Why Do We Go? Series

WHY DO WE GO?

In the Spring of 1940, Hitler’s panzer divisions were mopping up French troops and preparing for a siege of Great Britain. The Dutch had already surrendered, as had the Belgians. The British Army foundered on the coast of France in the channel port of Dunkirk. Nearly 350,000 young British soldiers and Allied troops faced capture or death. The German troops, only a few miles away in the hills of France, closed in on an easy kill. The Royal Navy determined that it had enough ships to save only 17,000 men, and the House of Commons was told to brace itself for ‘hard and heavy tidings.’ Then while the world watched with fading hope, a bizarre fleet of ships appeared on the horizon of the English Channel. Trawlers, tugs, fishing boats, lifeboats, sailboats, pleasure craft, an island ferry named Gracie Fields, and even the America’s Cup challenger Endeavor, all manned by civilian sailors, sped to the rescue. The ragtag armada eventually rescued 338,682 men and returned them home to the shores of England, as pilots of the Royal Air Force jockeyed with the German Luftwaffe in the skies above the channel. It was one of the most remarkable naval operations in history.

That ragtag armada did what everyone thought impossible. Likewise, the church is God’s ragtag armada. The church is a mix of flawed individuals on a rescue operation commissioned by God to save the lost and dying. What is the church? "The church is a mix of flawed individuals on a rescue operation commissioned by God to save the lost and dying."

Today we are starting a new series entitled Made for Mission. Over the next few weeks we are going to be looking at the fact that God has called us to go and tell the good news of His love and mercy to everyone on earth. Today we want to answer the most basic question, why? Why should we go? Why should we be sharing our faith with others?

Matthew 9:9-13 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

1. God Controls my Resources

God has blessed me with stuff that can be used for mission. Matthew used his house and food to be on mission. The same is true for us. Following Jesus means you look at your finances and possessions differently. You recognize that everything you have belongs to God. Remember Zacchaeus?

Luke 19:1-10 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' " 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." 9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

Zacchaeus was so moved by the salvation he received from Jesus that his life was transformed. That transformation included him giving half of what he owned to the poor and a desire to be reconciled with anyone who he had cheated. A changed life led to a change in how he used his resources.

Matthew was able to get up and leave his tax collecting booth because realized that following Jesus was more important than his job. He gladly gave up his lucrative position for a life of service. This is a mark of a true follower of Christ. They recognize that inviting Jesus to be Lord means that He then has full say and control over everything we have and do. We belong to him, and so does everything we have. Our very lives are under His control. This is the life of faith.