it meant playing it in church.  Now I wonder if we don’t need to expand that vision a bit and send you out as missionaries to the places where lost sheep are…

            One of the things I like to do is read.  At first that seems like a totally isolating interest.  But the truth is that there are many people who not only like to read but also to get together with others and talk about what they read.  This fall I finished a novel I really enjoyed, and I got online and found that a bookstore in Knoxville was sponsoring a book club on that very book, and for a short time I really thought I might go, and I figured I might easily be the only believer there but I might meet some people with whom I have some things in common who I might develop a friendship with, just like we’re talking about.

            I didn’t go.  Why not?  I had a board meeting that night! 

            That isn’t really my only reason, but it does illustrate a potential problem.  One the one hand, there is NO WAY that I should wander out into the world and try to make life-changing friendships with people if I’m not taking care of my own spiritual life, which means worshiping God with my church, studying and praying together.  On the other hand, when my life or yours becomes so centered on church life that any time for friendships with non-Christians gets crowded out, the salt doesn’t make contact and the light doesn’t shine.

            Two questions for action:

            1.  Are you taking care of your spirit WITH Christ’s church?

            2.  Where could you intentionally work to develop friendships with unbelievers?

             2.  Discover stories.  What if I went to that book club and made some friends?  What then?  Well, of course, then I do my best to take over the discussion and try to show how this novel points out our need for Jesus, and won’t you accept him now?  Or maybe I try the same trick if I go out for coffee afterward with a group of these new friends.  Right?

            Again, I am rock-solid on the fact that people need the Lord.  But if I take that approach, I’m not giving them the Lord, but rather a set of facts.  They’ll see the Lord though my Christian love if I can demonstrate it in a friendship.  And what IS Christian love?  Philippians 2:3-4 says:
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Christian love is putting someone else first, realizing that Christ is taking care of me.  And that’s why the second D is Discover Stories, not Dump Information.  How do I know that someone cares about me?  They are interested in me.  They want to know who I am, where I’m from, what makes me tick, what passions and problems I’ve had. 

            Remember the story from last week about the guy who “walked across the room” and introduced himself to the Muslim man?  Do you remember the content of their conversation?  The Christian guy said:  “I really don’t know anything about the Muslim faith.  Could we get together over breakfast so you could tell me more about it?”  And he wasn’t just play-acting, he meant it because their breakfasts stretched over three or four weeks until finally the Muslim guy realized he’d done ALL the talking.  And that was the start of a life-changing friendship that affected not just one man but his entire family and generations to come after him.

            One question for action:  Will you show God’s love to others by asking them about their stories and listening?   

            3.  Discern next steps.  Understand this.  Although we don’t view people simply as missions projects, the fact is we DO have a mission.  We serve a God who loves people outrageously and cares about who they become and where they end up.  We MUST share that.

            How do we know when?  How do we know how?  The best answer I know of is to maintain a willing heart that listens to the Holy Spirit. This isn’t work that we can do apart from Him, for it is His work, and we join Him in it.

            For an introvert like me, and for anyone who has ever thought it their duty to save the world, the following statement from Hybels’ book is great news:  “I believe the highest value in personal evangelism is to be attuned to the movement and prompting of the Holy Spirit and to play only the role you are intended to play in another person’s life” (p. 88).  Believe me, I underlined that because it reminds me that my place of faithfulness is to join God in his work, not ask him to join me in mine.

            You DO have a role to play in reaching people around you for Christ, and so do I (beyond preaching in church).  I can't tell you exactly what your role is, especially with a given person.  Maybe my role with someone I meet is to find out enough about them that I introduce them to you, because you share the same passion for music or cars.  I don't know for sure what my role is...unless I patiently listen to God's Spirit within me and discern the next steps.  This is His work, and I'm just joining in.  So I want to: 

            Develop friendships.  Discover stories.  Discern the next steps. 

            Invitation to the altar to pray for lost or hurting people we know, to ask God for a loving spirit to embrace these folks, listen, and discern our role...

            Invitation

Comments?

The Naked Christian, by Craig Borlase.  Relevant books, 2005.
Just Walk Across the Room, by Bill Hybels.  Zondervan, 2006.

 Morrison Hill Christian Church
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Kingston, TN  37763   (865) 376-5205